Cathy Davies

I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychosis Studies, working with Prof Alice Egerton to investigate brain energetic and glutamate dysfunction in schizophrenia using ultra-high field (7T) MRI and PET. More broadly, my research interests centre on using advanced in vivo neuroimaging and experimental medicine to (a) better understand the neurobiological mechanisms driving the onset of psychosis, and (b) develop novel treatments that better target the underlying pathophysiology.

I completed my PhD in Biological Psychiatry (2016-2019) at the IoPPN, supervised by Prof Paolo Fusar-Poli and Prof Philip McGuire. My doctoral research investigated treatments for people at clinical high risk of psychosis using network meta-analysis, MRI and pharmacological challenge with oxytocin. As a postdoc, I worked with Prof Sagnik Bhattacharyya to examine the effects of cannabidiol on cerebral perfusion, neurochemistry and fMRI readouts in patients with psychosis risk, and with Prof Steve Williams and Prof Sukhi Shergill at the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences to investigate the neural circuitry of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.