Approved Research

Neuroimaging Correlates of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease and Relationship to Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Lay summary

Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) that causes psychiatric symptoms are called neuropsychiatric disorders. The main characteristics of neuropsychiatric disorders are the concurrent occurrence of various psychiatric symptoms, cognitive and motor impairment, behavior change as a core symptom, the possibility of early cerebral symptoms, and occasional resemblance to endogenous psychiatric disorders.

This project aims to investigate the structural and functional brain changes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in CSVD utilizing neuroimaging data from the UK Biobank. Specifically, we will examine the relationship between neuroimaging markers of CSVD and cognition by:

1. Examining the progression of CSVD markers, such as white matter hyperintensities!WMHs!, cerebral microbleeds!CMBs!, and cerebral atrophy over time using neuroimaging data. We will analyze changes in these imaging biomarkers and their correlation with neuropsychiatric assessments to identify MRI predictors of future neuropsychiatric disorders.
2. Capitalizing on the extensive non-imaging data available in the UK Biobank, including genetics, blood biomarkers, and health records, to identify risk factors associated with the development and progression of CSVD. This effort could lead to the identification of treatments to prevent the deterioration of CSVD.

In summary, over the course of 36 months, we will utilize the extensive neuroimaging and cognitive datasets from the UK Biobank to investigate the connection between CSVD and neuropsychiatric disorders. The authoritative and extensive statistics available from the UK Biobank will significantly enhance the power to pinpoint neuroimaging indicators of potential neuropsychiatric disorders in the future. These findings have the potential to enhance early diagnosis and prognosis and guide therapeutic development to prevent the worsening of CSVD and its associated neuropsychiatric disorders.