Professor Michael Craig

Professor Michael Craig joined King's College London in 1998.  He has dual training in Psychiatry (FRCPsych) and Obstetrics & Gynaecology (FRCOG) and was awarded an MRC(UK) Fellowship to complete a PhD into the effects of sex hormones on the brain.

His areas of expertise include Neurodevelopment and Reproductive mental health. Professor Craig was Clinical Lead on the National Autism Unit from 2007-2023 and has developed a particular interest in sex differences in the typical brain and neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). He set up and has been Clinical Lead of the National Female Hormone Clinic since 2012, and has developed research interests at the interface between sex hormones and mental health at different stages of the reproductive lifespan.

Professor Craig holds qualifications from:

• Fellow of Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych)
• Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Neuroscience, Kings College London
• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB BS), University of London (Royal Free & University College Hospital School of Medicine)
• Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology (BSc (Hons)), University of Bristol

In 2015 Professor Craig developed and launched the first MSc in Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences in Europe at King's College London.  He remains active in both lecturing and leadership of this MSc.

Teaching topics

• Sex differences in typical and neuroatypical brain
• Effects of sex hormones on brain
• ADHD - cause and treatment
• Neurostimulation / rTMS in the treatment of depression

Research Interest

• Neurodevelopmental sciences
• Reproductive mental health

Expertise and Public Engagement

Professor Craig regularly engages with the media to educate the public about the science underpinning neurodiversity & sex differences in mental health.

Recent key books

 

Craig MC, Memory & Mood in the menopause, In Panay N, Briggs P, Kovacs G. Eds. Managing the Menopause (2nd Edn): Cambridge University Press London/New York, Publication Year: 2020 ISBN: 9781108869102

 

Craig MC, Infanticide, In Forensic Psychiatry, Edited by Ian H. Treasaden, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. Publication Year: 2017 ISBN 9781444135213

 

Publications

Craig MC, Sethna V, Gudbrandsen M, Pariante CM, Seneviratne T, Stoencheva V, Sethi A, Catani M, Brammer M, Murphy DGM, Daly E. Birth of the blues: Emotional sound processing in infants exposed to prenatal maternal depression. Psychological Medicine 2022: 52(11), 2017-23 DOI: 10.1017/S0033291720002688

 

Bedford SA, Park MTM, Devenyi GA, Tullo S, Germann J, Patel R, Anagnostou E, Baron-Cohen S, Bullmore ET, Chura LR, Craig MC, Ecker C, Floris DL, Holt RJ, Lenroot R, Lerch JP, Lombardo MV, Murphy DG, Raznahan A, Ruigrok ANV, Smith E, Spencer MD, Suckling J, Taylor MJ, Thurm A, MRC AIMS Consortium, Lai M-C & M, Chakravarty M. Large-scale analyses of the relationship between sex, age & intelligence quotient heterogeneity & cortical morphometry in autism spectrum disorder. Molecular Psychiatry 2020; 25(3), 614-28. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0420-6

Rogdaki M, Gudbrandsen M, McCutcheon RA, Blackmore CE, Brugger S, Ecker C, Daly E, Craig MC, Murphy DGM, Howes O. Magnitude & heterogeneity of brain structural abnormalities in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: a meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry 2020; 25(8), 1704-1717. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0638-3

Lautarescu BA, Pecheva D, Nosarti C, Nihouarn J, Zhang H, Victor S, [Craig MC, Edwards AD, Counsell S]. Maternal prenatal stress is associated with altered uncinate fasciculus microstructure in premature neonates. Biological Psychiatry 2019; (87), 559-69. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.08.010

Ecker C; Andrews DS; Gudbrandsen CM; Marquand AF; Ginestet CE; Daly EM; Murphy C; Lai, M-C; Ruigrok ANV; Bullmore ET; Suckling J; Williams SCR; Baron-Cohen S [Murphy DG; Craig MC] MRC AIMS Consortium. Association Between the Probability of Autism Spectrum Disorder & Normative Sex-Related Phenotypic Diversity in Brain Structure. JAMA Psychiatry 2017; 74(4), 329-38. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.3990