The Youth Mental Health Risk and Resilience Study (YouR-Study)

BMC Psychiatry

Study Protocol

Matthias Schwannauer¹  Stephen M. Lawrie²  Joachim Gross³  Peter J. Uhlhaas³  Ruchika Gajwani⁴  Andrew I. Gumley⁴ 

[1] Department of Clinical Psychology, University Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland;Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland;Institute for Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, 58 Hillhead Street, Glasgow, Scotland;Mental Health and Wellbeing, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland;

关键词: Adolescence;    Psychosis;    Early intervention;    Biomarker;    Affect regulation;    Attachment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-017-1206-5

 received in 2017-01-09, accepted in 2017-01-13,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe transition from adolescence to adulthood is associated with the emergence of psychosis and other mental health problems, highlighting the importance of this developmental period for the understanding of developing psychopathology and individual differences in risk and resilience. The Youth Mental Health Risk and Resilience Study (YouR-Study) aims to identify neurobiological mechanisms and predictors of psychosis-risk with a state-of-the-art neuroimaging approach (Magnetoencephalography, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging) in combination with core psychological processes, such as affect regulation and attachment, that have been implicated in the development and maintenance of severe mental health problems.Methods/DesignOne hundred participants meeting clinical high-risk criteria (CHR) for psychosis through the Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental State and Schizophrenia Proneness Instrument, Adult Version, in the age range from 16 to 35 years of age will be recruited. Mental-state monitoring up to a total of 2 years will be implemented to detect transition to psychosis. In addition, a sample of n = 40 help-seeking participants will be recruited who do not meet CHR-criteria, a group of n = 50 healthy control participants and a sample of n = 25 patients with first-episode psychosis. MEG-activity will be obtained during auditory and visual tasks to examine neural oscillations and event-related fields. In addition, we will obtain estimates of GABA and Glutamate levels through Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to examine relationships between neural synchrony and excitatory-inhibition (E/I) balance parameters. Neuroimaging will be complemented by detailed neuropsychological assessments as well as psychological measures investigating the impact of childhood abuse, attachment experiences and affect regulation.DiscussionThe YouR-study could potentially provide important insights into the neurobiological mechanisms that confer risk for psychosis as well as biomarkers for early diagnosis of severe mental health problems. Moreover, we expect novel data related to the contribution of affect regulation and attachment-processes in the development of mental health problems, leading to an integrative model of early stage psychosis and the factors underlying risk and resilience of emerging psychopathology.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017