Pitt Social Work professor Shaun Eack is a Co-I on a project being led by Pitt Department of Psychiatry professor Konasale Prasad has been given over $4 million in funding by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The project, “Adolescent Brain Maturation and Psychopathology”, is focused on using ultra high-field phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine variations in neuropil density (which is an indirect measure of synapses that connect neurons), combined neuronal network consisting of structural and functional networks, and their association with psychopathology and cognition in adolescents who are at high risk for schizophrenia in comparison with healthy adolescents.
BACKGROUND ABOUT THE PROJECT
More than half of psychiatric illnesses begin during adolescence. This has only increased in the last 2 decades especially among adolescents from lower socioeconomic status with its adverse consequences on school performance, family relationships, substance use and the criminal justice system. This is particularly notable in first-degree relatives (children of biological parents and siblings with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder), possibly due to additional familial genetic risk. Prior studies in this area have not examined neuropil growth/contraction using 3D whole-brain phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P MRS). The researchers will use a novel approach of conducting an integrated investigation of multiple types of networks that may reflect changes in network associated with changes in neuropil density closer to the ‘ground-truth’ of network pathology since networks in the brain tissue are essentially multiplex in nature. Their proposal seeks to better understand adolescent brain maturation in relation to the clinical outcomes. This work could highlight neural pathways as targets for developing new treatment approaches and develop better predictive models to potentially mitigate the risk and develop preventative efforts.
IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the onset of psychiatric disorders is a critical step in fuller understanding of the disease processes and identifying targets for interventions. This project is expected to provide high quality data to pursue these objectives.
"This study helps set the stage for developing better treatments to prevent disability in those who develop psychosis," shared Dr. Eack.