Approved Research

Advancing understanding of psychiatric disorders via genetic analyses

Lay summary

Psychiatric disorders are a significant public health problem, accounting for a significant portion of disabilities worldwide. Studies have shown that many of these disorders have a strong genetic component, with heritability estimates for disorders like schizophrenia and autism being as high as 80%. Despite this, the genetics of these conditions are still not fully understood, with the majority of genetic risk factors yet to be identified.

This project aims to better understand how genetics affects psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular focus on autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorder. To achieve this, we will apply state-of-the-art analytical approaches to data from the UK Biobank and Danish population-based case-cohort sample for genome-wide association studies (GWAS), whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) studies. The goal is to identify novel genetic risks and advance our knowledge of the genetic architecture of these disorders, with a focus on the role of common and rare genetic variants, genetic differences in sex, and genetic differences across subgroups.

The long-term goal of this project is to improve the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders by utilizing the knowledge gained from these studies. To achieve this, we aim to construct a prediction model that incorporates various types of data such as genetic data, electronic health records (EHR), imaging data, and environmental data. By doing so, we hope to improve the accuracy of prediction and facilitate the early detection of psychiatric disorders, particularly when they exhibit similar signs and symptoms.