Sammendrag

Mental disorders comprise a leading cause of life years with disability. Among the reasons why mental disorders account for more disability than cancer or heart disease is that mental disorders usually have an early onset. Early interventions have immense potential with regard to prevention and treatment of mental disorders. Thus, identifying the early manifestations of these disorders and clarifying their underlying etiological mechanisms should be given high priority. The main purpose of the PsychGen project is to use large data sources and advanced analysis methods to obtain new knowledge about how genetic and environmental factors affect developmental processes and mental health in the general population.

The project uses data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort (MoBa). MoBa follows more than 100,000 children and their parents from early pregnancy through birth, childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. The data also include blood samples that provide information on genetic factors. By combining genetic and questionnaire data from MoBa with data from national health registers (e.g.  from the primary and specialist health services) and other registry data (for example on educational attainment), we have a unique opportunity to investigate the emergence of developmental disorders and mental disorders in the population. The large sample size and the broad range of measures will enable us to address limitations in previous research, and to investigate areas not previously accessible.

Developmental disorders and mental disorders are affected by thousands of genetic variants, each of which has very little effect, but which together help to explain a significant part of the predisposition. Using data from major international collaborative projects, we will identify genetic variants that are associated with various developmental disorders and mental disorders. This information will be used to calculate the overall genetic predisposition (polygenic scores) for conditions such as ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and depression, for each MoBa participant. The researchers will investigate in which phases of life, from newborn to adulthood, the genetic predisposition is expressed. We will investigate various developmental domains such as language, communication, motor and attentional regulation, and other characteristics like mental and physical health, personality traits, school performance and use of health care services. Increased understanding of the interaction between genes and environmental factors will be central. We will also use advanced methodological approaches to investigate causal relationships between environmental risk factors and mental health. Last, we will investigate how genetic and environmental risk and protective factors are transmitted within families.

The results from the project could have profound implications for the development of preventive and health-promoting measures for mental health.

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Prosjektdeltakere

Prosjektleder

Alexandra Karoline Saasen Havdahl, Folkehelseinstituttet

Prosjektdeltakere

Alexandra Karoline Saasen Havdahl, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Daniela Bragantini, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Anastasia Izotova, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Helga Ask, Avdeling for psykiske lidelser, Folkehelseinstituttet
Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Folkehelseinstituttet
Laurie Hannigan, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Elizabeth Claire Corfield, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Ragna Bugge Askeland, Avdeling for psykiske lidelser, Folkehelseinstituttet
Johanne Hagen Pettersen, Avdeling for psykiske lidelser, Folkehelseinstituttet
Pia Jensen, Avdeling for psykiske lidelser, Folkehelseinstituttet
Laura Hegemann, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Jo Adrian Dahl Askelund, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Robyn Wootton, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Stian Barbo Valand, Nic Waals Institutt, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus
Ziada Ayorech, Helse-, utviklings- og personlighetspsyk, Universitetet i Oslo
George Davey Smith, University of Bristol
Ole Andreassen, Psykoseforskning, seksjon (NORMENT/KG Jebsen OUS), Oslo universitetssykehus HF
Anita Thapar, Cardiff University
Preben Bo Mortensen, Lundbeck Foundation
Eivind Ystrøm, Avdeling for psykiske lidelser, Folkehelseinstituttet

Tilknyttede prosjekter

• Infeksjon, immunitet og ADHD
• Understanding the aetiology of childhood self-harm in the general population: An epidemiological approach
• MoBa, Den norske mor og barn-undersøkelsen
• Exploring the progression of mental illness: Identifying predictors of recovery
• COVIDMENT: Mental morbidity trajectories in Covid-19 across risk populations of five nations
• Psychiatric Genetic Epidemiology (PaGE) group: Integrating causally informative designs and large data resources to understand the development of psychiatric disorders
• Koronapandemiens påvirkning på befolkningens psykiske helse: en multinasjonal forløpsstudie.
• Examining long-term trajectories and outcomes of children at genetic risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (EXTEND)