Research Questions:
What associations exist between early-stage imaging alterations and genetic susceptibility, blood biochemical markers, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities in brain disorders (e.g., neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular) and mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, depression)?
Can specific combinations of multimodal biomarkers reveal common or disease-specific pathophysiological pathways across these conditions?
Research Objectives:
Utilize brain and body MRI data to identify subtle structural or functional alterations preceding clinical diagnosis of brain and mental disorders.
Systematically analyze complex association networks linking imaging features to genomic data, blood biochemical markers, lifestyle factors, and broad comorbidities, with focus on brain diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative, cerebrovascular) and mental illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia, depression) along with their related neurological and systemic complications.
Explore shared imaging-genetic-environmental foundations across brain and mental disorders through cross-disease analysis to understand underlying mechanisms of comorbidity.
Scientific Rationale:
The development of complex diseases results from the long-term interplay of genetic, physiological, and environmental factors. The UK Biobank provides large-scale integrated data, including imaging, genome-wide information, comprehensive blood biochemistry, detailed health records, and lifestyle questionnaires. This study aims to fully leverage this resource by integrating multimodal data to advance understanding of early disease stages and etiological mechanisms in brain and mental disorders, thereby providing a scientific basis for precision prevention, early detection, and intervention strategies.
