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• neuroscience and mental health

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Neuropsychiatry
• Psychiatry

Our research programme focusses upon the neurobiology of the major psychotic illnesses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We use clinical research, neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience and genomics to explore the aetiopathogenesis of psychosis. We have close collaborations with associated disciplines in NUIG as well as national and international partners and consortia.

Examples of clinical cohorts we have collected locally include first episode psychosis, euthymic bipolar disorder, chronic schizophrenia and longitudinal followup of these patient cohorts.

Neuroimaging analyses in our laboratory incorporate state of the art software applied to structural MRI, functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging data. We also engage in clinical trials and health services research related to psychosis and bipolar disorder.

Projects examining the neuroimaging of psychotic illness are supported by the research programme, including examining the neuroanatomical underpinning of structural disconnectivity employing diffusion tensor imaging analyses in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and how such abnormalities relate to genetic risk, illness progression, medication usage and treatment response.
In addition to neurobiological research, other clinical research projects into the experience of psychotic illness and the associated health services can be supervised within the research programme. These include clinical research projects into patients’ awareness of their psychotic illness and the process and experience of coercive care within the mental health services.