Keira Johnston, PhD
Associate Research Scientist of PsychiatryAbout
Titles
Associate Research Scientist of Psychiatry
Biography
Dr. Keira Johnston is an Associate Research Scientist in the Huckins Lab, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Johnston's research area of focus is the study of chronic pain as a complex disease trait.
Last Updated on September 10, 2025.
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Yale University (2025)
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (2022)
- PhD
- University of Glasgow (2021)
- MSc
- University of Edinburgh, Quantitative Genetics and Genome Analysis (2016)
- BSc (Hon)
- University of Edinburgh, Biological Sciences (Evolutionary Biology) (2015)
Research
Publications
2025
A computational genetic- and transcriptomics-based study nominates drug repurposing candidates for the treatment of chronic pain
Cote A, Johnston K, Seah C, Young H, Huckins L. A computational genetic- and transcriptomics-based study nominates drug repurposing candidates for the treatment of chronic pain. EBioMedicine 2025, 122: 106022. PMID: 41205295, PMCID: PMC12790588, DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2025.106022.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenome-wide association studiesMendelian randomization analysisChronic painTreatment of chronic painRandomization analysisTwo-sample Mendelian randomization analysisDrug repurposing candidatesTranscriptomic effectsFunctional genomics approachTranscriptome data resourcesDrug classesRepurposing candidatesClinical follow-upGenomic approachesPsychological symptomsAssociation studiesMedication useGenetic riskNovel drug classesPutative drug candidatesDrug perturbationsGene expressionEffects of diseaseLong-term pharmaceutical treatmentPainT27. THE CLINICAL PICTURE OF TRICHOTILLOMANIA IN AN ANOREXIA NERVOSA COHORT
Berthold N, Johnston K, Bulik C, Thornton L, Huckins L. T27. THE CLINICAL PICTURE OF TRICHOTILLOMANIA IN AN ANOREXIA NERVOSA COHORT. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 171. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.310.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchObsessive-compulsive disorderPresence of obsessive-compulsive disorderOCD dimensionsAnorexia nervosaGenome-wide association studiesPolygenic risk scoresEating DisordersAssociated with obsessive-compulsive disorderOCD genome-wide association studiesObsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosisImpaired social interactionElevated ratesAge-of-onsetImpulse dysregulationAN subtypesClinical InterviewGenetic liabilityPsychiatric conditionsPsychosocial functioningTrichotillomaniaSocial interactionBody imageDisordersModerate heritabilityPhysical appearanceT22. EVALUATING PSYCHIATRIC RISK OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS
Ciarcia J, Liu K, Johnston K, Kępińska A, Huckins L. T22. EVALUATING PSYCHIATRIC RISK OF HORMONAL CONTRACEPTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 168. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.305.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMajor depressive disorderAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderAdolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentPsychiatric side effectsPolygenic risk scoresHormonal contraceptionSuicide attemptsDiagnosis of major depressive disorderHC useLongitudinal cohort studyPotential psychiatric side effectsMajor depressive disorder diagnosisADHD-related phenotypesHC usersChild Behavior ChecklistPsychotropic medication useSalivary concentrationsAdverse outcomesSide effectsMental Health QuestionnaireStudy of American YouthMedication useRisk of adverse outcomesSubgroups of peopleDepressive disorder83. CHARACTERIZING BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLINICAL TRAITS FOR PSYCHOTIC-LIKE EXPERIENCES IN ADOLESCENTS
Ly C, Ciarcia J, Kępińska A, Johnston K, Liu K, Huckins L. 83. CHARACTERIZING BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLINICAL TRAITS FOR PSYCHOTIC-LIKE EXPERIENCES IN ADOLESCENTS. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 99: 99. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.08.188.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPrevalence of psychotic-like experiencesAdolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentPsychotic disorder in adulthoodPhenome-wide association studyPhysical health measuresPsychotic-like experiencesDisorders in adulthoodMental health symptomsLinear regressionBiopsychosocial factorsHealth symptomsHealth measuresCognitive developmentUnivariate linear regressionAssociation studiesSocial exposureAged 8Societal factorsBonferroni correctionSocial factorsLongitudinal dataAdolescentsPubertal stageBiological factorsJoint linear regressionThe impact of chronic pain on brain gene expression
Collier L, Seah C, Hicks E, Holtzheimer P, Krystal J, Girgenti M, Huckins L, Johnston K, Alvarez V, Benedek D, Che A, Cruz D, Davis D, Girgenti M, Hoffman E, Holtzheimer P, Huber B, Kaye A, Krystal J, Labadorf A, Keane T, Logue M, McKee A, Marx B, Miller M, Noller C, Montalvo-Ortiz J, Pierce M, Scott W, Schnurr P, DiSano K, Stein T, Ursano R, Williamson D, Wolf E, Young K. The impact of chronic pain on brain gene expression. Pain 2025, 166: e689-e702. PMID: 40623285, PMCID: PMC12236435, DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003707.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchChronic pain developmentChronic painPain developmentMechanisms of chronic pain developmentEffects of chronic painImpact of chronic painCell typesBrain gene expressionPain-related factorsGene expressionDifferential gene expressionBrain regionsSignificant public health burdenPublic health burdenImmune response pathwaysPain genesAmygdala cellsBasolateral amygdalaBrain regional levelsPainInvestigate sex differencesMigraineAssociated treatmentHealth burdenPostmortem donorsProtocol for finding genetic variation associated with unmeasured traits through GenomicSEM common-factor GWAS
Johnston K, Signer R, Huckins L. Protocol for finding genetic variation associated with unmeasured traits through GenomicSEM common-factor GWAS. STAR Protocols 2025, 6: 103905. PMID: 40531628, PMCID: PMC12213288, DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2025.103905.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Chronic overlapping pain conditions and nociplastic pain
Johnston K, Signer R, Huckins L. Chronic overlapping pain conditions and nociplastic pain. Human Genetics And Genomics Advances 2024, 6: 100381. PMID: 39497418, PMCID: PMC11617767, DOI: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2024.100381.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGenome wide association studiesTranscriptome-wide associationChronic overlapping pain conditionsTissue enrichment analysisSingle nucleotide polymorphismsEnrichment analysisNociplastic painPain conditionsIndependent single nucleotide polymorphismsMultisite chronic painGene Set Enrichment AnalysisSNP heritabilityUnique genesNeuropathic pain phenotypesAssociation studiesPolygenic traitChronic pain conditionsGene setsNucleotide polymorphismsMetabolic traitsHeritable traitGenetic overlapPain phenotypesPain descriptorsPain experienceW22. EATING DISORDERS OVER THE WEIGHT SPECTRUM: DISSECTING GENETIC DIFFERENCES OF EATING DISORDERS, THINNESS, AND OBESITY
Xu J, Signer R, Hicks E, Johnston K, Termorshuizen J, Group P, Bulik C, Huckins L. W22. EATING DISORDERS OVER THE WEIGHT SPECTRUM: DISSECTING GENETIC DIFFERENCES OF EATING DISORDERS, THINNESS, AND OBESITY. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2024, 87: 112. DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2024.08.231.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTissue-specific mannerSignificant genesCC-GWASGenetic distanceConstitutional thinnessIdentified multiple risk variantsBonferroni significanceGenome-wide lociGenome-wide significanceMultiple risk variantsConcordant effect directionsBinge eatingClinical differencesEating DisordersGTEx v8S-PrediXcanAN-BGene associationsGenetic relationshipsRisk variantsRisk genesWeight-related traitsGenetic etiologyGenesDifferential expressionComorbidity Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Across the Medical Phenome
Hicks E, Niarchou M, Goleva S, Kabir D, Johnson J, Johnston K, Ciarcia J, Pathak G, Smoller J, Davis L, Nievergelt C, Koenen K, Huckins L, Choi K, Group P. Comorbidity Profiles of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Across the Medical Phenome. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 2024, 4: 100337. PMID: 39050781, PMCID: PMC11268109, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100337.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchElectronic health recordsClinical knowledge gapsPhysical health problemsPhenome-wide associationPheWAS analysisBiobank participantsHealth recordsEpidemiological researchHealthcare systemTest associationsMedical phenomeAssociated with osteoporosisPulmonary heart diseasePhecodesHealth problemsLogistic regressionPosttraumatic stress disorderSex differencesPheWASComorbidity profilesHeart diseaseStress disorderInteraction termsAssociationPTSD
2023
Multi-ancestry study of the genetics of problematic alcohol use in over 1 million individuals
Zhou H, Kember R, Deak J, Xu H, Toikumo S, Yuan K, Lind P, Farajzadeh L, Wang L, Hatoum A, Johnson J, Lee H, Mallard T, Xu J, Johnston K, Johnson E, Nielsen T, Galimberti M, Dao C, Levey D, Overstreet C, Byrne E, Gillespie N, Gordon S, Hickie I, Whitfield J, Xu K, Zhao H, Huckins L, Davis L, Sanchez-Roige S, Madden P, Heath A, Medland S, Martin N, Ge T, Smoller J, Hougaard D, Børglum A, Demontis D, Krystal J, Gaziano J, Edenberg H, Agrawal A, Justice A, Stein M, Kranzler H, Gelernter J. Multi-ancestry study of the genetics of problematic alcohol use in over 1 million individuals. Nature Medicine 2023, 29: 3184-3192. PMID: 38062264, PMCID: PMC10719093, DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02653-5.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
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New Haven, CT 06510