School of Medicine

Research Group (IRG)

Neuroscience and Mental Health

Education & Qualifications 

1989 – MB (Medicine), Cambridge University
1990 – MA (Botany), Cambridge University
1993 – BM BCh (Medicine), Oxford University
1998 – Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London
2005 – PhD (Epidemiology), Cardiff University

Research Interests

Epidemiology, genetics, schizophrenia, psychosis, substance use

Selected Publications

Moore, T. H., Zammit, S., Lingford-Hughes, A., Barnes, T. R., Jones, P. B., Burke, M., and Lewis, G. Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. Lancet, 370: 319-328, 2007

Zammit, S., Spurlock, G., Williams, H., Norton, N., Williams, N., O'Donovan, M. C., and Owen, M. J. Genotype effects of CHRNA7, CNR1 and COMT in schizophrenia: interactions with tobacco and cannabis use. Br J Psychiatry, 191: 402-407, 2007

Zammit, S., Allebeck, P., David, A. S., Dalman, C., Hemmingsson, T., Lundberg, I., and Lewis, G. A longitudinal study of premorbid IQ Score and risk of developing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and other nonaffective psychoses. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 61: 354-360, 2004

Zammit, S., Allebeck, P., Dalman, C., Lundberg, I., Hemmingsson, T., and Lewis, G. Investigating the association between cigarette smoking and schizophrenia in a cohort study. Am J Psychiatry, 160: 2216-2221, 2003

Zammit, S., Allebeck, P., Dalman, C., Lundberg, I., Hemmingson, T., Owen, M. J., and Lewis, G. Paternal age and risk for schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry, 183: 405-408, 2003

Zammit, S., Allebeck, P., Andreasson, S., Lundberg, I., and Lewis, G. Self reported cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia in Swedish conscripts of 1969: historical cohort study. BMJ, 325: 1199-1201, 2002

Selected Projects

National Clinician Scientist Award: “Investigating genetic and epidemiological risk factors for sub-clinical psychosis-like symptoms in a birth cohort study”
Funded by Department of Health / Welsh Assembly Government
Duration: 4 years (2005 – 2009)
Value: £688,000

Summary of project:

Objective: To examine genetic and environmental risk factors for developing sub-clinical, psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) during adolescence. Specifically:

1. To investigate whether genetic variation within NRG1, DTNBP1, DAAO, G72, RGS4, CHRNA7 and a number of other genes that have been associated with schizophrenia, are associated with PLIKS.
2. To investigate whether cannabis or tobacco use alter risk of PLIKS.
3. To examine the interplay between genetic variation and cannabis or tobacco exposure on risk of PLIKS, as well as the interplay with other risk factors for schizophrenia, including markers of neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive abnormalities.

Background: Approximately 15% of the population report psychotic-like experiences not meeting criteria for clinical disorders. These occur more commonly than schizophrenia, and are likely to be closer to underlying aetiological pathways. Studies of PLIKS may increase understanding of schizophrenia aetiology, and help focus prevention and intervention strategies. All the genes above, as well as cannabis and tobacco, are thought to affect glutamatergic transmission. Examination of gene-environment interplay may provide further insights into aetiological mechanisms.

Method: This is a longitudinal study, using the ALSPAC birth cohort of 14,000 children, age 14 at the start of this project. Large quantities of data, including DNA, are already available. PLIKS and substance use data were collected at age 11-12 and will be re-collected at 13-14 & 15-16. Outcome to be investigated is risk of PLIKS (quantitative and dichotomous measures). Genetic analyses will include examination under different genetic models, haplotype analysis, and family-based association. Regression models will also be used to examine association with cannabis/tobacco use whilst adjusting for confounders, and for exploratory analysis of gene-environment interplay.

Teaching Profile

I currently teach psychiatry to medical undergraduate students, and epidemiology/critical appraisal to Psychiatry MSc and Intercalated Psychology BSc students