Early Intervention and Prevention
The UK is a global leader in the delivery of national, evidence-based early intervention in psychosis. Our goal is to extend the breadth of this impact to common mental health disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders. By intervening earlier in the life-course we are taking a truly preventative approach with focus on potential causes including bullying, deprivation, substance misuse and childhood trauma. It’s been a busy year for members of the Primed+ Lab at the IMH. The PRIMED+ (Psychosis Risk Immune Multimodal Early Detection Plus) research group is particularly interested in how environmental biological measures can help identify individuals who are at increased risk for developing psychosis, and early outcomes after psychosis has occurred. These are findings that can be translated into targeted interventions.
The group investigate the association and causal mechanisms between increased innate inflammation and psychosis, developing a clinical model of psychosis and informed immune-related phenotyping.
We’ve welcomed four new members to the Primed+ group at the IMH this year; Chloe Clifford is a PhD student funded by the MRC-AIM DTP, working with Dr Jack Rogers, Prof. Upthegrove, Dr Katshu (Nottingham) and Autifony Therapeutics Ltd. Dr Ed Palmer has joined as a PhD student as part of the Wellcome Clinical DTP working with Prof. Upthegrove, Dr Jack Rogers, and Professor Matthew Broome. We also have former MSc Brain Imaging and Cognitive Neuroscience student Aanya Malaviya who joins Dr Maria Dauvermann as a Research Assistant working on a project related to childhood adversity, early life experiences and their impact on brain function. And lastly, Ella Warwick is the Birmingham Research Associate for PIMS, a multi-site trial investigating the role of inflammation in Psychosis.
In 2022 we presented work at a number of Symposiums including:
Using data science to refine the biotype of immune active psychosis
British Association for Psychopharmacology – Chaired by Professors Bill Deakin and Rachel Upthegrove
Discussing the social disadvantage and health inequities in early psychosis
Schizophrenia International Research Society – Co-chaired by Dr Lowri Griffiths
Examining the association between psychosis and migration – from risk to outcome
EPA Section in Epidemiology & Social Psychiatry – Co-chaired by Dr Lowri Griffiths