🔊One of the UK’s first Brain Health Clinics celebrates five years since it launched and more than 500 patients using its services. The Oxford Brain Health Clinic is dedicated to improving the assessment and diagnosis of memory problems. Find out more about its work👇 tinyurl.com/599ppynz

There are 3 Oxford-based post doc positions for this Wellcome Trust project that will be advertised soon! If you have experinece in neurostimulation (tms/tus) and/or modelling of cogneuro data in humans do contact one of us (me, @mkflugge.bsky.social @lilweb.bsky.social, Jacinta OShea) to discuss!

🔊NEW RESEARCH: Shame plays a major role in hairpulling, a type of body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB), among young people, according to a study by @ox.ac.uk Read more 👉 tinyurl.com/ajjxz7rz @claremackay.bsky.social @pollywaite.bsky.social #BFRBs @acamh.bsky.social @oxhealthbrc.bsky.social

Thanks to Oxford Sparks for the opportunity to talk about BFRBs!

Proud moment as the first BFRB research study from the University of Oxford has been published. Great summary thread here from Polly…

Big news! I loved researching and writing this book, which is all about shedding the shame, and getting really curious about urges to pick, pull and bite. I can't wait to share it with you! It's out on April 2nd, and is available to pre-order now. #bfrb #bfrbs #bodyfocusedrepetitivebehaviors

And we’re off! Oxford’s first neurodiversity conference. Massive effort from @ndv-andreiascosta.bsky.social and her army of volunteers. Looking forward to a great couple of days. #ohbrcNFconference

📢 September is #WorldAlzheimer’sMonth, a time to raise awareness and support those affected by #dementia Our OH BRC Dementia Theme is pioneering research to shift dementia care from reactive treatment to proactive prevention and personalised management. 🌐 Learn more tinyurl.com/yefntkx2

Following social isolation, adolescents show increased sensitivity to rewards during effort-based decision making and reward learning. @livia-tomova.bsky.social @sjblakemore.bsky.social @emilyanntowner.bsky.social @stepalminteri.bsky.social @lei-zhang.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s44...

The 6 things everybody should know about body focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs)👇 In this new video, Professor Clare Mackay - aka The Trich Prof - shares the things she wished more people knew about BFRBs: tinyurl.com/4hbybrp2 @claremackay.bsky.social

Thank you Lottie!

Congratulations to Steve Smith @fmrib-steve.bsky.social for winning the OHBM 2025 Glass Brain Award! This lifetime achievement award recognises extraordinary contributions that drive the field forward - and we can't think of anyone more deserving. 👏👏👏

And for the first time we’ll be exploring the prevalence and impact of body focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) in a subset. So exciting!

Psychological distress over 30 years in Great Britain: the times they are a changin’ (or are they?) buff.ly/qpu4p0f 🧵 THREAD #MentalHealth #PsychologicalDistress #Surveys #GB #30years

Oxford Brain Health Clinic is leading the way in dementia research participation. Be inspired this #ClinicalTrialsDay and see how you can #BePartOfResearch. oxfordhealthbrc.nihr.ac.uk/oxford-brain... @claremackay.bsky.social ay.bsky.social @oxfordpsychiatry.bsky.social

A new publication from University of Bath DClinPsy on #hairpulling #trichotillomania where I was #ExpertByExperience and external supervisor.

🎉 Huge congratulations to all the @medsci.ox.ac.uk teams and individuals nominated in @ox.ac.uk VC Awards. The winners were announced at a ceremony hosted by the Vice-Chancellor yesterday. View the winners and highly commended nominations 👉 hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/vice-chancel...

Holly Haines is a Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry and Dementia Theme Co-Ordinator at Oxford Health BRC. She highlights that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain – and research shows that this is true throughout the lifespan, even for children and teenagers.

This #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek we asked researchers what one fact they wished more people knew about brain and mental health. #ThisIsMyCommunity #MHAWeek2025 #mentalhealth

Rants about things that used to be easy and are now really hard... Giving blood I used to be a regular. I would rock up to a clinic at the hospital where I work, deliver my pint of blood, and be back at my desk within 30 mins 1/3

🎉 It's #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek! 💜 Join us. Share this post so that people know where to turn for support.

Thank you @rethinkcharity.bsky.social for giving BFRBs the prominence they deserve on your website! www.rethink.org/advice-and-i...

Are you a UK psychiatrist with views to share about self-diagnosis? We’re looking for UK-based psychiatrists who work with young people aged 10–24 and would be available to take part in a 45-minute online interview (cont below) PLEASE SHARE WIDELY 🤩

I've just come across this, published last year, and the findings are surprising and important Public attitudes towards people with mental health problems improved from 2008 to 2019 - but then *decreased*. Found across three measures of stigma. Why? tinyurl.com/mvuhvz3r (cont)

Like many others, we’ve left X so we’re new around here - and with a new name too (formerly Dunhill Medical Trust). We’re looking forward to connecting with those who have great ideas and methods for improving the health and well-being of older people.

End of an (excellent) era. @heidijoberg.bsky.social gives her last ever WIN talk. It’s been a blast, an honour and a privilege to be involved throughout.

A new study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry reveals that GLP-1RAs, drugs for diabetes and obesity, may help treat dementia. Researchers from @oxhealthbrc.bsky.social found these medications could have neuroprotective effects. tinyurl.com/GLP1rasdemen...

🎙️ NEW PODCAST: What happens after a dementia diagnosis? DPhil student Jasmine Blane talks to Oxford Sparks about how she is supporting #dementia patients & their families. 🎧 www.oxfordsparks.ox.ac.uk/podcasts/wha... @OxHealthBRC @UniofOxford

We’re recruiting for 5 faculty positions in cognitive neuroscience, psychology & animal neuroscience! Exciting science going on @UofG, Glasgow is an amazing and green city with the friendliest people, and you’ll have the stunning highlands on your doorstep! tinyurl.com/mbn6yf56 Please repost!

Thank goodness people are waking up to the fact that there is a crisis for clinical research in the UK @financialtimes.com High on the list are the bureaucratic processes that have become an obstacle to getting things done

Fantastic blog about the inescapable link between stigma and distress.

I was moved, humbled and filled with gratitude to read Marta Isibor’s brave and brilliant piece about her skin-picking journey in the Psychologist this week. She describes finding community with BFRB UK & Ireland, and then the impact of our Oxford conference 🥲🙏👏. www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Alzheimer’s is defined by a build-up of certain proteins in the brain. Oxford scientists have found these proteins in cervical lymph nodes, which act as 'brain bins'. More proteins were present in young people, suggesting they drain away less well in older brains. www.psych.ox.ac.uk/news/potenti...

Gender equality doesn’t just 'happen.' Women’s rights must be fought for and protected. Our responsibility is clear. To lead by example and create a world where opportunities are fair for all. Not just today, but every single day. #InternationalWomensDay

Why academia is sleepwalking into self-destruction. My editorial @brain1878.bsky.social If you agree with the sentiments please repost. It's important for all our sakes to stop the madness academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

JOB ADVERT Associate Professor of Social Psychology at University of Oxford + Fellowship at Christ Church. Can be appointed at Full Professor if suitably qualified. Come and join the best Psychology department there is! @oxexppsy.bsky.social Please share, and apply: tinyurl.com/OxSocialPsych

Shame can be a significant struggle for those living with a #BFRB. Dr. Deibler writes about how impactful this experience can be in her new Psychology Today post: zurl.co/ywapK #Bodyfocusedrepetitivebehavior #trichotillomania #hairpulling #skinpicking #nailbiting #excoriation #culture #shame #CBT

Love this. It’s something I’ve been thinking about in relation to BFRBs (picking, pulling or biting at hair, skin or nails) because some things that really help (eg manicured nails, false eyelashes etc) feel like they clash with my identity as a scientist. Embrace the femininity!

How does femininity impact a woman's credibility in science? Rebecca Williams tackles this tough question in her latest blog. 💄 #WomenInSTEM #FemininityInScience https://buff.ly/3POA3Tg

The mind/body revolution: how the division between ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ illness fails us all

I really enjoyed this chat with Meryl from Helping Minds (Trichstop.com and skinpick.com) - available here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMr3...

Do you have a new year's resolution to catch up more with old friends? In BBC Radio 4's Unexpected Elements, Robin Dunbar, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at @oxexppsy.bsky.social, talks about the number of meaningful relationships you can have at any one time. eu.vocuspr.com/ViewN...

Are you a parent or carer who wants to be involved in developing research about the mental health of children and young people? Join the Parent Carer Research Network parentcarerresearchnetwork.org.uk

Meet my incredible, brave, 16-yr-old niece who talks to @ndv-andreiascosta.bsky.social about coming to terms with an autism diagnosis, the devastating consequences of school attendance policies, and finding her (powerful!) voice. #proudaunty www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPAd... 🧵

ICYMI

I really enjoyed catching up on this. Irene is magnificent as always: pain with Mo Farrah and Stephen Fry (and lots of fab scientists), thoughts on kindness from the Pope, wealth creation in Universities, and a bucket list trip to sample Islay's Whiskeys. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Why is diversity so important in helping people with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours? Today we celebrate all of the voices and perspectives https://buff.ly/3BL2Uo8 #BFRBs #Diversity #Science #Collaboration

For 40 years, when I asked myself the question 'why can't I stop pulling out my hair?' the only answers I had were that I was bad/wrong/stupid/broken etc. There are much better, kinder and more interesting answers, snipits of which are summarised in this video...

Today, we're looking at the mechanisms involved in BFRBs. ⭐️ Why do we pick, pull & bite our skin, hair & nails? ⭐️ How did these behaviours evolve? ⭐️ Why do they give us pleasure/comfort? ⭐️ If we understand mechanisms, can that help develop treatments? #BFRBs #Mechanisms @claremackay.bsky.social

Uncovering the #mechanisms behind Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (4-mins) Watch & learn about #BFRBs in this 2nd of 3 videos made with @claremackay.bsky.social Thanks to John Geddes, Matthew Rushworth, @pollywaite.bsky.social & Robin Dunbar.