Biography

I lead the Adult Neurogenesis & Mental Health Laboratory. The central theme of the lab is adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which is implicated in memory formation and mood regulation. We investigate environmental and molecular mechanisms controlling the production of these adult-born neurons and how they impact mental health. We study neurogenesis in healthy ageing as well as in the context of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and depression. By approaching neurogenesis in health and disease, the strategy is two folds:

1. Validating the neurogenic process as a target for prevention and pharmacological interventions.
2. Developing neurogenesis as a biomarker of disease prediction and progression.

I am also Deputy Head of the Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience and the Chair of King’s Research Degrees Examination Board. I advocate diversity at King’s College London, and I am the Gender Equality Champion for our faculty.

Please see my Research Staff Profile for more detail

Find out more about my research:

• TED talk: You can grow new brain cells

Key publications:

• Du Preez et al., 2021. The serum metabolome mediates the concert of diet, exercise, and neurogenesis, determining the risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Alzheimers Dement.
• Dias et al., 2021. Intermittent fasting enhances long-term memory consolidation, adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and expression of longevity gene Klotho. Mol Psychiatry.
• de Lucia et al., 2020. Lifestyle mediates the role of nutrient-sensing pathways in cognitive aging: cellular and epidemiological evidence. Commun Biol.
• Borsini et al., 2019. The role of circulatory systemic environment in predicting interferon-alpha-induced depression: The neurogenic process as a potential mechanism. Brain Behav Immun.
• Egeland et al., 2017. Depletion of adult neurogenesis using the chemotherapy drug temozolomide in mice induces behavioural and biological changes relevant to depression. Transl Psychiatry.

View all publications

Key collaborators:

• The European DCogPLast Consortium, EU
• Dr Tim Powell, King's College London, UK and Cornell University, USA
• Dr Yvonne Nolan, University College Cork, Ireland
• Sir Professor Simon Lovestone, University of Oxford, UK