Brain growth mechanisms involving axon volume and myelination linked with autism spectrum disorder.

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Ward Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Correct axonal volume and myelination are essential for neuronal function. Little is currently known about mechanisms controlling axon volume and loss of brain myelin occurs in…

What are the biological mechanisms underlying the association between smoking, smoking cessation and mental health: a triangulation approach using machine learning, mendelian randomisation, and g-methods applied to multiple biological cohort studies.

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Taylor Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary What are the biological mechanisms underlying the association between smoking, smoking cessation, and mental health? A growing body of evidence supports smoking as a causal risk…

Identification of ion channel dysfunction in epilepsy with machine learning

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Nogaret Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Ion channel mutations are increasingly recognised as an early prognosis for neurological disease.  The identification of dysfunctional ion channels is currently hindered by the lack of…

Targeted protein degradation in CNS disorders

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Licchesi Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Targeted protein degradation (TPD) has emerged has a new therapeutic modality for the on-demand removal of disease-causing proteins. TPD employs hetero-bifunctional molecules which can bind a…

Neuroimaging brain reward systems to stratify patients across the psychosis spectrum

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Lancaster Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Severe mental illness with psychosis symptoms (e.g. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) are reliably linked to alterations in brain reward circuitry. Neuroimaging techniques can predict diagnosis of individuals…

Man up? Examining attitudes and experiences around mental health and help-seeking

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Lambert  Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary “Women seek help – men die”. Comparatively lower rates of mental illness among men than women are not explained by better health among men. Men face…

Understanding the impact of childhood maltreatment on brain structure and connectivity in Conduct Disorder

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Fairchild Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for Conduct Disorder (CD), a condition characterized by antisocial and aggressive behaviours. The ‘ecophenotype hypothesis’ suggests that maltreatment-related CD…

Can young people’s cognitive style explain associations between social media use and mental health?

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Button  Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary In public discourse, social media is often claimed to be bad for young people’s mental health. This simple view is not supported by science, where the…

Brain stimulation and neurophysiological investigations of central nervous system changes in pathological pain, and their augmentation by treatment.

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Bultitude  Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Chronic pain can involve changes throughout the central nervous system (CNS). Some treatments aim to alter CNS function, with limited results. This could be because research…

Synthetic heroin: understanding the dangers of nitazene drugs

Project Code MRCNMH25Ba Bailey Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary “Drug-related deaths are now at the highest ever recorded in the UK, the majority involving opioid drugs. Recently, a new class of synthetic opioids known as…