Dan, Y. R., Christakou, A., & Roelofs, K. (2025). Systematic review: Effects of cholinergic signaling on cognition in human pharmacological studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 179, 106408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106408

Rossetti, G. M. K., Dunster, J. L., Sohail, A., Williams, B., Cox, K. M., Rawlings, S., Jewett, E., Benford, E., Lovegrove, J. A., Gibbins, J. M., & Christakou, A. (2025). Evidence for control of cerebral neurovascular function by circulating platelets in healthy older adults. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP288405

Williams, B., FitzGibbon, L., Brady, D., & Christakou, A. (2025). Sample size matters when estimating test–retest reliability of behaviour. Behavior Research Methods, 57(4), 123. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-025-02599-1

Kurth, F., Schijven, D., van den Heuvel, O. A., Hoogman, M., van Rooij, D., Stein, D. J., Buitelaar, J. K., Bölte, S., Auzias, G., Kushki, A., Venkatasubramanian, G., Rubia, K., Bollmann, S., Isaksson, J., Jaspers-Fayer, F., Marsh, R., Batistuzzo, M. C., Arnold, P. D., Bressan, R. A., … Luders, E. (2024). Large-scale analysis of structural brain asymmetries during neurodevelopment: Associations with age and sex in 4265 children and adolescents. Human Brain Mapping, 45(11), e26754. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26754

Williams, B., Rodriguez-Sobstel, C., FitzGibbon, L., Morriss, J., & Christakou, A. (2024). The influence of trait intolerance of uncertainty on behavioural flexibility. bioRxiv, 2024–10. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.30.621039.abstract

Rossetti, G. M. K., Dunster, J. L., Sohail, A., Williams, B., Cox, K. M., Jewett, E., Benford, E., Lovegrove, J. A., Gibbins, J. M., & Christakou, A. (2024). Evidence for direct control of neurovascular function by circulating platelets in healthy older adults (p. 2024.05.31.596788). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.31.596788

Jenkinson, P. M., Koukoutsakis, A., Panagiotopoulou, E., Vagnoni, E., Demartini, B., Nistico, V., Gambini, O., Christakou, A., & Fotopoulou, A. (2023). Body appearance values modulate risk aversion in eating restriction. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001445

Williams, B., FitzGibbon, L., Brady, D., & Christakou, A. (2023). Sample size matters when estimating variability of flexible, goal directed behaviour. https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/hzcdg/

Williams, B., Hedger, N., McNabb, C. B., Rossetti, G. M. K., & Christakou, A. (2023). Inter-rater reliability of functional MRI data quality control assessments: A standardised protocol and practical guide using pyfMRIqc. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1070413. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1070413

Williams, B., Roesch, E., & Christakou, A. (2022). Systematic validation of an automated thalamic parcellation technique using anatomical data at 3T. NeuroImage, 258, 119340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119340

Williams, B., & Christakou, A. (2022). Dissociable roles for the striatal cholinergic system in different flexibility contexts. IBRO Neuroscience Reports, 12, 260–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.03.007

The ENIGMA-ADHD Working Group, Zhang-James, Y., Helminen, E. C., Liu, J., Franke, B., Hoogman, M., & Faraone, S. V. (2021). Evidence for similar structural brain anomalies in youth and adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A machine learning analysis. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01201-4

Postema, M. C., Hoogman, M., Ambrosino, S., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., Bandeira, C. E., Baranov, A., Bau, C. H. D., Baumeister, S., Baur‐Streubel, R., Bellgrove, M. A., Biederman, J., Bralten, J., Brandeis, D., Brem, S., Buitelaar, J. K., Busatto, G. F., Castellanos, F. X., Cercignani, M., … Francks, C. (2021). Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 39 datasets. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, jcpp.13396. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13396

Williams, B., & Christakou, A. (2021). Cortical and thalamic influences on striatal involvement in instructed, serial reversal learning; implications for the organisation of flexible behaviour (p. 2021.12.20.472804). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.20.472804

Williams, B., & Christakou, A. (2021). Dissociable roles for the striatal cholinergic system in different flexibility contexts (p. 2021.12.22.473508). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.12.22.473508

Li, T., van Rooij, D., Roth Mota, N., Buitelaar, J. K., Group, T. E. A. W., Hoogman, M., Arias Vasquez, A., & Franke, B. (2021). Characterizing neuroanatomic heterogeneity in people with and without ADHD based on subcortical brain volumes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(9), 1140–1149. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13384

Writing Committee for the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, & and Schizophrenia ENIGMA Working Groups. (2021). Virtual Histology of Cortical Thickness and Shared Neurobiology in 6 Psychiatric Disorders. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(1), 47–63. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.2694

Postema, M. C., Hoogman, M., Group, E. A. W., Glahn, D. C., Jahanshad, N., Medland, S. E., Thompson, P. M., Fisher, S. E., Franke, B., & Francks, C. (2020). Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in 39 datasets (p. 2020.03.03.974758). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.03.974758

Kong, X., ENIGMA Laterality Working Group, Francks, C., Kong, X., Mathias, S. R., Guadalupe, T., Abé, C., Agartz, I., Akudjedu, T. N., Aleman, A., Alhusaini, S., Allen, N. B., Ames, D., Andreassen, O. A., Vasquez, A. A., Armstrong, N. J., Asherson, P., Bergo, F., Bastin, M. E., … Sellgren, C. (2020). Reproducibility in the absence of selective reporting: An illustration from large‐scale brain asymmetry research. Human Brain Mapping, hbm.25154. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25154

Jenkinson, P., Koukoutsakis, A., Panagiotopoulou, E., Vagnoni, E., Demartini, B., Nisticò, V., Gambini, O., Christakou, A., & Fotopoulou, A. (2020). Body appearance values modulate risk aversion in eating restriction. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rnzgs

Boedhoe, P. S. W., van Rooij, D., Hoogman, M., Twisk, J. W. R., Schmaal, L., Abe, Y., Alonso, P., Ameis, S. H., Anikin, A., Anticevic, A., Arango, C., Arnold, P. D., Asherson, P., Assogna, F., Auzias, G., Banaschewski, T., Baranov, A., Batistuzzo, M. C., Baumeister, S., … van den Heuvel, O. A. (2020). Subcortical Brain Volume, Regional Cortical Thickness, and Cortical Surface Area Across Disorders: Findings From the ENIGMA ADHD, ASD, and OCD Working Groups. American Journal of Psychiatry, 177(9), 834–843. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.19030331

Zhang-James, Y. et al. Evidence for Similar Structural Brain Anomalies in Youth and Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Machine Learning Analysis. http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/546671 (2019) doi:10.1101/546671.

Morriss, J., Christakou, A. & Van Reekum, C. M. Multimodal evidence for delayed threat extinction learning in adolescence and young adulthood. Scientific reports 9, 7748 (2019).

Li, T. et al. Characterizing neuroanatomic heterogeneity in people with and without ADHD based on subcortical brain volumes. http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/868414 (2019) doi:10.1101/868414.

Hoogman, M. et al. Brain imaging of the cortex in ADHD: a coordinated analysis of large-scale clinical and population-based samples. American Journal of Psychiatry appi-ajp (2019).

Boedhoe, P. S. W. et al. Subcortical brain volume, regional cortical thickness and cortical surface area across attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). bioRxiv 673012 (2019) doi:10.1101/673012.

Bell, T., Lindner, M., Langdon, A., Mullins, P. G. & Christakou, A. Regional striatal cholinergic involvement in human behavioural flexibility. Journal of Neuroscience 2110–18 (2019) doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2110-18.2019.

Reader, A. T., Rao, V. M., Christakou, A. & Holmes, N. P. A kinematic examination of dual-route processing for action imitation. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 80, 2069–2083 (2018).

O’Connell, G., Hsu, C.-T., Christakou, A. & Chakrabarti, B. Thinking about others and the future: Neural correlates of perspective taking relate to preferences for delayed rewards. Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience 18, 35–42 (2018).

Norman, L. J. et al. Frontostriatal dysfunction during decision making in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 3, 694–703 (2018).

Morriss, J., Christakou, A. & van Reekum, C. M. Multimodal evidence for delayed fear extinction in adolescence and young adulthood. 355503 (2018).

Kong, X.-Z. et al. Mapping cortical brain asymmetry in 17,141 healthy individuals worldwide via the ENIGMA Consortium. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115, E5154–E5163 (2018).

Bell, T., Lindner, M., Mullins, P. G. & Christakou, A. Functional neurochemical imaging of the human striatal cholinergic system during reversal learning. European Journal of Neuroscience 47, 1184–1193 (2018).

Bell, T., Langdon, A., Lindner, M., Lloyd, W. & Christakou, A. Thalamostriatal Interactions in Human Reversal Learning. 246371 (2018).

O’Connell, G., Chakrabarti, B., Hsu, C.-T., Christakou, A. & Dziobek, I. Shared mechanisms for controlling egocentric bias during perspective taking and intertemporal choices. in CogSci (2017).

Norman, L. J. et al. Shared and disorder-specific task-positive and default mode network dysfunctions during sustained attention in paediatric Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and obsessive/compulsive disorder. NeuroImage: Clinical 15, 181–193 (2017).

Norman, L. J. et al. Neural dysfunction during temporal discounting in paediatric attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 269, 97–105 (2017).

Murphy, C. M. et al. Abnormal functional activation and maturation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and cerebellum during temporal discounting in autism spectrum disorder. Human brain mapping 38, 5343–5355 (2017).

Morriss, J., Pollard, M., Christakou, A. & van Reekum, C. Is it safe? I doubt it: Intolerance of uncertainty is specifically associated with threat generalization acros psychophysiological and neural indices of aversive learning. in Psychophysiology vol. 54 S2–S2 (WILEY 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA, 2017).

Lindner, M., Bell, T., Iqbal, S., Mullins, P. G. & Christakou, A. In vivo functional neurochemistry of human cortical cholinergic function during visuospatial attention. PloS one 12, e0171338 (2017).

Carlisi, C. et al. Comparison of neural substrates of temporal discounting between youth with autism spectrum disorder and with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychological medicine 47, 2513–2527 (2017).

Carlisi, C. O. et al. Shared and disorder-specific neurocomputational mechanisms of decision-making in autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cerebral Cortex 27, 5804–5816 (2017).

Carlisi, C. O. et al. Disorder-specific and shared brain abnormalities during vigilance in autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 2, 644–654 (2017).

Morriss, J., Christakou, A. & Van Reekum, C. M. Nothing is safe: Intolerance of uncertainty is associated with compromised fear extinction learning. Biological psychology 121, 187–193 (2016).

Carlisi, C. et al. The effects of acute fluoxetine administration on temporal discounting in youth with ADHD. Psychological medicine 46, 1197–1209 (2016).

O’Connell, G., Christakou, A. & Chakrabarti, B. The role of simulation in intertemporal choices. Frontiers in Neuroscience 9, 94 (2015).

Christakou, A. (2015). Four-legged fossil snake is a world first. Nature, nature.2015.18050. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2015.18050

Christakou, A. (2015). Four-legged snake fossil sparks legal investigation. Nature, nature.2015.18116. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature.2015.18116

Morriss, J., Christakou, A. & Van Reekum, C. M. Intolerance of uncertainty predicts fear extinction in amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortical circuitry. Biology of mood & anxiety disorders 5, 4 (2015).

Murphy, C. M. et al. Abnormal functional activation and maturation of fronto-striato-temporal and cerebellar regions during sustained attention in autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 171, 1107–1116 (2014).

Christakou, A. Present simple and continuous: Emergence of self-regulation and contextual sophistication in adolescent decision-making. Neuropsychologia 65, 302–312 (2014).

Chantiluke, K. et al. Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during temporal discounting in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism and comorbid ADHD and Autism. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging 223, 113–120 (2014).

O’Connell, G., Christakou, A., Haffey, A. T. & Chakrabarti, B. The role of empathy in choosing rewards from another’s perspective. Frontiers in human neuroscience 7, 174 (2013).

Christakou, A. et al. Neural and psychological maturation of decision-making in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of cognitive neuroscience 25, 1807–1823 (2013).

Christakou A, R. K., Murphy CM, Chantiluke K, Cubillo AI, Smith AB, Giampietro V, Daly E, Ecker C, Robertson D, MRC AIMS consortium, Murphy DG. Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during sustained attention in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and with autism. Mol Psychiatry 18, 236–244 (2013).

Christakou, A., Brammer, M. & Rubia, K. Maturation of limbic corticostriatal activation and connectivity associated with developmental changes in temporal discounting. Neuroimage 54, 1344–1354 (2011).

Murphy, C. et al. fMRI investigation of sustained attention and sensorimotor synchronization in children and adults with autistic spectrum disorder. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 19, (2010).

Chantiluke, K. et al. Disorder-specific brain dysfunctions during vigilance in children with ADHD and ASD. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 19, (2010).

Rubia, K., Halari, R., Christakou, A. & Taylor, E. Impulsiveness as a timing disturbance: neurocognitive abnormalities in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder during temporal processes and normalization with methylphenidate. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 364, 1919–1931 (2009).

Rubia, K., Halari, R., Christakou, A. & Taylor, E. hyperactivity disorder during temporal processes and normalization with methylphenidate. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 364, 1919–1931 (2009).

Christakou, A. et al. Sex-dependent age modulation of frontostriatal and temporo-parietal activation during cognitive control. Neuroimage 48, 223–236 (2009).

Christakou, A., Brammer, M., Giampietro, V. & Rubia, K. Right ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices mediate adaptive decisions under ambiguity by integrating choice utility and outcome evaluation. Journal of Neuroscience 29, 11020–11028 (2009).

Haggard, P., Christakou, A. & Serino, A. Viewing the body modulates tactile receptive fields. Experimental Brain Research 180, 187–193 (2007).

Baunez, C., Christakou, A., Chudasama, Y., Forni, C. & Robbins, T. W. Bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on attentional performance: transient deleterious effects and enhanced motivation in both intact and parkinsonian rats. European Journal of Neuroscience 25, 1187–1194 (2007).

Christakou, A., Robbins, T. W. & Everitt, B. J. Prolonged neglect following unilateral disruption of a prefrontal cortical–dorsal striatal system. European Journal of Neuroscience 21, 782–792 (2005).

Christakou, A. Prefrontal Cortical-Ventral Striatal Interactions Involved in Affective Modulation of Attentional Performance: Implications for Corticostriatal Circuit Function. Journal of Neuroscience 24, 773–780 (2004).

Christakou, A., Robbins, T. W. & Everitt, B. J. Functional disconnection of a prefrontal cortical–dorsal striatal system disrupts choice reaction time performance: Implications for attentional function. Behavioral neuroscience 115, 812 (2001).

Christakou, A. Prefrontal cortico-striatal systems underlying executive attention. (University of Cambridge, 2001).

Christakou, A. Predicting the unpredictable. Trends in Cognitive Sciences (2001).

Christakou, A. Nothing to be afraid of? Trends in Cognitive Sciences vol. 5 231 (2001).

Christakou, A. Familiarity breeds order. Trends in Cognitive Sciences vol. 5 5 (2001).

Christakou, A., Robbins, T. & Everitt, B. Functional disconnection of medial prefrontal cortex and medial caudate-putamen: effects on performance on a visual attention task in the rat. in Brain and Cognition vol. 47 35–37 (2001).

Christakou, A. Focusing attention in the parietal cortex. Trends in Cognitive Sciences vol. 4 213 (2000).

Christakou, A., Robbins, T. & Everitt, B. Functional dissociation of medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortico-striatal systems based on performance on a visual attention task in the rat. in European Journal of Neuroscience vol. 12 503–503 (2000).

Christakou, A. Not just a motor (inter) face. Trends in Cognitive Sciences vol. 4 79 (2000).

2023 | Fluctuation and Change; Implications for Neurocognitive Development and Psychopathology

Reading Emotions 2023 explored how we measure and understand the fluctuations in neural and psychological components of thought and behaviour, across development and through the course of disorder. Keynote lectures examined central themes and latest developments in theory, methods, and application. Early career researchers and local experts presented ongoing work and key relevant methods in short talks. The schedule facilitated the informal exchange of ideas, with opportunities for feedback and collaboration

• • Jessica Agnew-Blais, Queen Mary, University of London

  • Eiko Fried, Leiden University

  • Anne-Lise Goddings, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health

  • Rogier Kievit, Donders Institute, Nijmegen

  • David Lydon-Staley, University of Pennsylvania

  • Argyris Stringaris, University College London

  • Patrik Vuilleumier, University of Geneva

2019 | Growing Autonomy in Human and Artificial Agents

In celebration of the 2019 Albert Wolters Distinguished Visiting Professor, Daniel C Dennett

A cross-disciplinary symposium on the nature and implications of human and artificial autonomy.

Artificial intelligence now affects most areas of our lives and will do so to an ever-greater extent. If human-built agents are "competent without comprehension", how do they fit into our ethical framework? How does this relate to human development, where many similar issues apply? We explored the factors that lead to autonomy in humans and the lessons that can be applied in the rapid development of AI.

• • Josh Bongard, University of Vermont
    The Effects of Cartesian Gravity on Robots

  • Emma Borg, University of Reading
    Understanding Agency in Others and Ourselves

  • Lisa Bortolotti, University of Birmingham
    When Irrationality Supports Agency: the Case of Confabulation and Optimism

  • Daniel Dennett, Tufts University   and   Keith Frankish, Crete / Sheffield
    Building Up to Consciousness and Autonomy

  • Cecilia Heyes, University of Oxford
    Growing Gadgets

  • Murray Shanahan, Imperial College / DeepMind
    Is General Intelligence Possible Without Consciousness?

2017 | Emotion, Action and Belief; Theory, Experiment and Clinical Implications

Reading Emotions 2017 addressed the construct of belief, and its relationship to emotion and behaviour.  We considered the nature of human and animal belief, from an experimental, theoretical and philosophical angle.  We examined the putative neurobiological constituents of belief, and their importance in understanding, treating and preventing pathology of thought and behaviour.

We explored three complementary perspectives:

1. Descriptive - what is it to hold a belief?

2. Functional - what do beliefs do for us?

3. Mechanistic - how do beliefs emerge from cognition and brain function?

The symposium was designed to bring together people interested in the neuroscientific, developmental, clinical and/or philosophical examination of belief and related concepts, such as knowledge, inference, biases, and decision-making. Of particular interest were: the experimental and analytical methods relevant to the study of these concepts; the clinical manifestation of varied belief states; the inter-dependence between beliefs and behaviour.

• • Thomas Boraud, Director of Research, CNRS and University of Bordeaux

  • Phil Corlett, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

  • Keith Frankish, Professor of Philosophy, Open University and University of Crete

  • Karl Friston, Principal Research Fellow and Scientific Director, Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, UCL

  • Jonathan Hill, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Reading

  • Christina Moutsiana, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Westminster

  • Kester Rattenbury, Professor of Architecture, University of Westminster

  • Ema Sullivan-Bissett, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Birmingham

  • Konstantinos Tsetsos, Marie Curie Fellow, UKE Hamburg

2013 | Reward and Social Learning

Reading Emotions 2013 formed a satellite meeting for the annual conference of the British Psychological Society (Developmental and Cognitive sections). We explored reward and social learning processes from a developmental neuroscience perspective, with talks, poster presentations, and (lots of) informal discussion. Co-chaired with Bhisma Chakrabarti.

• • Iroise Dumontheil, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, UK

  • Antonia Hamilton, Social Cognition Lab, Nottingham, UK

  • Anna van Duijvenvoorde, Brain and Development Lab, Leiden, the Netherlands

  • Essi Viding, Developmental Risk and Resilience Unit, UCL, UK