Dr Cathy Davies

Dr Cathy Davies is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. She is currently working with Prof Alice Egerton to investigate brain energetic and glutamate dysfunction in schizophrenia using ultra-high field (7T) MRI and PET.

Cathy’s 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.

Previously, Cathy completed her PhD in Biological Psychiatry (2016-2019) at the IoPPN, supervised by Prof Paolo Fusar-Poli and Prof Philip McGuire and funded by the IoPPN Excellence PhD Studentship. Her 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, Cathy 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.

Cathy has received a number of prizes and awards, including the King’s Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis, PhD of the Year Award, Early Career Paper of the Year Award, SIRS Early Career Award and the BAP Hannah Steinberg and Robert Kerwin Prizes. https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/cathy.davies/prizes/

Research Interests

• Neurobiology of Psychosis
• Neuroimaging (inc. Ultra-High Field MRI, Perfusion, Glutamate)
• Experimental Medicine
• Hippocampal (Patho)physiology, Structure & Function
• Clinical High Risk for Psychosis

Research Groups

• EAGLES Study – Energetics and Glutamate in Schizophrenia (PI: Prof Alice Egerton)

Teaching: 

• Cathy lectures on several BSc/MSc programmes where she teaches brain imaging (Arterial Spin Labelling and 1H-MRS) and Experimental Medicine in Psychiatry.
• Cathy is the incoming Co-Lead for the MSc Psychiatric Research Dissertation Module (2024-2025).

Key publications:

Davies et al, 2024. Connectome dysfunction in patients at clinical high risk for psychosis and modulation by oxytocin. Molecular Psychiatry.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02406-x

Davies et al, 2019. Oxytocin Modulates Hippocampal Perfusion in People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-018-0311-6

Davies et al, 2018. Lack of evidence to favor specific preventive interventions in psychosis: a network meta-analysis. World Psychiatry.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wps.20526

Davies et al, 2020. Prenatal and perinatal risk and protective factors for psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry.

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2215036620300572

Davies et al, 2020. A Single Dose of Cannabidiol Modulates Medial Temporal and Striatal Function During Fear Processing in People at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis. Translational Psychiatry.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0862-2

Davies and Bhattacharyya, 2019. Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Psychosis. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology.

https://doi.org/10.1177/2045125319881916