Niche Lab - Neuroimaging In Childhood

Psychosis

The third group that we are working on within NICHE, is young adolescents at risk for psychosis. The studies in this research line are part of the Dutch Prediction of Psychosis (DUPS) study. Main investigator on this project is Sanne de Wit, she is continuing the work of Tim Ziermans (now a NICHE alumnus).

Within the DUPS project, structural MRI data, physiological measures (ERP, EMG and EOP data) and symptom measures are acquired for adolescents at risk of developing psychosis and matched controls. The aim is to chart the development of these neurobiological correlates and relate them to the clinical manifestation of psychosis. With this information, we hope to be able to identify neurobiological predictors for developing psychosis in the long run.

So far, the baseline data showed that there were no gross structural brain abnormalities in young adolescents at risk compared to typical controls (see Tim's page for this publication).

At the neurophysiological level, four classical schizophrenia markers were examined. Only prepulse inhibition (PPI) was found to discriminate between at-risk adolescents and controls. These data suggest that neurobiological markers of schizophrenia that are also present (to a lesser extent) in adult at-risk patients, are relatively unaffected in young adolescents at risk.

Tim will defend his PhD-thesis on September 30, 2010. Sanne started her project in September 2009 and is expected to finish in 2013.

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