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Professor David Nutt The psychopharmacology of depression, addiction, insomnia and other disorders
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Projects - Diseases - Processes - Techniques - Equipment - Funding - Collaborations - Teaching - Publications & further information
Research
David Nutt heads the Psychopharmacology Unit in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. The Unit integrates basic and clinical research to both study normal brain function, and to determine how it differs in psychiatric disorders such as clinical depression.
He also works at Imperial College London. For further information please refer to the Imperial College website.
Experimental approaches range from receptor binding assays to collecting images of the human brain. The techniques in use include CT (Computerised Tomography), PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography).
PET is particularly useful in studying the effects of drugs and brain neurochemistry. Using different compounds, PET shows blood flow, oxygen and glucose metabolism, and the concentration of drugs or neurotransmitters. Blood flow and oxygen and glucose metabolism reflect the amount of brain activity in different regions, whilst determining the site and turnover of drugs and neurotransmitters gives insights into how they act in the brains of patients and in normal subjects.
David's particular areas of research focus on brain circuits and receptors in anxiety and addiction, and on the pharmacology of sleep.
This involves the study of GABA receptors, using labelled subtypes of GABA 5, and serotonin, or 5-HT, receptors. Type 1 5-HT receptors seem to be especially important in depression and the action of anti-depressants. Other projects underway investigate different aspects of anxiety, addiction and sleep.
Through its work, the Unit gains greater understanding of brain biology and
how current treatments exert their effects. Based on these studies it is able to develop new
drugs and treatment strategies, and the Unit is at the forefront in addressing how to combat conditions such as drug addiction and alco
- GABA and 5-HT1A receptors in anxiety using PET
- Dopamine and opiate receptors in addiction
- Stress regulation
- Human models of anxiety
Clinical depression, drug addiction, insomnia, anxiety and panic disorders, alcoholism, agoraphobia, social phobia
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanning, CO2 challenge tests, Tryptophan depletion, challenge tests
EEG (Electroencephalography), PET scanner, (Positron Emisssion Tomography), SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
Projects - Diseases - Processes - Techniques - Equipment - Funding - Collaborations - Teaching - Publications & further information
Grants and funding
Wellcome Trust, IndustryCollaborations
- The Division of Psychiatry (GENPOD project: GENetic Predictors Of Depression)
- HW LINE
- O&G (Theranostics)
Publications, recommended reading and further information
Recent selected references
Davies SJ, Lowry CA, Nutt DJ.
Panic and hypertension: brothers in arms through 5-HT?
J Psychopharmacol. 2007 Aug;21(6):563-6.
Williams TM, Daglish MR, Lingford-Hughes A, Taylor LG, Hammers A, Brooks DJ, Grasby P, Myles JS, Nutt DJ.
Brain opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from opioid dependence: positron emission tomography study.
Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;191:63-9.
Bailey JE, Papadopoulos A, Lingford-Hughes A, Nutt DJ.
D-Cycloserine and performance under different states of anxiety in healthy volunteers.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2007 Sep;193(4):579-85.
Nutt DJ, Kessler RC, Alonso J, Benbow A, Lecrubier Y, Lepine JP, Mechanic D, Tylee A.
Consensus statement on the benefit to the community of ESEMeD (European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders) survey data on depression and anxiety.
J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;68 Suppl 2:42-8.
Robinson HM, Hood SD, Bell CJ, Nutt DJ.
Dopamine and social anxiety disorder.
Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2006 Dec;28(4):263-4.
Kalueff AV, Nutt DJ.
Role of GABA in anxiety and depression.
Depress Anxiety. 2007;24(7):495-517. Review.
Nutt DJ, Fone K, Asherson P, Bramble D, Hill P, Matthews K, Morris KA, Santosh P, Sonuga-Barke E, Taylor E, Weiss M, Young S; British Association for Psychopharmacology.
Evidence-based guidelines for management of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adolescents in transition to adult services and in adults: recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology.
J Psychopharmacol. 2007 Jan;21(1):10-41.
Nutt DJ, Stein DJ.
Understanding the neurobiology of comorbidity in anxiety disorders.
CNS Spectr. 2006 Oct;11(10 Suppl 12):
Please find further details of our research at the Psychopharmacology Unit website.
Projects - Diseases - Processes - Techniques - Equipment - Funding - Collaborations - Teaching - Publications & further information