Using biology to improve mental health

Using biology to improve mental health

The UMC Utrecht Brain Center is internationally recognized for studying genes, the molecular and cellular profile, and neural circuits for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric disorders have a complex etiology: they are influenced by many environmental and genetic risk factors. Each of these factors contribute a small portion to the risk for developing mental health problems. We need a more integrated approach to get better insight into the underlying mechanisms of mental health and develop new innovative treatment strategies.

BRAINSCAPES uitklapper, klik om te openen

The BRAINSCAPES consortium, funded by a NWO gravitation grant, aims to map the biological mechanisms underlying multiple brain disorders, including mental illness. In order to achieve this, we will develop novel analytic and experimental tools to study the functional consequences of risk genes on the function of specific cells, their circuits and functional output. Furthermore, genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptome data are used to investigate gene-environment interactions and causal relations of environmental exposure in mental health and illness. Our researchers are involved in studying neural cell localization of brain disorder-relevant genes and link this to neuronal connectivity and –function. 

Involved PIs: Jeroen Pasterkamp, Elly Hol, Onur Basak, Roger Adan, Frank Meye

22q11.2 deletion syndrome study uitklapper, klik om te openen

Genetic syndromes can be used as models for studying neurodevelopmental disorders and mental illness. 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is such a model. People diagnosed with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome have a higher susceptibility for mental health problems. It is unknown why some people develop psychiatric symptoms and others do not. Our aim is to better understand who is at risk for mental illness and how to prevent or treat these problems.

Involved PIs: Carla Gomes da Silva, Manik Djelantik, Michiel Houben

Youth-GEMS uitklapper, klik om te openen

Youth-GEMS is a European project involving 19 organizations with the goal of understanding and predicting the development of mental health in young people. The starting point is that every human development is unique, and so are mental health problems. By combining molecular, genetic and epigenetic, and experimental studies, we aim to find unique puzzle pieces for understanding human development and psychological problems. At the molecular level, we are investigating how environmental factors influence the functioning of nerve cells using cell models. Furthermore, we study the relationship between the environment and genetic and epigenetic factors in the population. 

Involved PIs: Jeroen Pasterkamp, Marco Boks, Jim van Os

The neural circuits underlying stress eating and eating disorders uitklapper, klik om te openen

A healthy lifestyle is very important for people with mental illness. They often experience stress and have an unhealthy diet. Furthermore, antipsychotic treatment can result in weight gain and eating disorders, such as binge eating. Since stress has a major impact on psychiatric disorders, it is important to understand the biology underlying stress. We focus on stress in eating disorders and aim to develop innovative therapies. We use human genetics, optogenetics, and electrophysiology to map neural circuits that are regulating behaviors associated with eating disorders (e.g. food reward seeking, hyperlocomotion, anxiety and cognitive inflexibility). In addition, we study how stressful events have a strong influence on our brains reward system.

Involved PIs: Roger Adan, Frank Meye