Tilbake til søkeresultatene

PSYKISK-Psykisk helse

Characterization of early trauma/dysmorphogenesis and adult neurodysfunction in schizophrenia – relation to adult brain morphology

Tildelt: kr 1,8 mill.

Schizophrenia is considered to be a neurodevelopmental disease. Genetic factors as well as early-life environmental influences are implicated in its etiology. The aim of the doctoral project is to characterize patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder with regard to history of obstetric complications during delivery, adult neurodysfunction, minor physical anomalies and craniofacial features, the latter measured in 3D from magnetic resonance (MR) images to be compared with brain structure data. Subject s and methods: Over 150 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and healthy control subjects, aged 18-45 years, will be investigated in Olso as part of the Tematisk Område Psykotiske Lidelser, (TOP), Olso University, in which information (clinical evaluation, assessment of alcohol and illicit drug use, blood samples for DNA analysis, neurocognitive function, functional and structural MRI) on a large number of subjects with psychotic disorders will be obtained. Evaluation of craniofacial features se parately and from MR images will be made in collaboration with Prof. Thomas McNeil and his research group, Dept. Psychiatric Epidemiology, Lund University, Sweden, using well validated instruments and methods that have, since many years but also recently, been developed by this group. Potential of use: The project will provide a neurodysfunction/early trauma and risk factors database to be used in conjunction with quantitative brain morphology data, genetic, neurocognitive, and clinical data in TOP. Impo rtance: Schizophrenia spectrum disorder is a heterogeneous diagnostic concept. Our methodology is a way to systematize among the diversity of disease manifestations and define diagnostic subgroups. The collaboration with TOP enables comparison across many domains. If early risk factors/dysmorphogenesis can be associated with specific brain structure changes in schizophrenia, it will be an advancement in the understanding of the disease.

Budsjettformål:

PSYKISK-Psykisk helse