Our mission is to achieve a step-change in understanding the impact of life course events on brain health by investigating the causal and biological mechanistic pathways. We will integrate multi-modal data to generate and test realistically complex hypotheses on the persistence and resolution of adverse brain health outcomes associated with early life experiences, environmental factors, global disasters and psychosocial determinants. Findings from these analyses will be used to develop screening risk assessment tools, early detection interventions and risk-stratification for the conduct of prevention trials. Our design creates a broad range of scientific opportunity. However, the central research question is how integrative biopsychosocial experiences impact adult brain health. Specifically, what are the mechanisms involved; how multiple types of physical and mental brain health, and contextual multi-modal factors (i.e., environmental, biological, genetic, epigenetic, social, personal history) affect the onset and persistence of life course brain health.
While multiple risk factors contribute to the aetiology of cognition and mental illness, a pivotal contribution is related to various early life adversities, such as parental maladjustment, physical abuse, or economic hardship, accounting for 30% of lifetime mental health disorders. The Covid-19 pandemic was a key example of how environmental and global disasters impact brain health. Our key aims are to:
1. Investigate the life course biopsychosocial determinants of later life brain health
2. Integrate multi-modal (genomic, imaging, survey) evidence to provide a comprehensive risk stratification tool for both child and adult mental health, and cognitive outcomes
3. Leverage the outcomes of our research to develop early interventions for both child and adult populations
