NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: Immune-system dysfunction across major psychiatric disorders
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Currently, diagnosis of psychiatric disorders is based on symptoms rather than underlying biological cause. However, symptoms can vary within a disorder and are common across many different disorders. Therefore, it is possible there are shared biological causes for overlapping symptoms across disorders. Immune system dysfunction has been suggested as a potential cause of symptoms and altered brain structure common to many disorders.I aim to identify groups of individuals with psychiatric symptoms and a genetic predisposition to immune dysfunction. To do this, I will analyse multiple large datasets of people with detailed information about their genetics, brain structure (from MRI neuroimaging), mental health and lifestyle. I will then uncover which specific components of the immune system are different in these groups of individuals. Using epidemiological statistical methods, I will test whether immune dysfunction causes psychiatric symptoms and altered brain structure. I also aim to extend this research to include a large dataset of young individuals (9 -11 years), to determine earlier origins of such relationships between immune dysfunction, alterations in brain structure and development of psychiatric symptoms.These studies will identify shared biological causes common to many psychiatric disorders to help improve diagnosis, prognosis and move towards personalised treatment.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Discovery and impact of schizophrenia rare genetic variation using next-generation sequencing
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder which affects around 1% of the population. There is no one single cause of schizophrenia, but genetics is known to play a substantial role. The genes involved in risk for the disorder span many different genes. Mutations thought to be linked to schizophrenia are often seen in individuals without a schizophrenia diagnosis, and I plan to investigate the impact these mutations have on an individual’s characteristics. I will use large-scale datasets in which every protein-coding base pair has been sequenced, highlighting any mutations. I will use information on an individual’s characteristics along with this genetic data to investigate the impacts of mutations in schizophrenia associated genes in both people with a schizophrenia diagnosis, and in those without. I also aim to discover new genes linked to schizophrenia, which will provide insights into the underlying biology of the disorder.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Exploring the Genetic Architecture of Clinical Clusters of COVID-19 Patients.
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: It has been observed that critically ill COVID-19 patients exhibit a wide range of clinical phenotypes which also affect the patients’ response to treatment. The group I am joining has shown that 25 genes are significantly associated with individual risk of developing serious illness following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the genetic background of COVID-19 patients may improve current treatment of the disease by identifying therapeutic targets. I aim to divide a set of 8788 critically ill COVID-19 patients into different groups based on clinical information available at the time of hospitalization. By comparing the effect sizes for known genetic associations across clinical subgroups, I aim to identify genetic markers for differential therapeutic effect. My project will deepen understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying critical illness in COVID-19 and may discover genetic predictions of differential therapeutic effect that could, in future, direct the design of stratified clinical trials.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Investigating the mechanisms underlying sleep problems and links to mental ill health in autistic children and adolescents
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Disordered sleep is commonly reported in autism from a young age, as are symptoms of mental illness. Mental health and sleep are known to influence each other in a bidirectional manner in the general population, but the nature of the association between sleep and mental health problems in autism is poorly understood. Moreover, the underlying causes of sleep problems in autism are unknown. Thus, current treatments for sleep problems are largely ineffective in autistic people, and they also face severe consequences of mental ill health, such as high rates of suicidality and in-patient care. I aim to characterise the relationship between sleep problems and mental ill health, and identify factors underpinning the sleep problems in autistic children and adolescents. I will answer these questions firstly more generally using a “big data” approach, and subsequently in more detail by conducting a small-scale observational study. These studies will help to: 1. characterise the contribution of sleep to mental health in autism 2. increase understanding of the underlying mechanisms of sleep problems in autism 3. inform current treatment, and the development of novel interventions. Ultimately, this research could help improve sleep, mental health and quality of life for autistic people.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: The socio-economic antecedents and consequences of adolescent mental ill-health: an investigation across countries
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Millions of children and adolescents live in persistent poverty worldwide, and therefore are at a high risk of future mental health problems. How poverty leads to the development of adolescent mental health problems is likely to vary between different countries and cultures. Further action is needed to understand how poverty in adolescence and childhood leads to mental health problems so that effective interventions and policies can be put in place to prevent mental health problems developing.I will analyse data from existing longitudinal studies to investigate if poverty impacts adolescent mental health differently across different high- and low-income countries. I will also investigate how the social consequences following mental health problems varies across countries, and what factors predict better social outcomes such as future educational attainment, employment and income following mental health problems and poverty.Findings from the research could increase understanding of how mental health problems develop across different cultures and could help identify appropriate actions and interventions to mitigate the negative impact of poverty and mental health problems.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Identifying neural circuits as targets for treatment of depressive symptoms by studying commonalities between primary and secondary depressive disorders
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Effective treatments are available, but it is difficult to predict which treatment will be effective for which patient. To better target the available effective treatments, and develop new ones, we need to understand the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of depression. This is complicated by its considerable neurobiological heterogeneity. In this project, I will focus on cases where depression develops secondarily to other medical conditions (such as stroke, inflammatory or endocrine disorders) because the pathophysiological mechanisms by which symptoms of depression develop in these cases should be neurobiologically less heterogeneous and there can be better hypotheses based on the knowledge of the biology of the underlying conditions. Specifically, I aim to identify the neural circuits which drive some of the symptoms of depression in these cases, and test whether these neural circuits are involved also in cases where depression develops without any underlying medical condition. To achieve this, I will mainly use neuroimaging techniques in combination with behavioural testing of the relevant patient populations. Identification of the neural circuits driving the symptoms of depression could help target the available effective treatments and stimulate development of novel treatments, ultimately reducing the burden of depression.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Conceptualising depression as a complex network of interacting symptoms: implications on the effects of antidepressants and genetic risk.
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Depression is mental disease with a complex and heterogeneous presentation. We can conceptualise it as a network of symptoms that can cluster together, reciprocally cause each other and interact in intricate ways, rather than one mental disorder with a common cause. We aim to use network analysis to reveal new information about the genetic risk of developing depression, as well as the progression of pharmacological treatment with common antidepressants. Using large existing datasets, we will build networks of polygenic risk scores for depression and symptoms of childhood internalising disorders to observe the developmental trajectory of the association between genetic risk and symptomatology. We will incorporate brain imaging measures to investigate their role as intermediate phenotypes between genes and behaviour. In addition, we will study the network dynamics of antidepressant treatment. Analysing previously collected data, we will test how changes in low-level affective processing interact with higher-order symptoms. We will collect new neuroimaging data to observe changes in brain activity during antidepressant treatment and their relation to individual symptoms. Through this work, we aim to better understand how the genetic liability to depression is related to its phenotype, as well as how pharmacological treatment brings about an amelioration of depressive symptoms.


Research activity codes: 2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: A mixed-methods study on childhood and adolescent migration, socio-economic factors and risk of psychotic disorder
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: People who migrate during childhood and adolescence face multiple adversities that impact on their mental health and wellbeing. It has been suggested that immigration at younger ages increases psychosis risk more than migration in adulthood however we are unsure why. This study will use existing large-scale data to explore childhood and adolescence migration and what factors may explain the association between psychosis and migration in ethnic minority populations. In addition, I will collect primary data for two qualitative studies. First, I will explore the views and experiences of barriers and facilitators to migration that play a role in psychotic disorder risk in minoritised young adults and compare these with quantitative findings. I will also do a case-study of young Pakistani migrants with experience of psychotic disorders to provide an insight into specific migration routes and circumstances. This work will provide a more in-depth analysis of increased psychotic disorder risk in young migrants from ethnic minority communities. This study will help us identify factors and events that could potentially be addressed for interventions in preventing psychotic disorder in young migrants. The study will be informed by lived experience and provide an insight into both participants experiences alongside epidemiological findings.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Establishing Links between Eye Gaze and Self-Referential Bias with General Wellbeing and Psychiatric Symptomology.
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: The early detection of mental health disorders is vital to prevent severe cases and hospitalisations. Therefore, identifying risk factors is important.Abnormal eye gaze (a measure of what one is paying attention to) is linked to traits like social anxiety and depression. However, research tends to focus on one specific disorder. There is a need to examine the relationship between eye-tracking measures and general psychopathology. This will help accelerate research that can identify predictors of psychopathology.We will collect participants’ eye-gaze while viewing different types of visual stimuli and measure their self-referential bias (SRB) using an gaze perception task. This is the phenomenon where a person thinks others are looking at them or talking about them (1), which is linked to various conditions (e.g. psychosis). The first question is whether visual eye-tracking data (and SRB) can predict mental wellbeing and mental health symptomology. Secondly, we will develop a visual training programme designed to reduce problematic SRB and conduct a small study to see whether it shows promise for future research (2).We want eye-tracking data to be used in psychopathology risk detection and create training programme designed to reduce SRB which can be tested in a future clinical trial.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Exploration of the relationship between social cognition and PTSD in the pre, peri and post-trauma period.
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric illness that can occur following a very distressing event, such as sexual assault or war. People with this illness experience very upsetting, intrusive memories and nightmares, have a heightened sense of threat, and try to avoid reminders of the event. However, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD; this project tries to better understand why that is, by examining the role of social cognition in both the onset and recovery of PTSD. Social cognition is the ability to understand emotions in yourself and others, and it has been hypothesised that difficulties with social cognition may increase the risk of developing PTSD. Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a large study of children born in 1991/1992, I will examine whether difficulties with social cognition in childhood lead to an increased risk of PTSD in adults. I will then undertake a study of around 50 adult patients with PTSD and assess their social cognition and review their progress after several months to see if social cognition deficits affect recovery from PTSD. This study could have implications for the way that we understand and treat PTSD.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Art Therapy to address burnout in NHS clinicians - A stepped wedge trial
Funder: Barts Charity

Abstract: NHS clinicians are frequently exposed to work-related stressors putting them at risk of burnout and affecting patient safety. This has long been recognised in oncology and palliative care staff members, with as much as 70% of young oncologists in Europe reporting burnout. More recent focus on European intensivists following the Covid-19 pandemic has shown up 51% reporting severe burnout. My objective is to scientifically test the use art therapy, which has been shown to combat the symptoms of burnout, on Barts Health NHS clinicians in high-risk specialties Oncology, Intensive Care and ardiothoracic. A stepped wedge trial will test the impact of 6-weeks of structured group art therapy sessions previously piloted on oncology and palliative doctors. The Maslach Burnout Inventory Clinicians (MBI-C), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQII) and interviews will be used to measure changes in the symptoms of burnout and psychological flexibility, which is closely linked to resilience.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Father involvement and child development in the context of maternal postnatal depression
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Key goal: Children of postnatally depressed mothers are at high risk of adverse developmental outcomes, however, many adapt successfully. One potential protective mechanism is sensitive and involved fathering. The overall aim is to gain unprecedented insights into the nature of fathering and the impact it has on child development in the context of maternal postnatal depression using interdisciplinary methodology. Specific goals: 1. Gain in-depth sociological insights into the nature of father involvement and parenting in the context of maternal postnatal depression. HOW: gathering rich qualitative data using three complementary approaches (in-depth individual interviews, couples’ interviews and semi-structured diaries) with families participating in the intergenerational birth cohort ALSPAC-Generation2. 2. Examine behavioural manifestation of father involvement and parenting through detailed examination of father-child interactions in families with depressed and non-depressed mothers. HOW: recording 200 father-child pairs at home using novel wearable cameras with ALSPAC-Generation2 families. 3. Quantify the role of father involvement and parenting in the association between maternal postnatal depression and child development. HOW: using data from UK-based birth cohorts the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). This will provide the evidence-base to develop interventions that modify specific behaviours and target individual needs.

Lay abstract: The negative influence of maternal postnatal depression on child development is well-established, however, many children adapt successfully. It is important to understand the processes that underlie both adverse and adaptive outcomes in these children. One potential protective mechanism is a sensitive relationship with the father. However, studies that address fathers’ role in protecting children against harmful effects of maternal depression are lacking. I propose an interdisciplinary programme of research to explore the nature of father-mother-child relationship and child development in the context of maternal depression. The sociological study will illuminate the interplay of social and individual processes that shape father-child relationship in families affected by depression. The behavioural study will elucidate possible protective aspects of father-child interactions, whilst the epidemiological study will examine associations over time between maternal depression, child development and fathers’ involvement using data from UK-based birth cohorts. These insights are crucial for early prevention and father-inclusive policymaking.

Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Examining the associations between educational experiences and mental health from childhood to adulthood
Funder: Wellcome Trust

Abstract: Educational achievement is important to children as individuals as well as to society in general. For children, educational achievement, especially the exam results channel them towards different educational and professional trajectories. However, little is known about the effects of this high-stakes educational system on children’s mental health. Childline, a free counselling service for children in the UK, reported that children's top concern is stress and anxiety related to school work and exam performance. These educational pressures can lead to mental health problems that may cast a long shadow later in life for children. This project aims to identify the associations between educational experiences and mental health establishing both aetiology and causal direction, using epidemiological and genetic tools in studies from the UK, Sweden and Estonia. Finally, I aim to develop individualised prediction models for adverse mental health outcomes using both genetic and environmental risk factors. Knowing individual-specific genetic predispositions and understanding how certain environmental factors may dampen or amplify the genetic predictions will improve our understanding of mental health. This knowledge is critical in order to best target future intervention efforts by identifying those children who are at greater risk of developing mental health problems early on.

Lay abstract: The educational environment can be very stressful when children have to take multiple exams throughout their compulsory education and the educational environment is increasingly competitive. Around three children in every classroom have mental health problems. Children’s top concern is often stress and anxiety related to school work. These early school experiences could affect children’s mental health during childhood and in later life. Research has shown that children differ widely in their mental health outcomes and that these differences are to a large extent explained by inherited differences in their DNA sequence. Therefore, it is important to take genetic differences between children into account when studying the links between educational experiences and adverse life outcomes. I will investigate the links between educational experiences and mental health, while controlling for genetic confounding. Understanding how stressful school experiences might affect mental health will be useful in designing interventions that make a real difference.

Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH