Mr Robert Keers  BSc MSc
PhD Student

biography

I graduated from The University of Liverpool in 2006 with a BSc in Psychology and Genetics. I was awarded an MSc with distinction in Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry and I am currently in the 2nd year of my PhD.

activities and interests

I am interested primarily in the genetics of mood disorders with a special interest in the pharmacogenetics of antidepressant response. My PhD is focussed on the identification of genetic, developmental and environmental predictors of response to antidepressants in the GENDEP study.

publications

Under review

Keers, R., Gupta, B., Mors, O., Kristensen, A., Uher, R., Hauser, J. et al. Dimensions of temperament and character as predictors of discontinuation of antidepressants in the GENDEP project

2010

Keers, R., Aitchison, KJ. (In press) The pharmacogenetics of antidepressants. Expert review of neurotherapeutics

Keers, R., Uher, R., Gupta, B., Rietschel, M. Schulze, T., Hauser, J. et al. (2010) Stressful life events, cognitive symptoms of depression and response to antidepressants in GENDEP. Journal of Affective Disorders, 127: 337-342

Keers, R., Aitchison, KJ. Gender differences in antidepressant drug response (2010). International review of psychiatry, 22: 485-500

Keers, R., Bonvicini, C., Scassellati C., Uher, R., Placentino, A., Giovannini, C. et al. (In press) Variation in GNB3 predicts response and adverse reactions to antidepressants. Journal of Psychopharmacology

Uher R, Mors O, Hauser J, Rietschel J, Maier W, Kozel D, Henigsberg N, Souery D, Placentino A, Keers R, Gray JM, Dernovsek MZ, Strohmaier J, Larsen ER, Zobel A, Szczepankiewicz A, Kalember P, Mendlewicz J, Aitchison KJ, McGuffin P, Farmer A (In press) Changes in body weight during pharmacological treatment of depression, The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology

Keers, R., Uher, R., Huezo-Diaz, P., Smith, R., Jaffee, S., Rietschel, M. et al. (2010). The serotonin transporter gene, life events and response to antidepressants. The Pharmacogenomics Journal.

Keers R, Uher R, Rietschel M, Henigsberg N, Kozel D , Mors O, Maier W, Hauser J, Placentino A, Souery D, Craig I, Farmer AE, McGuffin P, Ingelman-Sundberg M, Aitchison KJ (In press). CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genotype predicts antidepressant dose in the GENDEP project. The Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Volume 20 (2010) Supplement 1, Page S70

Hosang GM, Uher R , Keers R , Cohen-Woods S, Craig I, Korszun A, Perry J, Tozzi, F, Muglia P, McGuffin P, Farmer AE (2010). Stressful life events and the Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor gene in bipolar disorder Journal of Affective Disorders.

Keers, R., Farmer, A. E., & Aitchison, K. J. (2009). Extracting a needle from a haystack: reanalysis of whole genome data reveals a readily translatable finding. Psychol.Med., 39:1231-1235.

Gupta, B. *., Keers, R. *., Uher, R., McGuffin, P., & Aitchison, K. J. (2009). Pharmacogenetics of antidepressant response. In C.M.Pariante, R. Nesse, D. Nutt, & L. Wolpert (Eds.), Depression: Translational approaches to understanding and treating. Oxford University Press. *joint first authors.

last updated: Friday, November 26, 2010