Issue 30 – NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford Health

Welcome back to the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford Health Newsletter providing a round up of our latest news.

To feature in future editions email Oxford Health R&D Comms.

Our research in the news

- The Guardian: Taking salsa classes can improve mental health, Oxford study suggests
- The Guardian: Shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of heart attack and stroke, study finds
- Oxford Mail: Oxford Health research to boost Black health outcomes
- Oxford Mail: Oxford clinician and researcher new director of DPUK
- Oxford Mail: Patient becomes 1000th to take part in dementia study
- Oxford Mail: Oxford Health joins UK dementia network as full member
- Oxford Mail: Oxford researcher builds new route to support psychosis
- Oxford Mail: Oxford Health launches easy-read research participant guide
- Oxford Mail: Oxford Health clinicians share training success nationally
- Oxford Mail: New Oxford research links changing sleep to psychosis
- This is Oxfordshire: University develops virtual reality therapy for NHS

New shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure

The shingles vaccine currently in use, called ‘Shingrix’, is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events – including heart attacks, heart failure and stroke – compared to the previous shingles vaccine, according to a major new study published in Nature Medicine. Shingrix was associated with a 9% lower overall burden of cardiovascular disease than a previous vaccine, including a 10% reduction for ischaemic heart disease and a 12% reduction for heart failure.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Serotonin-targeting drug shows promise as potential new treatment for depression

Researchers have reported promising early results for a serotonin-targeting drug that could offer a new approach to treating depression. The RESTAND study investigated the effects of a novel selective serotonin 4 receptor agonist, compared with the widely prescribed antidepressant citalopram. The drug showed distinct effects on brain activity and early improvements in some symptoms, suggesting potential benefits through a different pathway to existing antidepressants.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

60 seconds with... Professor Clare Mackay

In this quick-fire Q&A Professor Clare Mackay, Co-Theme Lead in our BRC’s Dementia Theme, shares insights from her research and lived experience, exploring why body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) occur, what science is revealing about them, and why greater understanding is essential to improving support and care. BFRBs include hair pulling, skin picking and chronic nail biting which affect millions of people, yet they remain widely misunderstood and often hidden from view.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Semaglutide linked to fewer memory and thinking problems in people with mental illness

Semaglutide, a medicine widely used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity has been linked to fewer memory and thinking problems in people with psychiatric disorders in a study led by the University of Oxford and supported by our BRC. The study found that people starting semaglutide had lower cognitive symptom scores over the following 12 months than those receiving two other commonly used diabetes medicines or no antidiabetic treatment.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Infections linked to higher risk of brain and mental health conditions for up to two years

A large study of more than one million matched patient pairs, supported by BRC: Oxford Health, found that people hospitalised with serious infections faced an increased risk of psychiatric and neurological diagnoses for up to two years. Cognitive problems showed the largest absolute increase, while encephalitis had the strongest relative increase. Risks were highest in adults, particularly older adults, with different infections linked to different patterns of later conditions.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Could sleep patterns help personalise care for people with psychosis?

A study, published in JAMA Network Open, sheds new light on the relationship between sleep and psychosis. Using wrist-worn sleep trackers, the study showed there was greater variability in key sleep measures among people at risk of psychosis and those with schizophrenia spectrum disorders compared with healthy controls. The authors suggest that these distinct patterns of sleep variability may help researchers better understand the diversity of experiences within psychotic disorders.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Oxford study reveals how an ‘allergy’ chemical influences memory and learning from setbacks

The chemical histamine – widely associated with the body’s allergy response – shapes how the brain forms memories and handles negative experiences, according to a new study. Researchers found that raised histamine levels facilitated communication within the brain’s memory networks. Raising histamine forged stronger connections between the deep region and the brain’s memory hub — the hippocampus — driving our ability to form new memories.

Read more: BRC: Oxford Health news

Calling all parents and carers!

Our Mental Health in Development Theme, in collaboration with The Charlie Waller Trust has launched a Parent Carer Research Network , a space for parents and carers to get involved in research opportunities.

They’re looking for members and are especially keen to hear from underrepresented groups, including:

Foster and adoptive parents
Parents from ethnically diverse backgrounds
Parents from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities
Fathers and male carers

Their next newsletter is out 1 October. All information including how to sign up can be found on their dedicated website.

New audit system maps how mental-health risks emerge in AI chatbot conversations

Researchers have developed SIM-VAIL, a new framework for testing how AI chatbots respond to people with mental health vulnerabilities. The study found that risks can emerge gradually during conversations, but early interventions may improve safety. The open tool could help researchers and developers identify weaknesses and build safer AI systems.

Researchers uncover how Parkinson’s disease protein damages brain cells

Researchers supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Oxford have identified a mechanism that may contribute to the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. The study found that toxic forms of the protein alpha-synuclein can block a key cellular pathway involved in protein processing within neurons. The findings improve understanding of how Parkinson’s disease develops and provide a rationale for exploring new treatment approaches in future research.

News

Our research in the news

New shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure

Serotonin-targeting drug shows promise as potential new treatment for depression

60 seconds with... Professor Clare Mackay

Semaglutide linked to fewer memory and thinking problems in people with mental illness

Infections linked to higher risk of brain and mental health conditions for up to two years

Could sleep patterns help personalise care for people with psychosis?

Oxford study reveals how an ‘allergy’ chemical influences memory and learning from setbacks

Calling all parents and carers!

New audit system maps how mental-health risks emerge in AI chatbot conversations

Researchers uncover how Parkinson’s disease protein damages brain cells

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Improving brain health: the future in mind

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