About
Research
Email: rachel.gow@stmarys.ac.uk
Biography
Dr Gow joined St Mary's as a Lecturer in Psychology in June 2024. She currently teaches Health Psychology and The Social Brain to Level 5 and Level 6 students. In 2025, Dr Gow will be teaching the Psychology of Attention and Transferrable Skills for Employment as well as supervising individual personal projects and supporting with Research Methods workshops.
Rachel V. Gow, Ph.D is a Child Neuropsychologist specialising in ADHD, and associative brain (/mental) health conditions and learning and behaviour differences. Dr. Gow is also a Registered Nutritionist (under the category of Science), and her background and training is in the field of nutritional neuroscience/psychiatry.
Dr. Gow also holds a Visiting Lecturer position at the the University of Roehampton. She has previously held the position of Associate Lecturer at London Metropolitan University and an honorary role at The Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.
Between 2012-2016, Dr. Gow was the Lead Associate Investigator of the Neuroimaging, Omega‐3 and Reward in Adults with ADHD (NORAA) trial at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. This study was the first randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, clinical trial globally to test the effects of omega‐3 fats in the brain activity of adults with ADHD using neuroimaging techniques (fMRI).
In 2012, Dr. Gow was awarded a Ph.D in Child Neuropsychology from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. Her Ph.D was conducted in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and involved a clinical research project investigating blood measures of omega-3 fatty acids and assessments of brain function using EEG and Event Related Potentials in children/adolescents with and without ADHD.
Dr. Gow has a Master of Science in Psychological Research Methods (Distinction) from Birkbeck University of London. Dr. Gow’s under-graduate Psychology degree was awarded First Class with Honors from the University of Kingston, London, accredited also by the British Psychological Society.
Collectively, Dr. Gow has approximately 2 decades of research and experience in psychological research in child/adolescent and adult clinical populations. Her research integrates multiple modalities including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, neuropsychological assessment, genetic sequencing and nutrition/biochemistry.
Dr Gow has published 23 peer reviewed book chapters and scientific papers. She has extensive knowledge in neurodiverse conditions and the role of nutrition and in particular, brain‐ selective nutrients known to facilitate and enhance neurotransmitter function.
Dr. Gow has been an active member of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) since 2008 and was awarded one of their New Investigator’s Awards in 2012.
Dr Gow has worked with both television (BBC's "Trust me I'm a Doctor" and, Channel 4, "The Food Hospital"), radio and media. She was named as a “Leading Lady” by Time & Leisure Magazine. Her book “Smart Foods for ADHD and Brain Health” was published in 2021 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers part of the Hachette UK Group.
Dr. Gow lectures globally on the role of nutrition in ADHD and brain health. She is a sought-after international speakers and has presented at various conferences and academic institutions (selection only) such as the International Society for Nutrition in Psychiatry Research (ISNPR), Seed Talks, Queen Mary's East London, The Walt Disney Company Limited, Hammersmith, London, the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), Magdalen College, University of Oxford, ADDISS Conference, London, U.K., Michigan State University, United States., Burlingame Center for Psychiatric Research and Education, The Institute of Living, Hartford, CT., Department of Psychology, Georgetown University., and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Boston.
Hobbies and interests
Dr. Gow is also the founder of Nutritious Minds Trust Charity (NMTC) which supports children and young adults with ADHD and neurodivergence. NMTC empowers young people to reach their highest potential through psychological, educational, nutritional and fitness and plans to hold their first community school-holiday project with St Mary's which will be focused on the Creative Arts, drama/film, and music.
Nutritious Minds Trust Charity organises community events and workshops on various aspects of brain health providing a motivational platform for individuals to talk about their collective experiences living with diagnostic labels as well as sharing inspiration and the tools which enabled them to overcome tumultuous obstacles in their lives.
Qualifications and accreditations
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Section of Nutritional Neuroscience, 2012-2016
Lead Associate Investigator: Neuroimaging, Omega-3 and Reward in Adults with
ADHD(NORAA).
Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, U.K.
Ph.D. in Child Neuropsychology, 2008-2012 (Minor Corrections)
Advisors: Professor Eric Taylor, Professor Katya Rubia, and Professor Michael Crawford.
Dissertation: An investigation into polyunsaturated fatty acids, EEG/ERP assessments of brain
function and behavioural measures in ADHD children and adolescents, siblings and healthy matched controls.
Birkbeck University College London, U.K.
M.Sc. in Psychological Research Methods, 2006-2007
Advisors: Dr. Richard Cooper
Thesis: Exploring the relationship between red blood cell concentrations of essential fatty acids
and emotional processing (using EEG/ERP) in adolescent males with ADHD.
Distinction
Kingston University, Surrey, U.K.
B.Sc. in Psychology Major, History of Ideas (Minor), 2002-2006
SUMMARY
Advisor: Dr. Frederic Vallee-Tourangeau
Thesis: Relative Rationality: Exploring the impact of personal motives on pseudodiagnostic
reasoning, First Class with Honors
Membership of professional bodies
Council member of The Royal Society of Medicine
Previous member of British Psychological Society
Member of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL)
Research
Research profile
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Harlan TS, Gow RV, Kornstädt A, Alderson PW, Lustig RH. The Metabolic Matrix: Re-engineering ultraprocessed foods to feed the gut, protect the liver, and support the brain. Front Nutr. 2023 Mar 30;10:1098453. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1098453. PMID: 37063330; PMCID: PMC10097968
Gow, R.V., Heron, J.., San-Giovanni, J.P., Davis, J and Hibbeln, J.R. (2016). Maternal fish consumption and smoking behavioral patterns, British Journal of Nutrition.
Matsudaira T, Gow RV, Kelly J, Murphy C, Potts L, Sumich A, Ghebremeskel K, Crawford MA, Taylor E. Biochemical and Psychological Effects of Omega-3/6 Supplements in Male Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Trial. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2015 Dec;25(10):775-82. doi: 10.1089/cap.2015.0052.
Meyer BJ, Byrne M, Parletta N, Gow R, Hibbeln JR. (2015). Fish Oil and Impulsive Aggressive Behavior, Journal of Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2015 Jul 28. doi:10.1089/cap.2015.0065.
Gow RV, Hibbeln, J.R., and Parletta. N. (2015). Current evidence and future directions for research with omega-3 fatty acids and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care.
J.R. Hibbeln and R.V. Gow. (2014). The Potential for Military Diets to Reduce Depression, Suicide and Impulsive Aggression: A Review of Current Evidence for Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids, Military Medicine, 179(11 Suppl):117-28.
R.V. Gow and J.R. Hibbeln, (2014). Omega-3 and treatment implications in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and associated behavioral symptoms, Feature Article, Lipid Technology, 26, (1), 7–10.
J.R. Hibbeln and R.V. Gow. (2014). Omega-3 Fatty Acid and Nutrient Deficits in Adverse Neurodevelopment and Childhood Behaviors, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23, (3), 555–590.
Brenna J.T., Burdge, G.C., Crawford, M.A., Clayton, P., Cunnane, S.C., Gow, R, Hibbeln, J.R., Sinclair, A.J., Stein, J, Willatts, P. (2014). RE: Plasma phospholipid fatty acids and prostate cancer risk in the SELECT trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 106(4).
R.V. Gow, A. Sumich, F. Vallee-Tourangeau, M.A. Crawford, K. Ghebremeskel, A.A. Bueno, J.R. Hibbeln, E. Taylor, and K. Rubia. (2013). Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Related to Abnormal Emotion Processing in Adolescent Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 88(6):419-29.
R.V. Gow, F. Vallee-Tourangeau, M.A. Crawford, E. Taylor, K. Ghebremeskel, A.A Bueno, J.R. Hibbeln, A. Sumich, and K. Rubia. (2013). Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Inversely Related to Callous and Unemotional Traits in Adolescent Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 88(6):411-8.
A.L Sumich, T. Matsudaira, B.C. Heasman, R.V. Gow, A. Ibrahimovic, K. Ghebremeskel, M. Crawford and E. Taylor. (2013). Fatty acid correlates of temperament in adolescent boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 88(6):431-6.
R.V. Gow, K. Rubia, E. Taylor, F. Vallée- Tourangeau, T. Matsudaira, A. Ibrahimovic, and A. Sumich. (2012). Abnormal Centroparietal ERP Response in Predominantly Medication-Naive Adolescent Boys With ADHD During Both Response Inhibition and Execution. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 29, (2): 181–189.
R.V. Gow, T. Matsudaira, E. Taylor, M. Crawford, K. Ghebremeskel, A. Ibrahimovic, F. Vallée- Tourangeau, L. M. Williams, and A. Sumich. (2009). Total Red Blood Cell Concentrations of ω -3 Fatty Acids Are Associated with Emotion Elicited Neural Activity in Adolescent Boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 80, (2-3): 151-6.
A. Sumich, T. Matsudaira, R.V. Gow, K. Ghebremeskel, M. Crawford, A. Ibrahimovic, and E. Taylor. (2009). Resting state electroencephalographic correlates with red cell long-chain fatty acids, memory performance and age in adolescent boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Neuropharmacology, 57, (7-8): 708-14.
Manuscripts submitted or in preparation
Gow, R.V., Majchrzak-Hong, S., MS, Sewell, L., CRNP, Tomasi, D., PhD, Bjork, J., PhD, Shaw, P., MD, Momenan, R., PhD, Lin, Y., PhD, Ramsden, C., MD, Hibbeln, J.R., MD. (2021). Neuroimaging omega-3 and reward in adults with ADHD (NORAA) trial. Journal of Nutritional Neurosciences.
Richardson, AJ & Gow, R.V., (2017). The role of omega-3 fatty acids in ADHD, depression and related conditions: theory, evidence and implications for practice. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.
Gow, R.V., Heron, J.., San-Giovanni, J.P., Davis, J and Hibbeln, J.R. (2016). Does plasma fatty acid levels of 7 year old children predict severity of ADHD symptoms and the relationship between the risk of diagnosis and FADS variants.
Ayaka Ishii-Takahashi, Rachel V. Gow, Andreia Faria, Carlisha Hall, Gustavo Sudre, Sophie Haven, Joelle E. Sallis, Reza Momenan, Susumu Mori, Joseph R. Hibblen, Philip Shaw. The effect of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids on white matter integrity in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—a randomized controlled trial. Neuroimage: Clinical.