Welcome to the 2025 IoPPN Research Festival Podcast! In this first episode, we hear from Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke, a leading expert in developmental psychology at King’s College London. He introduces RE-STAR—a four-year, interdisciplinary research programme.
RE-STAR stands for Regulating Emotions – Strengthening Adolescent Resilience. It focuses on neurodivergent young people, such as those with ADHD or autistic traits, who are at higher risk of developing depression during adolescence.
Right now, we don’t fully understand:
• Who is most at risk,
• What factors increase that risk,
• Or the best ways to build resilience and reduce it.
RE-STAR aims to fill these gaps by studying how ADHD and/or autism traits, environmental stress, and emotional responses interact to shape the risk of depression in neurodivergent young people.
00:00 #IOPPN 2025 - Edmund Sonuga-Barke
00:11 Introduction and Guest Welcome
01:07 The Intriguing Title: ReSTAR
01:54 The Paradox of Translational Science
02:37 Philosophy of Science and Paradigms
03:05 Paradigm Flipping in Neurodevelopmental Research
03:05 The Shift to a Neurodiversity Model
03:26 Multidisciplinary and Participatory Approach
04:52 Challenges and Tensions in Multidisciplinary Research
06:19 Trust and Scaffolding in Research
09:05 Emotional Burden Concept
10:19 Developing School-Based Interventions
11:17 Digital Pathways and Whole School Interventions
13:17 Arts Practice in Interventions
14:10 Future Directions and Funding
15:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
The IoPPN Research Festival takes place in London on 14th May 2025. Free tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ioppn-research-festival-bridging-disciplines-brain-to-behaviour-tickets-1289530092219
Find out more about the RE-STAR programme: Regulating Emotions – Strengthening Adolescent Resilience https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/re-star
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