A new study published in Lancet Psychiatry has revealed that many people who were hospitalised with COVID-19 continue to have cognitive and psychiatric problems even two to three years post-infection.

Conducted by researchers in the OH BRC Molecular Targets Theme, the research highlights the persistent and significant nature of these symptoms as well as the emergence of new symptoms years after COVID-19 was first present.

A major new study published in Nature Medicine shows the new recombinant shingles vaccine ‘Shingrix’ is associated with a reduced risk of dementia compared to an earlier shingles vaccine.

The study of more than 200,000 people by OH BRC supported researchers found at least a 17% reduction in dementia diagnoses in the six years after the new recombinant shingles vaccination, equating to 164 or more additional days lived without dementia.

In a ground breaking medical achievement, a young boy has become the first person to receive a revolutionary epilepsy device, significantly reducing seizure frequency and severity.  The study partnership responsible for developing the device involved University of Oxford researchers from the OH BRC’s Brain Technologies Theme, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College London and King’s College Hospital.

The Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, led by Prof. Mark Woolrich, was granted a cutting-edge piece of neuroimaging equipment – the Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs), representing a substantial advancement in research infrastructure for the OH BRC Brain Technologies Theme.  This equipment  will improve the Theme’s capacity to conduct neuroimaging research across different modalities.

The Oxford Health Biomedical Research (OH BRC) Population Health subtheme have designed a randomised controlled trial to assess whether watching an advertisement of an alcohol-free drink influences the purchase of alcoholic versions of the same drink. Currently, alcohol free advertising of brands is allowed in some places where alcohol advertising is not. This study uses an experimental online supermarket and is due to launch in early 2024. This project was prioritised by the subtheme’s PPI co-design panel.

The Mental Illness subtheme have designed a proof-of-concept trial, the DIME to assess the effectiveness of a ketogenic diet as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression. The team have obtained ethical approval and developed study infrastructure. Collaborating with the McPin Foundation, a PPI panel contributed lived experience to co-design recruitment materials, engagement strategies, and strategies to promote adherence. The pilot phase showed that online recruitment was feasible and dietary treatment was well-received and helped us refine workflows for the main trial. The trial will launch in January 2024.

During November 2023, Angelini Pharma (the pharmaceutical division of Angelini Industries) visited the Department of Psychiatry. Their Chief Scientific Officer delivered a presentation on the profile of the company and future strategic directions. Professors Seena Fazel, Philip McGuire and Chief Executive Officer of Akrivia Health, Mike Denis provided insight into their Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC)related research.

There is much excitement for more collaboration in 2024 and beyond.

THRIVE RCT published in Lancet Psychiatry found that both automated VR cognitive therapy and VR mental relaxation lead to large reductions in persecutory delusions. Persecutory delusions are a major psychiatric problem that often do not respond sufficiently to standard pharmacological or psychological treatments. A new brief automated virtual reality (VR) cognitive treatment that has the potential to be used easily in clinical services was developed. The aim was to compare VR cognitive therapy with an alternative VR therapy (mental relaxation), with an emphasis on understanding potential mechanisms of action.

The SLEEPWELL feasibility RCT published in Lancet Psychiatry showed that a targeted sleep intervention led to larger improvement in sleep disturbance in young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis than usual care. In the first trial of its kind at two NHS trusts, young mental health patients aged 14-25 identified as at high risk of psychosis and suffering from sleep problems were offered either targeted psychological therapy called “SleepWell” in addition to usual care (1) or usual care alone.   Based on the positive results, the same team of Oxford researchers will now lead a wider trial starting in 2024 to confirm the clinical benefits of this approach and prepare for roll out into NHS services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) early value assessment recommends 4 digitally enabled therapies developed by Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) researchers for use in the NHS: cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder for adults (iCT-SAD) and adolescents (OSCA), cognitive therapy for PTSD (iCT-PTSD) (Professors Clark and Ehlers’ team) and Online Support and Intervention (OSI) for child anxiety (Professor Creswell’s team).

Clark’s team who developed the treatment with support from the Wellcome Trust and Oxford Health BRC published three randomised controlled trials showing that the treatment leads to very large improvement and achieves the same outcomes as face-to-face cognitive therapy, which is recommended by NICE as the first-line intervention for social anxiety disorder. The clinical benefit per hour of therapist time was twice as large for the internet-delivered treatment compared to face-to-face therapy.

The Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF) has been awarded more than £4 million over the next five years by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The OH CRF is one of 28 facilities across England to benefit from nearly £161 million that has been awarded to expand early phase clinical research delivery in NHS hospitals.

‘Count me in’ was launched in August 2021 after Oxford Health BRC studies showed that asking clinical staff to collect research contact consent was resulting in a low uptake from patients, and that both staff and patients favoured an approach that allowed all patients to be contacted about relevant research unless they had opted out. Preliminary findings published in a letter published in the journal Evidence Based Mental Health showed the project is having a positive effect on research recruitment.

An Oxford Health BRC study showed that 37% of people had at least one long-COVID symptom diagnosed in the 3-6 month period after COVID-19 infection, with the commonest symptoms being breathing problems, abdominal symptoms, fatigue, pain and anxiety/depression. The Study investigated long-COVID in over 270,000 people recovering from COVID-19 infection, using data from the US-based TriNetX electronic health record network

Oxford Health BRC took part in the In2Science programme. This is a scheme that gives young people from a range of backgrounds the opportunity to spend time with and learn from people working in research and to find out more about a career in science. Dr Jessica Scaife, a postdoctoral researcher at the Oxford Health BRC, mentored 3 young people as part of the programme.

Professor Catherine Harmer appeared on the BBC Radio 4 podcast ‘Made of Stronger Stuff’ challenging misconceptions about depression and providing up-to-date information on what serotonin does in the brain.

The Oxford cognitive health Clinical Research Facility celebrated International Clinical Trials Day with a new video showcasing the Facility and its capabilities.

An Oxford Health BRC study reported that the risk of the rare blood clotting known as cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) following COVID-19 infection is around 100 times greater than normal, several times higher than it is post-vaccination or following influenza.

A blog in thebmjopinion by mental health clinicians and researchers at Oxford Health BRC discussed COVID-19 vaccinations and where people with mental health difficulties lie within the order of priority.

A study undertaken by an interdisciplinary team at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, showed that an ‘opt-out’ approach to research recruitment could benefit both clinical research and patient care.

Researchers from Oxford Health BRC reported the first large-scale evidence that COVID-19 survivors are at an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, used the TriNetX electronic health records of 69 million people in the USA including over 62,000 cases of COVID-19 and received widespread international media coverage.

Oxford Health BRC investigators took a lead role in PHOSP-COVID – a major UK research study which will investigate the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients. The Oxford Health team have provided expertise in mental health and neurological problems following COVID-19 infection.

Researchers from the Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab responded to COVID-19 by creating vital evidence-based guidance for patients and clinicians managing mental health conditions during the pandemic. Frequently updated, this guidance summarises the best available clinical guidelines about key COVID-19 questions that are faced by frontline mental health professionals every day.

Oxford mental health researchers published new guidelines and free resources for treating patients experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following admission to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to deliver psychological therapies remotely. Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders (OxCADAT) delivered NHS England workshops and therapist guidance for delivering psychological therapies for anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic grief remotely and materials published on the free OxCADAT resources website.

Oxford Health BRC took part in an exhibition showcasing groundbreaking NIHR research has been launched in Oxford. ‘The Body Unlocked: how research is changing lives’ is an ongoing exhibition which features life-sized photographs of people who have taken part in studies, as well as researchers at work and microscopic images of cells and bacteria.

The Oxford Precision Psychiatry Lab is an international multidisciplinary group of researchers, clinicians (both psychiatrists and psychologists), statisticians, methodologists and students who are passionate about improving the lives of people with mental illness across the lifespan.

The Emerging Minds network launched with kick off events across the UK including Belfast, Glasgow, Bristol, Cambridge, Birmingham, Newcastle, London, Swansea and Manchester attended by over 250 researchers, practitioners lived experience experts and policy makers. The Network works across sectors and disciplines to reduce the prevalence of mental health problems experienced by children and young people.

Akrivia Health, a spinout from Oxford Health BRC, was developed as a sustainable way to accelerate the UK-CRIS programme. The UK-CRIS network operates a managed service for secure access to one of the world’s largest repositories of de-identified patient data relating to mental health and dementia conditions.

A systematic review and meta-analysis showed that cannabis use among adolescents is associated with a significant increased risk of depression and suicidality in adulthood (not anxiety). While the individual-level risk was found to be modest, the widespread use of the drug by young people makes the scale of the risk much more serious.

Alongside the the publication of our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Strategy, we launched a short animated film to answer key questions about our patient and public involvement work and our vision to embed it into our research themes.

NIHR awarded £4 million to a project to enable state-of-the-art psychological therapy to be delivered via virtual reality (VR) in the NHS. The project, led by Professor Daniel Freeman brings together a team of NHS trusts, universities, a mental health charity, the Royal College of Art, and a University of Oxford spin-out company.

The Oxford Centre for Anxiety Disorders (OxCADAT) created a website of free resources and training videos for therapists on how to treat social anxiety disorder, panic disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder with the cognitive therapy programmes developed by the team

Professor Daniel Freeman, consultant clinical psychologist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation, was awarded a major research grant to study how VR can help with persecutory delusions. Professor Freeman was awarded the grant together with his colleagues, Professors David Clark (University of Oxford), Mel Slater (University of Barcelona) and Graham Dunn (University of Manchester) and is part of the BRC precision psychological therapies theme.