University of Cambridge - Neuroscience

Deaf opera singer welcomes new Cambridge-led cochlear implant trial

cjb250 — Wed, 06 May 2026 07:34:21 +0000

The UK trial will provide bilateral cochlear implants (cochlear implants on both sides) to some profoundly deaf adults. The results will be used to review NHS guidance for the provision of implants to adults.

Each year over 1,000 adults in the UK receive cochlear implants to restore their hearing. Under NHS guidance, adults currently only receive a single (unilateral) implant, yet evidence suggests having two could offer significant improvements in prospects and quality of life and may now be cost effective.

Janine said: “With bilateral implants, I no longer consider myself to be deaf. They have been utterly life changing and, for me, have broken a generational curse. I am excited that this trial will offer the same opportunity to others.”

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the trial is being co-led from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge. It will run in 14 hospitals and include over 250 adult participants, who will either receive one (unilateral) or two (bilateral) implants. Participants will be monitored for 12 months after surgery to assess the effects of the implants on wellbeing, ability to hear speech in noise, and quality of life. The study will also evaluate the economic benefits and cost of bilateral implants for the NHS.

Called LUCIA, the trial will be co-led by Dr Matthew Smith, an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and Professor Debi Vickers, a speech and hearing scientist in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, who leads the SOUND Lab.

Professor Debi Vickers, who also co-leads the Devices and Advanced Therapies theme at the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, said: “Children routinely receive bilateral cochlear implants. These can provide 3-dimensional hearing, enabling them to hear more naturally than unilateral, with improved access to sound and better engagement with society.

“Adults tell us, and I agree, that they should be given the same hearing opportunities as children. In turn these will result in reduced social isolation, enriched communication, improved mental health, and better overall quality of life.”

The trial, which is expected to begin recruiting patients in the autumn, has been designed in collaboration with Janine and other patients. By involving individuals with lived experience of cochlear implantation, the researchers aim to measure changes that patients consider to be most important.

The primary trial outcome will reflect participants’ own perceptions of their quality of hearing. The study will also measure common challenges faced by patients, such as listening effort and fatigue, a choice directly based on discussions with patient groups.

Dr Smith, who is also an academic surgeon at the University of Cambridge, said: “We know from giving bilateral implants to children that it can have a transformative effect on their quality of life and interactions with other people. Through this study, we can offer the same opportunity to adults who have become deaf, and understand the potential added value of bilateral cochlear implants, not just in terms of hearing, but also how they enrich quality of life.”

Janine was diagnosed as a teenager with a genetic condition that caused hearing loss and eventually led to her needing hearing aids. For over 30 years she hid her deteriorating hearing and became a well-known mezzo-soprano, performing in operas, operettas and musicals, including at the Royal Opera House in London.

It was only in 2019, after she had retired due to profound hearing loss, that she had cochlear implant surgery, and received bilateral implants partly through personal funding. She said: “Having two implants is lightyears away from just one. Sound quality is so much better, sounds are fuller, clearer, louder and more natural. It’s much easier to tell where sounds are coming from, especially in busy spaces.

“If you’re out in public, it can be hard to follow who is speaking, making joining in with conversations almost impossible. As a result, you have debilitating concentration fatigue at the end of every day.”

Just like at the cinema, multi-directional surround sound is a key part of creating an engaging immersive experience. By comparison, living with one implant can be like listening to life through a single, poor-quality speaker.

She explains: “Struggling to hear can be extremely isolating and many people experience anxiety or depression as a result. The implants are life changing. They reconnect you to the world and most importantly people. Communication is surely the longing of every human heart.

“I also feel safer and more secure having the two implants. I am more aware of and connected to what’s happening in the world around me. And, if anything goes wrong with one of the implants, I’m not suddenly plunged into a world of total silence.”

While hearing aids help people with mild to moderate hearing loss by making sounds louder, they often provide very little benefit for people with severe or profound hearing loss. Cochlear implants bypass the outer, middle and inner ear and send electrical impulses directly to the hearing nerve which carries signals to the brain.

Participants in the trial will need to have become deaf later in life and cannot already have an implant.

People with cochlear implants will also be involved in delivering the trial. They will be specially trained to participate in interviewing trial participants that will be used to measure the impacts of the trial.

Professor Anthony Gordon, Programme Director for the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme, which funded the trial, said: "We fund innovative trials like the LUCIA study which explore how advances in technology can help make a positive difference to the day-to-day lives of those affected. This study offers real hope to people with severe hearing loss and the chance of a significant improvement in their quality of life."

Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Janine Roebuck, a formerly deaf opera singer who regained her hearing thanks to cochlear implants, has described as ‘life changing’ an upcoming Cambridge-led trial in hearing loss.

We know from giving bilateral implants to children that it can have a transformative effect on their quality of life and interactions with other people. Through this study, we can offer the same opportunity to adults

Matthew Smith

Janine Roebuck

Janine Roebuck as Flora in La Traviata by Verdi at New Sadler's Wells Opera

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Yes

No evidence ADHD is being over-diagnosed, say experts

cjb250 — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:01:51 +0000

In a paper, published today in the British Journal of Psychiatry, a group of experts say there is no robust evidence that ADHD is over-diagnosed in the UK. They refute the view that ‘nowadays everyone has ADHD’, which is gaining traction in public discourse and has been amplified by some leading politicians, as demand rises for NHS assessments and services.

Bringing together academics, clinicians, people with lived experience and carers, the group say this narrative risks misleading the public and policymakers and overshadows a more pressing concern - unmet need.

Professor Tamsin Ford, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, senior co-author on the paper, said: “While many more people with ADHD are being recognised and treated, we are failing to support many more. Overdiagnosis is not a problem, but misdiagnosis may be as people are driven into the private sector by long waits; and sadly, missed diagnoses remain common.”

Professor Samuele Cortese from the University of Southampton, the study’s first author, said: “Rather than focusing on increases or decreases in diagnostic rates, attention should be directed toward the extent to which those with ADHD are being adequately diagnosed and treated.

“While misdiagnosis and inappropriate diagnosis do occur, the available evidence indicates that under-diagnosis and under-treatment remain the predominant challenges.”

When standardised diagnostic criteria are applied, the prevalence of ADHD internationally is around 5 per cent in children and 3 per cent in adults.

While prevalence has increased over time, NHS administrative data in England remains substantially below these expected levels, suggesting that many people with ADHD are living without a diagnosis and adequate support.

The group acknowledge that misdiagnosis can occur in some cases, particularly where assessments rely heavily on self-reporting or where alternative conditions are not fully considered.

The researchers stress that the absence of biological diagnostic markers means that thorough, multidisciplinary clinical assessment is essential. Field trials show that when clinicians are properly trained, an ADHD diagnosis is amongst the most reliable for a mental health condition.

Professor Chris Hollis from the University of Nottingham, a co-author, said: “Similar to physiological traits, such as blood pressure or weight, ADHD symptoms are distributed along a continuum. But as with hypertension or obesity, there are diagnostic severity thresholds that determine health risks and what interventions should be used. Similarly, in ADHD a risk-stratified stepped-care approach may be useful.”

The team highlight significant pressure on UK services, with long waiting times and growing demand, especially among adults who were not diagnosed in childhood. They point to figures showing around 27 per cent children and young people diagnosed with ADHD reported waiting one to two years, while 14 per cent waited two to three years.

Evidence shows that untreated ADHD is associated with serious long-term risks, while effective treatments are available, backed by strong evidence, and generally well tolerated.

“The costs of untreated ADHD are often overlooked,” said Professor Cortese. “They include increased risk of academic failure, suicidal behaviour, substance abuse, criminality, injury and death. The failure to provide treatments which have been shown to reduce these risks represents a major ethical issue that needs to be urgently addressed.”

The authors call for improved funding, workforce training and a more balanced, evidence-based conversation to ensure accurate diagnosis while expanding access to care for those who need it.

Cambridge Children's Hospital

The editorial highlights that a group of children where ADHD may tend to be missed or under diagnosed are those that have co-occurring conditions. One such group is children with long term physical health problems, who have elevated rates of ADHD. This is often under-detected and under-treated.

Cambridge Children's Hospital aims to fully integrate physical and mental healthcare, including detecting and treating neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD in children who also have physical health needs.

Early detection and intervention have a positive impact on emotions, behaviour, educational attainment and peer relationships, as well as helping children cope with the health care they may need to receive, such as staying in hospital, procedures or operations.

Studies have shown that children with epilepsy have up to six times the population rate of ADHD, yet often have difficulty obtaining treatment but when they are successfully treated there is a significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.

Reference

Cortese, S et al. ADHD (over) diagnosis: fiction, fashion, and failure. British Journal of Psychiatry; 6 March 2026; DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2026.10546

Adapted from a press release from the University of Southampton

Experts are warning that far from being over-diagnosed, people with ADHD are waiting too long for assessment, support and treatment.

Overdiagnosis is not a problem, but misdiagnosis may be as people are driven into the private sector by long waits, and sadly, missed diagnoses remain common

Tamsin Ford

Ekaterina Demidova (Getty Images)

Boy in a classroom

Yes

Improve education and transitional support for autistic people to prevent death by suicide, say experts

cjb250 — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:01:45 +0000

The researchers call for a radical change in the way society understands suicide and mental illness in autistic people, who are three to five times more likely to die by suicide.

The study, published today in eClinicalMedicine, involved over 2,500 autistic people and allies/ supporters of autistic people. It is part of the biggest ever survey on suicide among autistic adults.

Historically, suicide has been attributed to mental illness, and mental illness has often been seen as an inevitable consequence of and an inherent part of autism. This narrative locates ‘sickness’ in the individual, addressed by clinical interventions that support individuals at crisis point rather than looking at and addressing the underlying societal contributions.

In contrast, participants in this study were clear that the “seeds of all autistic suicide deaths” are set in childhood, by missed diagnosis and educational systems that fail to support special educational needs (SEN) pupils. Participants in the study highlighted school years as the source of many later problems.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, principal investigator and Director of the Autism Research Centre, said: “Participants in our study highlighted the dire straits faced by many autistic people and their families in the UK. Misunderstood and unsupported by staff, bullied by pupils, autistic people explained that school experiences sow the seeds for their later suicidal thoughts. The parents of autistic children described being threatened by the legal consequences of absenteeism when their children were unable to cope in mainstream schools.”

These findings are startling given forthcoming SEND reforms, which are likely to result in EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plans) being scrapped for many autistic, ADHD and SEND pupils. There are fears that this will strip legal protections from many vulnerable children and parents, and place unrealistic expectations on under-resourced schools and under-trained teachers to support students in mainstream settings.

While many participants focused on their school years as the source of their suicidal thoughts, others pointed out how “absolutely useless and without hope” autistic people feel on leaving the education system. They report insufficient transitional support into adulthood, lack of support in the community, inadequate welfare systems and employment support, and inaccessible and damaging healthcare systems.

The seeds of suicide thrive in a culture where autistic people feel unwelcome and unwanted, they said.

Autistic people have the lowest employment rates of any disabled group, with only 30% of autistic people in employment currently. Improving employment rates among autistic people is another priority, given the role participants said that employment difficulties and related poverty played in their suicidal thoughts.

Beyond education and employment, autistic people in the new study were clear: halting progression towards suicide deaths requires committed long-term vision from the government. Chief among this is a commitment to a properly resourced and co-produced Autism Strategy, as called for in the recent Autism Act Review.

Dr Rachel Moseley, lead author of the new study and principal academic at Bournemouth University, said: “Our suicidal autistic participants expressed desperation waiting for health and social care that never arrives. But they didn’t reach that point of desperation overnight. Rather, they got there through a lifetime of inequalities in a society that fails to protect and support autistic people. There will never be enough crisis support to save every suicidal autistic person if we don’t disrupt the suicidal trajectory.”

Co-author Dr Carrie Allison, Deputy Director of the Autism Research Centre, said: “If we consider suicide in autistic people as a societal issue rather than an individual one, then we can do something about it. Autistic deaths by suicide are needless and preventable. We urge the government to partner with autistic people and their allies to develop to a cross-sector strategy to support autistic people throughout their lives.”

The study was initiated by charity Autism Action, whose number one priority is reducing suicide in autistic people, and led by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, with a project team including academics from Bournemouth University, Newcastle University, University of Nottingham, and SOAS University of London.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. Alternatively, you can contact PAPYRUS (Prevention of Young Suicide) HOPELINE247 on 0800 068 4141 or by texting 88247.

Reference

Moseley, RL et al. "The best way we can stop suicides is by making lives worth living": a mixed-methods survey in the UK of perspectives on suicide prevention from the autism community. eClinMed; 3 Mar 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103793

Suicide in autistic people originates in the inequalities they face across their lives, starting in childhood, and spanning education to employment, and health and social care, a new study by a team at Cambridge and Bournemouth Universities has found.

Jakob Owens (Unsplash)

Man in black jacket sitting on bed

Yes

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Children born with upper limb difference show the incredible adaptability of the young brain

cjb250 — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:10 +0000

A unique study imaging brain activity in children born with upper limb difference – for example, one hand – has shown the amazing ability of the brain to adapt to compensate and support their daily lives.

Tetris gameplay treatment helps reduce traumatic flashbacks for frontline healthcare workers

cjb250 — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 23:30:29 +0000

Using ‘mental rotation,’ the treatment was also very effective at reducing the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more generally.

The study, funded by Wellcome, offers potential to implement a highly scalable, low intensity, easily accessible, digital treatment that could transform how we prevent and treat PTSD for people worldwide who have been exposed to trauma.

The findings, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, are the result of a randomised controlled trial of 99 healthcare workers exposed to trauma at work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Study co-author Charlotte Summers, Director of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute and Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “Every day, healthcare workers across the world are recurrently exposed to traumatic events in the course of their work, impacting the mental and physical wellbeing of those who care for us when we are unwell.

“At a time when global healthcare systems remain under intense pressure, the discovery of a scalable digital intervention that promotes the wellbeing of health professionals experiencing work-related traumatic events is an exciting step forward.”

Mental rotation and the mind’s eye

The study focused on treating intrusive, vivid and unwanted memories of trauma, a hallmark symptom of PTSD. The treatment – called the ‘Imagery Competing Task Intervention’ (ICTI) – has been developed at Uppsala University in collaboration with P1vital, and trialled with collaborators including the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.

One component of this is the video game Tetris, which involves players rotating differently shaped, geometric blocks as they descend to neatly fit them together into a grid.

In the first step, participants briefly recall the traumatic memory, without needing to describe it or go into detail. Next, they are taught how to use mental rotation, a cognitive skill using the mind’s eye. ICTI then requires participants to use this skill to play Tetris, but in a slower way, not typical of normal gameplay.

The ICTI method overall is thought to occupy the brain’s visuospatial areas, therefore competing with the visual flashback, weakening its vividness and emotional impact, and critically, the frequency that it intrudes.

To actively compare against ICTI, one control group of the trial listened to music by Mozart, reputed for therapeutic benefits to alleviate stress, and informational podcasts about him. In a second control group, participants received only standard care.

The results showed that participants receiving the ICTI had 10 times fewer intrusive memories than either control group four weeks after starting the intervention. Encouragingly, ICTI was also highly effective in the long-term. After six months, 70% of participants receiving the treatment reported no intrusive memories at all – a dramatic reduction compared to the control groups.

Participants using ICTI saw vastly improved results in terms of PTSD symptoms, demonstrating a ‘domino effect’ of the intervention to reduce these more generally. This demonstrates highly promising potential.

Study lead Emily Holmes, Professor of Psychology at Uppsala University – who obtained her PhD at Cambridge in 2005 and was previously a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit – said: “Even a single, fleeting intrusive memory of past trauma can exert a powerful impact in daily life by hijacking attention and leaving people at the mercy of unwanted and intrusive emotions. By weakening the intrusive aspect of these sensory memories via this brief visual intervention, people experience fewer trauma images flashing back.

“[Our] intervention focuses on our mental imagery, not words, and is designed to be as gentle, brief and practical as possible to fit into people’s busy lives. We hope to expand our research so it can be put into practise by determining its effectiveness for a broader range of people and scenarios.”

The global prevalence of trauma

According to the World Health Organization, psychological trauma – exposure to severe injury, death, or sexual violence – affects seven out of 10 of people at least once in their lifetime. Severe trauma can lead to PTSD, experienced by millions of people globally, and often presents as sudden, unwanted intrusive memories accompanied by very distressing emotions.

Healthcare workers are regularly exposed to traumatic events, with limited treatment options often owing to a lack of availability. In the UK, PTSD prevalence among NHS staff increased from 13% before Covid-19 to 25% at the height of the pandemic. Health systems are under increased strain from untreated traumatic stress reactions among health professionals, with poor mental health resulting in people unable to work or leaving the healthcare profession.

Tayla McCloud, Research Lead for Digital Mental Health at Wellcome, said: “These results are impressive for such a simple to use intervention. If we can get similarly strong results in bigger trials, this could have an enormous impact. It’s rare to see something so accessible, scalable and adaptable across contexts. It doesn’t require patients to put their trauma into words and even transcends language barriers.”

Now, the research team are seeking options to test the effectiveness of the treatment with larger, more diverse groups of people, as well as a non-guided version. In doing so, researchers hope to demonstrate how a promising, scalable, globally available, digital intervention could help contribute towards trauma treatment around the world.

Professor Summers is Director of Studies in Clinical Medicine at Selwyn College, Cambridge.

Reference

Beckenstrom, AC et al. A digital imagery-competing task intervention for stopping intrusive memories in trauma-exposed health-care staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a Bayesian adaptive randomised clinical trial. Lancet Psychiatry; 19 Feb 2025; DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(25)00397-9

Adapted from a press release by Wellcome

A simple, digital intervention that includes mentally playing Tetris can dramatically reduce intrusive memories of trauma in a month, even to the point of being symptom-free after six months, new research has found.

Healthcare workers across the world are recurrently exposed to traumatic events in the course of their work, impacting the mental and physical wellbeing of those who care for us when we are unwell

Charlotte Summers

Wellcome

Person playing Tetris

Yes

Sex differences in brain growth emerge in the womb, study finds

cjb250 — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:57:16 +0000

There has long been debate over exactly how early in human brain development sex differences first emerge, and what causes them. Previous research has typically studied prenatal or postnatal brain development alone but not both together. That means that until now it has not been possible to study brain growth across the prenatal to postnatal transition.

Researchers at the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, analysed data that mapped how the human brain develops continuously across the prenatal to postnatal transition. This enabled them to develop a more accurate model of early human brain development and to pinpoint exactly when sex differences in brain growth first emerge.

The study used one of the largest perinatal brain imaging datasets ever assembled, collected by the Developing Human Connectome Project. The dataset consisted of nearly 800 prenatal and postnatal brain scans from mid-pregnancy to one month post-birth.

Yumnah Khan, a PhD student in the Autism Research Centre, who led the study, said: “The human brain undergoes its most rapid and complex development before and shortly after birth. But until now, very little was known about exactly how the brain grows during this formative period of life, and how males and females might differ in this process. Our study has documented the presence of prenatal sex differences in the growth of the human brain.”

In research published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team identified that, on average, males showed greater increases in brain volumes with age, across the whole brain, compared to females.

Dr Alex Tsompanidis, a Senior Research Associate at the Autism Research Centre, and a member of the research team, said: “This study addresses the age-old question of whether nature plays a role in shaping sex differences in the brain. The findings suggest that prenatal biology sets the stage for such sex differences, even if postnatal experience influences these further.

“The next step is to test if the observed sex differences in human brain growth are driven by prenatal sex steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen. Male fetuses are exposed to much higher levels of these hormones which we know play a role in shaping sex differences in the brain and behaviour in other animals. We need to test if the same is true in humans.”

The research also provided several other important insights into how the brain grows during early development. For example, different brain regions and tissues were found to mature at different rates. White matter – responsible for connecting different brain regions – was found to be the main contributor to brain growth during mid-pregnancy, while grey matter – responsible for cognition and information processing – was found to dominate growth during late pregnancy and after birth.

The researchers also found that early brain development is carefully timed to meet ongoing developmental demands. For instance, subcortical grey matter structures (those deeper within the brain, such as the amygdala, cerebellum, and thalamus) show earlier peak growth rates than cortical grey matter, suggesting that brain systems supporting basic functions mature earlier than those involved in higher-order cognition.

Dr Richard Bethlehem, an Assistant Professor in Neuroinformatics, and a member of the team, said: “Establishing these brain growth trajectories early in life is critical because these may help us understand how differences in early brain development contribute to diverse outcomes, including psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, which is associated with differences in rates of brain growth.”

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, who supervised the study, added: “These findings may help us understand why males and females show differences in the likelihood of neurodivergent outcomes such as autism. For example, the early sex differences in the brain may be due to prenatal sex steroids, and autistic people are exposed to elevated levels of prenatal sex steroid hormones. Future research needs to join the dots in this exciting field of developmental neuroscience.”

The study used data from the Developing Human Connectome Project, funded by the European Research Council. The research was also supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Simon Foundation Autism Research Initiative, and a PhD studentship from Trinity College, Cambridge.

Reference

Khan, YT, et al. Mapping brain growth and sex differences across prenatal to postnatal development. Scientific Reports; 15 Jan 2026; DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-33981-w

Cambridge researchers have revealed a detailed picture of how the human brain grows from mid-pregnancy through the first weeks after birth and identified that sex differences in brain growth are apparent from mid-pregnancy onwards.

This study addresses the age-old question of whether nature plays a role in shaping sex differences in the brain

Alex Tsompanidis

Pexels

Young boy and girl

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Menopause linked to loss of grey matter in the brain, poorer mental health and sleep disturbance

cjb250 — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:01:50 +0000

The study, published today in Psychological Medicine, found that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not appear to mitigate these effects, though it can slow the decline in reaction times.

Menopause is a key period in a woman’s life when her periods stop, due to lower hormone levels. It typically affects women between the ages of 45 and 55, during which time they may experience hot flushes, low mood and sleep problems. Menopause has previously been linked to cognitive decline, such as memory, attention and language deficits.

To counter the effects of menopause – particularly depressive symptoms and sleep problems – many women are prescribed HRT. In England, in 2023, 15% of women were prescribed the treatment. However, there is limited understanding of the effects of menopause and subsequent HRT use on the brain, cognition and mental health.

To address this question, researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed data from UK Biobank of almost 125,000 women, who were classified into three categories: pre-menopause, post-menopause who have never used HRT, or post-menopause who have used HRT.

As well as answering questionnaires that included questions related to their experience of menopause, self-reported mental health, sleep patterns and overall health, some participants took part in tests of cognition, including tests of memory and reaction times. Around 11,000 participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, allowing the researchers to look at the structure of their brains.

The average age of onset of menopause among the participants was around 49.5 years, while the average age that women prescribed HRT began their treatment was around 49 years.

Post-menopausal women were more likely than those pre-menopause to have sought help from their GP or a psychiatrist for anxiety, nerves or depression, and to score more highly on questionnaires for symptoms of depression. Similarly, they were more likely to have been prescribed antidepressants.

Although women in the HRT group had greater anxiety and depression compared with the non-HRT group, further analysis showed that these differences in symptoms were already present before menopause. It is possible, say the researchers, that in some cases, a woman’s GP may have prescribed HRT in anticipation of menopause worsening her symptoms.

Women post-menopause were more likely to report insomnia, get less sleep, and feel tired. Those on HRT reported feeling the most tired of all three groups, even though there was no difference in sleep duration between these women and those women post-menopause not on the medication.

Dr Christelle Langley from the Department of Psychiatry said: “Most women will go through menopause, and it can be a life-changing event, whether they take HRT or not. A healthy lifestyle – exercising, keeping active and eating a healthy diet, for example – is particularly important during this period to help mitigate some of its effects.

“We all need to be more sensitive to not only the physical, but also the mental health of women during menopause, however, and recognise when they are struggling. There should be no embarrassment in letting others know what you’re going through and asking for help.”

Menopause also appeared to have an impact on cognition. Post-menopausal women who were not on HRT had slower reaction times than those yet to start menopause or who were on HRT. However, there were no significant differences between the three groups when it came to memory tasks.

Dr Katharina Zühlsdorff from the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, said: “As we age, our reaction times tend to get slower – it’s just a part of the natural ageing process and it happens to both women and men. You can imagine being asked a question at a quiz – while you might still arrive at the correct answer as your younger self, younger people would no doubt get there much faster. Menopause seems to accelerate this process, but HRT appears to put the brakes on, slowing the ageing process slightly.”

In both groups of women post-menopause, the researchers found significant reductions in volume of grey matter – brain tissue that contains nerve cell bodies and helps process information, control movement and manage memory and emotions.

In particular, these differences occurred in the hippocampus (responsible for forming and storing memories); entorhinal cortex (the ‘gateway’ for passing information between the hippocampus and the rest of the brain); and the anterior cingulate cortex (part of the brain that helps you manage emotions, make decisions, and focus your attention).

Professor Barbara Sahakian, the study’s senior author from the Department of Psychiatry, added: “The brain regions where we saw these differences are ones that tend to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Menopause could make these women vulnerable further down the line. While not the whole story, it may help explain why we see almost twice as many cases of dementia in women than in men.”

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust, with additional support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Reference

Zühlsdorff, K et al. Emotional and cognitive effects of menopause and hormone replacement therapy. Psychological Medicine; 27 Jan 2025; DOI: 10.1017/S0033291725102845

Menopause is linked to reductions in grey matter volume in key brain regions as well as increased levels of anxiety and depression and difficulties with sleep, according to new research from the University of Cambridge.

Most women will go through menopause, and it can be a life-changing event, whether they take HRT or not

Christelle Langley

Kate Wieser (Getty Images)

Sick woman lying in bed at home

Yes

Half of people arrested in London may have undiagnosed ADHD, study finds

cjb250 — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:00:26 +0000

Research has consistently found that neurodivergent individuals – particularly autistic people and those with ADHD – are overrepresented within prison populations. There is also growing evidence of undiagnosed ADHD and autism among individuals in contact with the criminal justice system. However, estimates of the prevalence of the conditions within these settings differ.

Dr Tanya Procyshyn, a research associate at the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, said: “To ensure fair treatment in the criminal justice system, we need to understand how neurodivergence affects interactions with the law. This can help avoid unnecessary criminalisation of misunderstood behaviour and ensure that potentially vulnerable individuals are able to access appropriate support.”

Dr Procyshyn and Dion Brown, a senior Detective from the Metropolitan Police Service, co-led a study to explore the feasibility of screening arrested individuals for traits related to ADHD and autism and to examine the reason leading to the arrest.

Over an eight-week period in 2024, people detained at six London Metropolitan Police custody centres were offered voluntary screening for ADHD and autism carried out on-site by a healthcare professional, detention officer, or arresting police officer.

ADHD traits were assessed using a modified version of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale. Autistic traits were assessed using the 10-item Autism-Spectrum Quotient. Although these tools are not diagnostic, they provide a practical method to flag individuals who may benefit from further assessment.

The results are published today in Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health.

The majority of the 303 eligible individuals arrested (71%) consented to screening. Individuals who screened above the thresholds for ADHD or autistic traits were informed and given additional information on how to seek a formal diagnosis.

Eight per cent of arrested individuals had an existing diagnosis of ADHD, which is slightly higher than the prevalence of ADHD in the general population (2.5%). However, an additional one in two people (50%) without an existing ADHD diagnosis scored at or above the threshold for possible undiagnosed ADHD. Strikingly, this included 33 individuals (17%) whose scores suggested a very high number of ADHD traits.

Nine individuals (4.2%) had an existing autism diagnosis, which again is slightly higher than the prevalence of autism in the general adult population (1-2%). An additional 5.4% scored at or above the threshold for possible undiagnosed autism.

Regarding the reason leading to the arrest, six in 10 individuals (60%) arrested for drug offences had an existing diagnosis or positive screening result for ADHD. Previous studies have found that some neurodivergent individuals may self-medicate with illegal substances. Several studies have also reported that people with ADHD are less likely to engage in criminal behaviour when taking medication for ADHD, and this effect is thought to reflect improved impulse control.

Dion Brown, a senior Detective from the Metropolitan Police Service, said: "Screening for ADHD and autism at the first point of contact with law enforcement benefits both the criminal justice system and the individuals involved.

“Early identification helps officers interpret behaviours that might otherwise be misunderstood and ensures appropriate support is provided. This approach creates opportunities to divert vulnerable individuals away from the criminal justice process and towards the help they may need.”

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge, and a member of the team, added: “Screening for possible neurodivergence will allow more informed legal decision-making, taking into account cognitive and communicative differences. It can also help ensure defendants get access to legal protection and appropriate counsel. This could improve both the treatment and experiences of neurodivergent people in the criminal justice system and ultimately lead to fairer outcomes, including protection under the law, which is a basic human right.”

The research was funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Reference

Brown, D & Procyshyn, TL et al. Neurodiversity in custody: Screening results for ADHD and autistic traits in individuals arrested by the London Metropolitan Police. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health; 10 Dec 2025; 10.1002/cbm.70018

Updated on 16 December 2025 to correct the figures for the prevalence estimates of ADHD and autism in the general population.

Offering screening for neurodivergence to people detained by the police could help ensure access to appropriate support and fairer treatment in the criminal justice system, say Cambridge researchers. A study from the team suggests that one in two individuals arrested and detained in London may have undiagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one in 20 may have undiagnosed autism.

To ensure fair treatment in the criminal justice system, we need to understand how neurodivergence affects interactions with the law

Tanya Procyshyn

Sinenkiy (Getty Images)

Hands in handcuffs

Yes