Dr Alex Richardson

Position

Senior Research Fellow

Telephone

(2)70352

Email

alex.richardson@spi.ox.ac.uk

Biography

Alex Richardson is best known for her research into how nutrition (and particularly fatty acids) can affect behaviour, learning and mood. She is also involved in several large-scale collaborative programmes that include studies of epidemiology, genetics, brain imaging, biochemistry and nutrition, as well as physiological and psychological functioning.

Her primary research interests include:

• the role of nutrition in brain development and function, and its implications for behaviour, learning and mood.
• the biology of individual differences in personality, perception and cognition, particularly in relation to developmental and psychiatric disorders.

Her current research centres on the role of fatty acids in relation to both normal individual differences and developmental and psychiatric disorders such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism, depression and schizophrenia. Recent and ongoing work includes treatment trials to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in relation to features of these conditions (most recently, the DOLAB study), experimental studies of possible underlying mechanisms, and collaborative investigations of the epidemiology and genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Alex’s research has always been aimed at developing new methods of identification and management that will have real practical benefit. She therefore works closely with a range of education and health practitioners as well as local and national support groups and charities. In addition to her role as a founder director of FAB Research (www.fabresearch.org), she also helped to found the Dyslexia Research Trust, was a co-opted Trustee and Scientific Advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation, serves on the Biomedical Research Committee of Autism Unravelled and the Autism Treatment Trust, and liaises closely with the Hyperactive Children's Support Group, among others.

She is a regular speaker at national and international research meetings and has more than 80 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and academic books. She originally trained as a teacher, and she is frequently invited to give lectures and talks to health and education professionals, support groups, charities and other organisations. Her work has received substantial media coverage in recent years, and she has given numerous interviews for the press, radio and TV both in the UK and abroad.

In 2007, Alex Richardson presented her research and recommendations before a Select Committee at the House of Lords under the chairmanship of Lord Rea.

Alex in the Media:

More information

Publications

• Richardson, A.J. (2012) Omega-3 fatty acids produce a small improvement in ADHD symptoms in children compared with placebo, Evidence Based Mental Healthpublished online Feb 18 2012 doi:10.1136/ebmental-2011-100523.
• Richardson, A.J., Burton, J.R., Sewell, R.P., Spreckelsen, T.F., Montgomery, P. (2012) 'Docosahexaenoic Acid for Reading, Cognition and Behaviour in Children Aged 7-9 Years: A Randomised, Controlled Trial (The DOLAB Study)' PLOS One, http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043909
• Newbury, D.F., Paracchini, S., Scerri, T.S., Winchester, L., Addis, L., Richardson, A.J., Walter, J., Stein, J.F., Talcott, J.B., Monaco, A.P. (2011) Investigation of Dyslexia and SLI Risk Variants in Reading and Language-Impared Subjects, Behav Genet. 2011 Jan; Vol. 41, No. 1, pp90-104.
• Scerri, T.S. Brandler, W.M., Parracchini, S., Morris, A.P., Ring, S.M., Richardson, A.J., Talcott, J.B., Stein, J., Monaco, A.P.  (2011) PCSK6 is associated with handedness in individuals with dyslexia. Hum Mol Genet. 2011 Feb 1, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp608-14.
• Scerri, T.S., Parracchini, S., Morris, A., MacPhie I.L., Talcott, J., Richardson, A.J., Stein, J., Smith, S.D., Pennington, B.F., Olsen, R.K., DeFries, J.C., Monaco A.P. (2010) Identification of candidate genes for dyslexia susceptibility on chromosome 18, PLoS One. 2010 Oct, Vol. 28,No.  5(10):e13712.
• Montgomery, P. and Richardson, A.J. (2008) Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Bi-Polar Disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD005169. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005169.pub2.
• Richardson, A.J. (2008) 'N-3 fatty acids and mood: the devil is in the detail', Br J Nutr, Feb; 99 (2), pp221-3. Epub 2007 Oct 8.
• Cyhlarova, E., Bell, J.G., Dick, J.R., Mackinlay, E.E., Stein, J.F. Richardson, A.J. (2007) 'Membrane fatty acids, reading and spelling in dyslexic and non-dyslexic adults', Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp116-21.
• Cyhlarova, E., Montgomery, P., Ross, M.A., Richardson, A.J. (2007) 'Niacin skin test response in dyslexia', Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, Vol. 77, No. 2, pp123-8
• Freeman, M.P., Hibbein, J.R., Wisner, K.L., Davis, J.M., Mischoulon, D., Peet, M., Keck, P.E. Jr, Marangell, J.B., Richardson, A.J., Lake, J., Stoll, A.L. (2006) 'Omega- 3 fatty acids: evidence basis fort reatment and future research in psychiatry', Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 67, No. 12, pp1954-67.
• Richardson, A.J. (2006) 'Omega-3 fatty acids in ADHD and related neurodevelopmental disorders', Int Rev Psychiatry, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp155-172.
• Richardson, A.J. & Montgomery, P. (2005) The Oxford-Durham Study: A randomized controlled trial of dietary supplementation with fatty acids in children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatrics, Vol. 115, issue 5, p1360-1366.
• Richardson, A.J. (2004) 'Clinical trials of fatty acid treatment in ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and the autistic spectrum', Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, Vol. 70, No. 4, pp383-90.
• Richardson, A.J. (2004) 'Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in childhood developmental and psychiatric disorders', Lipids, Vol. 39, pp1215-22.