Genetic susceptibility to a deficit in context processing across the schizophrenia / bipolar disorder diagnostic divide.
Lead Research Organisation:
CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: School of Medicine
Abstract
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental illnesses which affect around 2% of the population. Research suggests that deficits in higher mental processes (cognition) are common to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Several genes that increase risk for schizophrenia also increase risk for bipolar disorder. These findings reflect clinical experience where many patients present with symptoms of both disorders and suggest it may be more productive to study people with symptoms of both disorders rather than separately as is the tendency in current research.
This project, conducted by a research psychiatrist, aims to examine a facet of cognition, context processing; the ability to notice the setting in which an event occurs. Using a novel test context processing will be investigated in people with symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Two risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be investigated to see it they predict performance on the test.
If people with schizophrenia AND bipolar disorder show this cognitive deficit and the risk genes increase the chances of showing such deficits this will have implications for the classification of these mental disorders as well as informing research into the causes and potential treatment of these deficits in severe mental illness.
This project, conducted by a research psychiatrist, aims to examine a facet of cognition, context processing; the ability to notice the setting in which an event occurs. Using a novel test context processing will be investigated in people with symptoms of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Two risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder will be investigated to see it they predict performance on the test.
If people with schizophrenia AND bipolar disorder show this cognitive deficit and the risk genes increase the chances of showing such deficits this will have implications for the classification of these mental disorders as well as informing research into the causes and potential treatment of these deficits in severe mental illness.
Technical Summary
Background and Aims
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental illnesses which affect around 2% of the population. This project aims to build on emerging research in the fields of genetics and neurocognition which suggest a significant overlap between these two conditions.
A range of impairments in cognitive function are evident in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Context processing is an explanatory model which posits that an inability to maintain or use contextual information is responsible for many of the deficits seen in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
As well as being important determinants of functional outcome such neurocognitive deficits are seen as potentially valuable in dissecting the genotype/phenotype relationship of these disorders. Several candidate risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, such as DISC1 and dysbindin, seem to confer susceptibility to a phenotype which straddles the traditional schizophrenia/bipolar diagnostic divide. By examining how these risk genes influence susceptibility to specific cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder this project aims to inform the debate regarding the genotype/phenotype relationship of these disorders.
Specifically this project aims to show that a deficit in context processing, as measured by a novel test, is evident across the schizophrenia/bipolar divide and that this deficit is associated with DISC-1 and dysbindin risk alleles/haplotypes. The project also aims to investigate the relationship between these cognitive deficits and measures of psychopathology.
The project will also further develop the utility of animal genetic models of mental illness, an area which has been seen as key in advancing knowledge of mental illnesses.
Study Design and Methodology
Context processing will be investigated using a novel test in a population with symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The nature of this deficit will be explored by correlation with measures of psychopathology and a comprehensive battery testing separable neurocognitive domains.
The second phase of the project will investigate whether mouse models of these susceptibility genes exhibit deficits in contextual processing use an animal analogue of the novel test.
Scientific and Medical Opportunities
This project offers a unique opportunity to examine neurocognitive deficits in relation to domains of psychopathology across the schizophrenia/bipolar divide rather than recruiting on the basis of diagnosis. Given the arguments presented above this approach may offer advantages in elucidating the pathways between genes and mental illnesses as well as informing debates about classification, diagnosis and potential treatment approaches.
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are debilitating mental illnesses which affect around 2% of the population. This project aims to build on emerging research in the fields of genetics and neurocognition which suggest a significant overlap between these two conditions.
A range of impairments in cognitive function are evident in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Context processing is an explanatory model which posits that an inability to maintain or use contextual information is responsible for many of the deficits seen in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
As well as being important determinants of functional outcome such neurocognitive deficits are seen as potentially valuable in dissecting the genotype/phenotype relationship of these disorders. Several candidate risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, such as DISC1 and dysbindin, seem to confer susceptibility to a phenotype which straddles the traditional schizophrenia/bipolar diagnostic divide. By examining how these risk genes influence susceptibility to specific cognitive deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder this project aims to inform the debate regarding the genotype/phenotype relationship of these disorders.
Specifically this project aims to show that a deficit in context processing, as measured by a novel test, is evident across the schizophrenia/bipolar divide and that this deficit is associated with DISC-1 and dysbindin risk alleles/haplotypes. The project also aims to investigate the relationship between these cognitive deficits and measures of psychopathology.
The project will also further develop the utility of animal genetic models of mental illness, an area which has been seen as key in advancing knowledge of mental illnesses.
Study Design and Methodology
Context processing will be investigated using a novel test in a population with symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The nature of this deficit will be explored by correlation with measures of psychopathology and a comprehensive battery testing separable neurocognitive domains.
The second phase of the project will investigate whether mouse models of these susceptibility genes exhibit deficits in contextual processing use an animal analogue of the novel test.
Scientific and Medical Opportunities
This project offers a unique opportunity to examine neurocognitive deficits in relation to domains of psychopathology across the schizophrenia/bipolar divide rather than recruiting on the basis of diagnosis. Given the arguments presented above this approach may offer advantages in elucidating the pathways between genes and mental illnesses as well as informing debates about classification, diagnosis and potential treatment approaches.
