Professor Anita Thapar

Professor, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences

: thapar@cardiff.ac.uk
: +44 (0)29 2068 8478
: 3.07, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

: Media commentator

I direct the developmental disorders group within the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences.

I am also a senior investigator in the National Centre for Mental Health (http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/mrc-centre-neuropsychiatric-genetics-genomics/research/themes/national-centre-for-mental-health),Wales' first Biomedical Research Centre.

My research focuses on child neurodevelopmental disorders, genetics and early environmental exposures.

Education and Qualifications

1995: PhD (Genetic Epidemiology/Psychiatry), University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff
1989: MRCPsych, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK
1985: MBBCh (Medicine), Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff

Career overview

1999 - present: Cardiff University School of Medicine
2014 – 2017: Visiting Professor, School of Psychology, University of Sussex

Honours and awards

CBE for services to Child Psychiatry
Presidents Medal 2015, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK for contribution to policy, public knowledge, education and meeting population and patient care needs
Ruane Prize 2015, Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, USA for outstanding Child & Adolescent Psychiatric research
Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) 2011, UK
Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales 2011, Wales
Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995, UK
Laughlin Prize 1989 Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK for highest marks and best recommendation in MRCPsych examinations
Maldwyn Catell Memorial Prize (Welsh Medical Council) awarded 1985 (medical school), Welsh National School of Medicine
Geraint Walters Prize in Haematology awarded 1985 (medical school), Welsh National School of Medicine

Professional memberships

Academy of Medical Sciences

Academic positions

1996-1999: Senior Lecturer, Manchester University
1991-1995: MRC Clinical Research Fellow, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff

Committees and reviewing

Selected panels, advisory and editorial boards

2016: Member of the American Psychiatric Association Review Committee on Neurodevelopmental Disorders [Intellectual Disability, Learning Disorders, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Motor Disorders, ADHD].
2015-present: Member of the Together for Children and Young People Expert Reference Group - A Welsh Assembly Government and CAMHS multi- agency Programme Board to drive forward the development and implementation of service improvement plans.
2014 – present: Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Psychiatry
2014-present:Corresponding Member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
2014-present: The Lancet Psychiatry Advisory Board
2015:Wellcome Trust Public Health and Tropical Medicine Interview Committee Member
2013 – 2015: Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences Sectional Committee
2012 - 2016: Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences Academic Careers Committee
2011: Panel member for Evaluation of Biology, Medicine and Health in Norway (March)
2009: Autism Speaks - Grant Review Panel
2004 - 2007:Wellcome Trust Cognitive and Higher Systems Funding Committee
2001 - 2007:Secretary and treasurer of the UK Child Psychiatry Research Society

2006

Thapar, A. and Rice, F. 2006. Twin studies in pediatric depression. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America 15(4), pp. 869-81. (10.1016/j.chc.2006.05.007)
Zammit, S.et al. 2006. Phenotypic variation between parent-offspring trios and non-trios in genetic studies of schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research 40(7), pp. 622-626. (10.1016/j.jpsychires.2005.05.006)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2006. The effect of birth-weight with genetic susceptibility on depressive symptoms in childhood and adolescence. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 15(7), pp. 383-391. (10.1007/s00787-006-0545-4)
Fowler, T. A.et al. 2006. Relationship between disabling fatigue and depression in children: Genetic study. British Journal of Psychiatry 189(3), pp. 247-253. (10.1192/bjp.bp.105.011379)
Thapar, A.et al. 2006. Refining the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder phenotype for molecular genetic studies. Molecular Psychiatry 11(8), pp. 714-20. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001831)
Rice, F.et al. 2006. Family conflict interacts with genetic liability in predicting childhood and adolescent depression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 45(7), pp. 841-848. (10.1097/01.chi.0000219834.08602.44)
Thapar, A.et al. 2006. Predictors of antisocial behaviour in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 15(2), pp. 118-125. (10.1007/s00787-006-0511-1)
Thapar, A. 2006. Genetics and environment in ADHD. In: McCabe, J. et al. eds. Beyond Nature and Nurture in Psychiatry: Genes, the Environment and Their Interplay. European Foundation for Psychiatry at the Maudsley Abingdon: Informa Healthcare, pp. 79-86.

2005

Langley, K.et al. 2005. Maternal smoking during pregnancy as an environmental risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder behaviour. A review.. Minerva Pediatrica 57(6), pp. 359-371.
Langley, K.et al. 2005. No support for association between the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene and ADHD. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics 139B(1), pp. 7-10. (10.1002/ajmg.b.30206)
Thapar, A.et al. 2005. Catechol O-methyltransferase gene variant and birth weight predict early-onset antisocial behavior in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry 62(11), pp. 1275-1278. (10.1001/archpsyc.62.11.1275)
Thapar, A., Roland, M. and Harold, G. T. 2005. Do depression symptoms predict seizure frequency--or vice versa?. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 59(5), pp. 269-274. (10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.04.001)
Thapar, A., O'Donovan, M. C. and Owen, M. J. 2005. The genetics of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Human Molecular Genetics 14(2), pp. 275-282. (10.1093/hmg/ddi263)
Stevenson, J.et al. 2005. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with reading disabilities: preliminary genetic findings on the involvement of the ADRA2A gene. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 46(10), pp. 1081-1088. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01533.x)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2005. The Link between depression in mothers and offspring: an extended twin analysis. Behavior Genetics 35(5), pp. 565-577. (10.1007/s10519-005-5432-0)
Ahuja, A., Thapar, A. and Owen, M. J. 2005. Genetics of mental retardation. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences 59(9), pp. 407-417. (10.4103/0019-5359.16820)
Goody, A. J.et al. 2005. Twins born following fertility treatment: implications for quantitative genetic studies. Twin Research and Human Genetics 8(4), pp. 337-345. (10.1375/twin.8.4.337)
Fowler, T.et al. 2005. The definition of disabling fatigue in children and adolescents. BMC Family Practice 6, pp. 33. (10.1186/1471-2296-6-33)
Button, T. M., Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 2005. Relationship between antisocial behaviour, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and maternal prenatal smoking. British Journal of Psychiatry 187, pp. 155-160. (10.1192/bjp.187.2.155)
Turic, D.et al. 2005. A family based study implicates solute carrier family 1-member 3 (SLC1A3) gene in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological psychiatry 57(11), pp. 1461-1466. (10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.03.025)
Stevenson, J.et al. 2005. Characterizing the ADHD phenotype for genetic studies. Developmental Science 8(2), pp. 115-121. (10.1111/j.1467-7687.2005.00398.x)
Turic, D.et al. 2005. A family based study of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics 133B(1), pp. 64-67. (10.1002/ajmg.b.30123)
Kent, L.et al. 2005. Association of the paternally transmitted copy of common Valine allele of the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene with susceptibility to ADHD. Molecular Psychiatry 10(10), pp. 939-943. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001696)

2004

Rice, F., van den Bree, M. B. and Thapar, A. 2004. A population-based study of anxiety as a precursor for depression in childhood and adolescence. BMC Psychiatry 4, article number: 43. (10.1186/1471-244X-4-43)
Rice, F.et al. 2004. A novel method for disentangling the effects of genes, intrauterine and environmental risk factors [Abstract]. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics 130B(1), pp. 116-117. (10.1002/ajmg.b.30101)
Fowler, T. A.et al. 2004. Early onset antisocial behaviour in children with ADHD is associated with a functional variant in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene [Abstract]. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics 130B(1), pp. 98-98. (10.1002/ajmg.b.30101)
Mills, S.et al. 2004. No evidence of association between Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158)Met genotype and performance on neuropsychological tasks in children with ADHD: A case-control study. BMC Psychiatry 4, pp. 15-15. (10.1186/1471-244X-4-15)
Farmer, A.et al. 2004. Prevalence of chronic disabling fatigue in children and adolescents. The British Journal of Psychiatry 184(6), pp. 477-481. (10.1192/bjp.184.6.477)
Turic, D.et al. 2004. Direct analysis of the genes encoding G proteins G alpha T2, G alpha o, G alpha Z in ADHD. American Journal of Medical Genetics 127B(1), pp. 68-72. (10.1002/ajmg.b.20173)
Lowe, N.et al. 2004. Joint Analysis of the DRD5 Marker Concludes Association with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Confined to the Predominantly Inattentive and Combined Subtypes. American Journal of Human Genetics 74(2), pp. 348-356. (10.1086/381561)
Langley, K.et al. 2004. Association of the dopamine D4 receptor gene 7-repeat allele with neuropsychological test performance of children with ADHD. American Journal of Psychiatry 161(1), pp. 133-138. (10.1176/appi.ajp.161.1.133)
Holmes, J.et al. 2004. The Child Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Teacher Telephone Interview (CHATTI): reliability and validity. British Journal of Psychiatry 184(1), pp. 74-78. (10.1192/bjp.184.1.74)
McGuffin, P. and Thapar, A. 2004. Postgenomic psychiatry: Great hopes or great hype?. Current Psychiatry Reports 6(2), pp. 75-76. (10.1007/s11920-004-0043-7)
Thapar, A. and Holmes, J. 2004. Genetics and juvenile antisocial behaviour. In: Bailey, S. and Dolan, M. eds. Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry, Vol. 1. London: Hodder Education, pp. 87-96.
Turic, D.et al. 2004. Follow-up of genetic linkage findings on chromosome 16p13: evidence of association of N-methyl-D aspartate glutamate receptor 2A gene polymorphism with ADHD. Molecular Psychiatry 9(2), pp. 169-173. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001387)

2003

Thapar, A.et al. 2003. A novel method for disentangling the effects of genes, intrauterine, and environmental risk factors [Abstract]. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 721-721. (10.1023/A:1026187215665)
Ivanov, D.et al. 2003. Chromosome 22q11 deletions, velo-cardio-facial syndrome and early-onset psychosis: Molecular genetic study. The British Journal of Psychiatry 183(5), pp. 409-413. (10.1192/bjp.183.5.409)
Thapar, A.et al. 2003. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in offspring. American Journal of Psychiatry 160(11), pp. 1985-1989. (10.1176/appi.ajp.160.11.1985)
Button, T. and Thapar, A. 2003. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and antisocial outcomes in young people. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 699-699.
Rice, F.et al. 2003. Anxiety and depression in childhood and adolescence: Developmental pathways, genes, and environment. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 715-715.
Thapar, A.et al. 2003. ADHD children with and without the dopamine D4 receptor 7-repeat allele: Evidence of differences in performance on neuropsychological tests. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 721-721.
Thapar, A.et al. 2003. Maternal smoking in pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in offspring. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 720-721.
Thapar, A.et al. 2003. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in offspring. American Journal of Psychiatry 160(11), pp. 1985-1989. (10.1176/appi.ajp.160.11.1985)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2003. The transmission of depressive symptoms from mother to child: Genetic and environmental pathways. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 716-716.
Scourfield, J.et al. 2003. Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: Changing etiological influences with development. Behavior Genetics 33(6), pp. 718-719.
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2003. Negative life events as an account of age-related differences in the genetic aetiology of depression in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 44(7), pp. 977-987. (10.1111/1469-7610.00182)
Scourfield, J.et al. 2003. Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: changing aetiological influences with development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 44(7), pp. 968-976. (10.1111/1469-7610.00181)
Payton, A.et al. 2003. No evidence of association between HLA-DRB1 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.. Psychiatric Genetics 13(3), pp. 183-185.
Williams, H. J.et al. 2003. Association between PRODH and schizophrenia is not confirmed. Molecular Psychiatry 8(7), pp. 644-645. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001276)
Langley, K.et al. 2003. No evidence of association of two 5HT transporter gene polymorphisms and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatric Genetics 13(2), pp. 107-110. (10.1097/01.ypg.0000056177.32550.a5)
Thapar, A. K. and Thapar, A. 2003. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.. British Journal of General Practice 53(488), pp. 225-230.
Lawson, D. C.et al. 2003. Association analysis of monoamine oxidase a and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 116B(1), pp. 84-89. (10.1002/ajmg.b.10002)
Thapar, A. 2003. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: new genetic findings, new directions. In: Plomin, R. et al. eds. Behavioral Genetics in the Postgenomic Era. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, pp. 445-462.

2002

Holmes, J.et al. 2002. A pilot twin study of psychological measures of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Behavior Genetics 32(6), pp. 389-395. (10.1023/A:1020846426166)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2002. Assessing the effects of age, sex and shared environment on the genetic aetiology of depression in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 43(8), pp. 1039-1051. (10.1111/1469-7610.00231)
Barkley, R. A.et al. 2002. International consensus statement on ADHD. January 2002. [Comment]. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 5(2), pp. 89-111.
Thapar, A. 2002. Genes and environment in ADHD. European Psychiatry 17, pp. 30S-30S.
Thapar, A. K. and Thapar, A. 2002. Is primary care ready to take on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?. BMC Family Practice 3, pp. 7-7. (10.1186/1471-2296-3-7)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2002. The genetic aetiology of childhood depression: a review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 43(1), pp. 65-79. (10.1111/1469-7610.00004)
Hawi, Z.et al. 2002. Serotonergic system and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a potential susceptibility locus at the 5-HT(1B) receptor gene in 273 nuclear families from a multi-centre sample. Molecular Psychiatry 7(7), pp. 718-725. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001048)
Thapar, A. and Scourfield, J. 2002. Childhood disorders. In: McGuffin, P., Owen, M. J. and Gottesman, I. I. eds. Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics. Oxford Medical Publications Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 147-181.
Thapar, A. and Clayton-Smith, J. 2002. Genetics of mental retardation. In: McGuffin, P., Owen, M. J. and Gottesman, I. I. eds. Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics. Oxford Medical Publications Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 113-128.
McGuffin, P., Moffitt, T. and Thapar, A. 2002. Personality disorders. In: McGuffin, P., Owen, M. J. and Gottesman, I. I. eds. Psychiatric Genetics and Genomics. Oxford Medical Publications Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 183-210.
Thapar, A. and O'Donovan, M. C. 2002. Neurogenetics. In: D'haenen, H., den Boer, J. A. and Willner, P. eds. Biological Psychiatry. Chichester: Wiley, pp. 167-180., (10.1002/0470854871.chxii)
West, A.et al. 2002. Evidence to suggest biased phenotypes in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from completely ascertained trios. Molecular Psychiatry 7(9), pp. 962-966. (10.1038/sj.mp.4001129)
Holmes, J.et al. 2002. Association of DRD4 in children with ADHD and comorbid conduct problems. American Journal of Medical Genetics 114(2), pp. 150-153. (10.1002/ajmg.10149)

2001

Payton, A.et al. 2001. Susceptibility genes for a trait measure of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study in a non-clinical sample of twins. Psychiatry Research 105(3), pp. 273 -278. (10.1016/S0165-1781(01)00342-0)
Rice, F., Harold, G. T. and Thapar, A. 2001. Extreme depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. Behavior Genetics 31(5), pp. 467-467., article number: PMID: 15641870.
Thapar, A., Harrington, R. and McGuffin, P. 2001. Examining the comorbidity of ADHD related behaviours and conduct problems using a twin study design. British Journal of Psychiatry 179(3), pp. 224-229. (10.1192/bjp.179.3.224)
2001. Evidence of association between DRD4 and ADHD with conduct disturbance. Presented at: Behavior Genetics Association Meeting, Cambridge, 11 July 2001 Presented at Thapar, A. et al. eds.Behavior Genetics, Vol. 31. Behavior Genetics Association Meeting Abstracts, Vol. 5. Springer Verlag pp. 470-471.
Payton, A.et al. 2001. Examining for association between candidate gene polymorphisms in the dopamine pathway and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a family-based study. Neuroscience Letters 105(5), pp. 464-470. (10.1002/ajmg.1407)
Thapar, A. and Holmes, J. 2001. Genes really do matter. The Psychologist 14(3), pp. 146-147.
Kent, L.et al. 2001. No association between CHRNA7 microsatellite markers and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 105(8), pp. 686-689. (10.1002/ajmg.1553)

2000

Thapar, A.et al. 2000. Does the definition of ADHD affect heritability?. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 39(12), pp. 1528-1536. (10.1097/00004583-200012000-00015)
Holmes, J.et al. 2000. A family-based and case-control association study of the dopamine D4 receptor gene and dopamine transporter gene in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Molecular Psychiatry 5(5), pp. 523-530. (10.1038/sj.mp.4000751)
Kent, L.et al. 2000. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor 7 subunit gene and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.. American Journal of Medical Genetics 96(4), pp. 490-490.
Payton, A.et al. 2000. A family based candidate gene association study of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 96(4), pp. 489-489.
Thapar, A., Harrington, R. and McGuffin, P. 2000. Examining the genetic basis of ADHD related behaviours and conduct problems. American Journal of Medical Genetics 96(4), pp. 470-470.

1999

Thapar, A., Harrington, R. and McGuffin, P. 1999. Examining the comorbidity of ADHD-related behaviours and conduct problems using a twin study design. Br J Psych 2001(Sept), pp. 179:224-229., article number: 11532799. (10.1016/j.neulet.2007.12.003)
Thapar, A. and Barrett, J. 1999. Thapar and barrett reply. Molecular Psychiatry 4(5), pp. 413-414. (10.1038/sj.mp.4000596)
Thapar, A. and Barrett, J. 1999. Sampling and analytic considerations in molecular genetics studies of ADHD. The advantages of predicting phenotype from genotype in ADHD research - Thapar and Barrett reply. Molecular Psychiatry 4(5), pp. 413-414.
Thapar, A.et al. 1999. Defining attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A genetic perspective.. Molecular Psychiatry 4, pp. S52-S52.
Thapar, A.et al. 1999. A quantitative trait loci study of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Molecular Psychiatry 4, pp. S52-S53.
Thapar, A.et al. 1999. Genetic basis of attention deficit and hyperactivity. British Journal of Psychiatry 174, pp. 105-111. (10.1192/bjp.174.2.105)

1998

Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1998. Validity of the shortened Mood and Feelings Questionnaire in a community sample of children and adolescents: a preliminary research note. Psychiatry Research 81(2), pp. 259-268. (10.1016/S0165-1781(98)00073-0)
Poulton, K.et al. 1998. A molecular genetic study of hyperkinetic disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 81(6), pp. 458-458.
Thapar, A., Harold, G. T. and McGuffin, P. 1998. Life events and depressive symptoms in childhood--shared genes or shared adversity? A research note.. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 39(8), pp. 1153-1158. (10.1111/1469-7610.00419)
Thapar, A. 1998. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: unravelling the molecular genetics. Molecular Psychiatry 3(5), pp. 370-372. (10.1038/sj.mp.4000452)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1998. A twin study of depressive symptoms in childhood. British Journal of Psychiatry 165(2), pp. 259-265. (10.1192/bjp.165.2.259)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1998. Genetics and learning disability. In: Kerr, M. P. ed. Innovations in Health Care for People with Intellectual Disabilites. Lisieux Hall Publications
Thapar, A. 1998. Behavioural phenotypes. Psychological Medicine 28(2), pp. 493-494.
McGuffin, P. and Thapar, A. 1998. Genetics and Antisocial Personality Disorder. In: Millon, T. et al. eds. Psychopathy: Antisocial, Criminal and Violent Behavior. New York: The Guilford Press, pp. 215-230.

1997

Scourfield, J., McGuffin, P. and Thapar, A. 1997. Genes and social skills. Bioessays 19(12), pp. 1125-1127. (10.1002/bies.950191212)
Thapar, A., Harrington, R. and McGuffin, P. 1997. A genetic study of hyperactivity and related traits. American Journal of Medical Genetics 74(6), pp. 571-572.
Bond, L.et al. 1997. Attitudes of general practitioners towards health care for people with intellectual disability and the factors underlying these attitudes. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 41(5), pp. 391-400. (10.1111/j.1365-2788.1997.tb00726.x)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1997. Anxiety and depressive symptoms in childhood--a genetic study of comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38(6), pp. 651-656. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01692.x)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1997. Anxiety and depressive symptoms in childhood - a genetic study of comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 38(6), pp. 651-656. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01692)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1997. Genetic basis of bad behaviour in adolescents. The Lancet 350(9075), pp. 411-412. (10.1016/S0140-6736(05)64134-7)

1996

Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1996. A twin study of antisocial and neurotic symptoms in childhood. Psychological Medicine 26(6), pp. 1111-1118. (10.1017/S0033291700035832)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1996. The genetic etiology of childhood depressive symptoms: A developmental perspective. Development and Psychopathology 8(4), pp. 751-760.
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1996. Genetic influences on life events in childhood. Psychological Medicine 26(4), pp. 813-820. (10.1017/S0033291700037831)
Kerr, M. . P., Dunstan, F. D. J. and Thapar, A. 1996. Attitudes of general practitioners to caring for people with learning disability. British Journal of General Practice 46(403), pp. 92-94.

1995

Thapar, A., Hervas, A. and McGuffin, P. 1995. Childhood hyperactivity scores are highly heritable and show sibling competition effects: twin study evidence. Behavior Genetics 25(6), pp. 537-544. (10.1007/BF02327577)
Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1995. Are anxiety symptoms in childhood heritable?. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 36(3), pp. 439-447. (10.1111/j.1469-7610.1995.tb01301.x)

1994

Thapar, A.et al. 1994. The genetics of mental retardation. The British Journal of Psychiatry 164(6), pp. 747. (10.1192/bjp.164.6.747)
McGuffin, P.et al. Freeman, H. et al. eds. 1994. Seminars in Psychiatric Genetics. Gaskell, Royal College of Psychiatrists.

1993

Thapar, A. and McGuffin, P. 1993. Is personality-disorder inherited - an overview of the evidence. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 15(4), pp. 325-345. (10.1007/BF00965036)
McGuffin, P. and Thapar, A. 1993. The genetics of personality disorder. In: Tyrer, P. and Stein, G. eds. Personality Disorder Reviewed. London: Gaskell, Royal College of Psychiatrists

1992

Thapar, A.et al. 1992. Treatment of childhood encopresis - a review. Child: Care, Health and Development 18(6), pp. 343-353. (10.1111/j.1365-2214.1992.tb00364.x)
Thapar, A. K. and Thapar, A. 1992. Psychological sequelae of miscarriage: a controlled study using the general health questionnaire and the hospital anxiety and depression scale.. British Journal of General Practice (BJGP) 42(356), pp. 94-96.
McGuffin, P. and Thapar, A. 1992. The genetics of personality disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry 160(1), pp. 12-23. (10.1192/bjp.160.1.12)

1991

Thapar, A. and Ghosh, A. 1991. Non-attendance at a psychiatric clinic. British Journal of Psychiatry Bulletin 15(4), pp. 205-206. (10.1192/pb.15.4.205)

1989

Thapar, A. 1989. Psychiatric disorder in the medical profession.. British Journal of Hospital Medicine 42(6), pp. 480-483.

Undergraduate teaching

Academic mentor for undergraduates
Lecture and examining on neurodevelopmental disorders, intercalated BSc Psychology
SSCs in child neurodevelopmental disorders

Postgraduate teaching

Lectures and placements

Wellcome Trust PhD programme: lecture on child and adolescent mental health
MRC Centre Summer school
MRC Centre and Wellcome Trust PhD programme: rotation placements in population health/neurodevelopmental disorders

Current PhD students

Olga Eyre, Wellcome Trust clinical research fellow

External mentorship

I am an Academy of Medical Sciences mentor for two clinician scientists

Public engagement

We have a track record of working with the media having worked with the Cardiff University Public engagement team (e.g. Cardiff Challenge), the UK Science Media Centre, contributed to and participated in television (a BBC Wales documentary, Breakfast TV and news items), radio (Radio 4 Today programme, national and local radio stations).

National and international web podcasts and films on ADHD include:

Challenge Cardiff interview

ADHD Facts and Fiction (public lecture)

Last Chance Saloon (short film/documentary)

Ruane Prize winner (short film)

Overview of current research

My currently active grants and lead supervision roles all focus on neurodevelopmental disorders.
The first group of projects focus on ADHD. These include 2 Wellcome Trust post-doctoral fellowships on: i) sex differences, (ii) ADHD in 22q11 micro-deletion syndrome.
The second group of projects focus on a broader range of neurodevelopmental disorders.These include projects on (i) the natural history of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders from childhood to adult life and the contribution of early environmental exposures and genetic risks, (ii) the link between childhood neurodevelopmental disorder and adolescent mood disorder in ALSPAC and in a patient sample; (iii) the feasibility of a research unit in neurodevelopmental disorders for 5 to 8 year olds that interfaces with schools/education; (iv) genetic-environment interplay in relation to neurodevelopmental disorders in those born very preterm; (v) the impact of psychiatric risk alleles and environmental stressors on child/adolescent neurodevelopmental problems and trajectories in the ALSPAC and NCDS population cohorts.

Current Funded Projects

Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award: What happens to children with neurodevelopmental disorders when they grow up and why?
Waterloo Foundation Trust: Feasibility Study of a Neurodevelopmental Disorders Assessment Unit
MRC: Preterm birth and neuropsychiatric genetic risks
Wellcome Trust ISSF: Adult outcomes of childhood neurodevelopment problems
Wellcome Trust: Chronic Irritability in ADHD: Examining the clinical and genetic links with depression (Lead Supervisor for clinical PhD fellowship – Olga Eyre)
Wellcome Trust: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) inattention symptoms as antecedents of later psychotic outcomes in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and the contribution of genetic risk (Lead supervisor for Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship for Maria Niarchou)
Wellcome Trust: A genetic study examining sex differences in the prevalence of ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders (Lead supervisor for Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship for Joanna Martin)
MRC: Identifying the impact of mental disorder risk alleles on childhood neurodevelopment
ESRC Utilising adoption-based research designs to examine the interplay between family relationship processes and child developmental outcomes.

Key selected papers

Riglin L, Collishaw S, Richards A, Thapar AK, Maughan B, O’Donovan M.C., Thapar A (2017) Schizophrenia risk alleles and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood: a population-based cohort study, Lancet Psychiatry 4(1):57-62.
Riglin, L., Collishaw, S., Thapar, AK., Dalsgaard, S., Langley, K., Davey Smith, G., Stergiakouli , E., Maughan, B., O’Donovan, M. & Thapar, A. Association of genetic risk variants with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder trajectories in the general population. JAMA Psychiatry. 1;73(12):1285-1292
Thapar A, Cooper M, Rutter M (2016) Neurodevelopmental disorders: a personal view, The Lancet Psychiatry [Epub Ahead of Print]
Rice F, Sellers R, Hammerton G, Eyre O, Bevan-Jones R, Thapar AK, Collishaw S, Harold G, Thapar A, (2016) Antecedents of new-onset major depressive disorder in adolescence: a longitudinal familial high-risk study JAMA Psychiatry [Epub ahead of print]
Thapar A, Cooper M, (2016), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, The Lancet 387(10024): 1240-50.
Thapar A, Martin J, Mick E, Arias Vásquez A, Langley K, Scherer SW, Schachar R, Crosbie J, Williams N, Franke B, Elia J, Glessner J, Hakonarson H, Owen MJ, Faraone SV, O'Donovan MC, Holmans P. (2015) Psychiatric gene discoveries shape evidence on ADHD's biology. Mol Psychiatry. [Epub ahead of print]
Martin, J., Hamshere, M. L., Stergiakouli, E., O'Donovan, M. C., & Thapar A. (2014) Genetic risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder contributes to neurodevelopmental traits in the general population. Biol Psychiatry, 76(8):664-71.

Hamshere M, Langley K, Martin J, Agah S, Stergiakouli E, Anney, R, Buitelaar JK, Farone S, Lesch PK, Neale, B, Franke, B, Sonuga-Barke E, Asherson P, Merwood A, Kuntsi J, Medland S, Ripke S, Steinhausen H-C, Freitag C, Reif A, Renner T, Romanos M, Romanos J, Warnke A, Meyer J, Palmason H, Arias-Vásquez A, Rommelse N, Roeyers, H, Biederman J, Doyle A, Hakonarson, H, Rothenberger, A, Banaschewski T, Oades, R, McGough, J, Kent L, Williams N, Owen MJ, Holmans P, O’Donovan MC, Thapar A (2013). High loading of polygenic risk for ADHD in those with comorbid aggression, Am J Psychiatry,170(8):909-16

Langley K, Heron J, Smith GD, Thapar A. (2012). Maternal and Paternal Smoking During Pregnancy and Risk of ADHD Symptoms in Offspring: Testing for Intrauterine Effects.Am. J. Epidemiol. (2012) 176(3): 261-268

Stergiakouli E, Hamshere M, Holmans P, Langley K, Zaharieva I; decode Genetics; Psychiatric GWAS Consortium, Hawi Z, Kent L, Gill M, Williams N, Owen MJ, O’Donovan MC, Thapar A. (2012). Investigating the contribution of common genetic variants to the risk and pathogenesis of ADHD. Am J Psychiatry. 169(2):186-94. .

Williams NM, Zaharieva I, Martin A, Langley K, Mantripragada K, Fossdal R, Steffansson H, Stefansson K, Magnssuon P, Gudmundsson OO, Gustafsson O, Holmans P, Owen MJ, O’Donovan MC, Thapar A. (2010). Rare chromosomal deletions and duplications in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a genome-wide analysis. Lancet. 376(9750): 1401-1408.

Langley K, Heron J, O’Donovan MC, Owen MJ, Thapar A. (2010) Genotype link with extreme antisocial behaviour: the contribution of cognitive pathways. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 67(12): 1317-1323.

Thapar A, Rice F, Hay D, Boivin J, Langley K, Van den Bree MB, Rutter M, Harold G.(2009) Prenatal smoking might not cause ADHD: evidence from a novel design. Biological Psychiatry. 66(8): 722-727.

Rice F, Harold GT, Boivin J, Hay D, Van den Bree MB, Thapar A. (2009) Disentangling prenatal and inherited influences in humans with an experimental design. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. USA, 106 (7): 2464-2467.

Selected previous projects

Wellcome Trust Programme Grant. Identifying susceptibility genes for ADHD with antisocial behaviour as a covariate.
Wellcome Trust Project grant. Disentangling genetic, intrauterine and environmental influences on childhood psychopathology using a novel method.
Medical Research Council project grant. Antisocial behaviour in young people with ADHD: identifying risk pathways.
Action Medical Research project grant. Detecting chromosomal anomalies in children with ADHD and mental retardation using microarray based comparative genomic hybridisation.
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project grant. Family and genetic influences on children's psychological development.

Professor Anita Thapar

Education and Qualifications

Career overview

Honours and awards

Professional memberships

Academic positions

Committees and reviewing

Selected panels, advisory and editorial boards

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

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2007