NCMD Research Seminar Series 12th June 2026

Presenter: Professor Richard Porter, University of Otago, Christchurch.

Presentation title: Chronobiology in the aetiology and treatment of mood disorders

Abnormalities of circadian rhythm are present in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder (MDD). Chronobiologically based treatments are being researched and used in clinical practice. In addition, techniques such as actigraphy can now be used to indicate change in rest-activity cycles with the potential to indicate early stages of relapse of mood disorders. The talk will summarise data on chronobiological abnormalities in mood disorders, review treatments which act by addressing these abnormalities and discuss monitoring of rest-activity cycles and the use of such monitoring in clinical practice.

Richard Porter is Professor and head of the Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch. He has worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist in a service for adults with intellectual disability for many years. Prof Porter’s research has focused on psychological and chronobiological treatments for mood disorders and treatments for neuropsychological impairment in depression and bipolar disorder. He has published over 300 scientific papers and was an author of the 2020 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Mood Disorder Guidelines. He was Deputy editor of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry for many years and is now Deputy Editor of British Journal of Psychiatry Open.
Professor Porter trained in medicine and in psychiatry in 缅北禁地-upon-Tyne.

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