Environmental factors are considered highly correlated with most neurological and psychiatric diseases. For example, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, only 1% of cases are attributed purely to genetic mutations; in the other 99% it is a combination of genetic mutations and environmental factors that all combine together: including age, lack of mental stimulation, social isolation, head injuries, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, poor sleep patterns, etc. Fortunately, a large portion of environmental factors are modifiable, providing us with an excellent opportunity to intervene in neurological and psychiatric diseases. With the help of an unparalleled amount of data provided by UK Biobank, the current project is expected to investigate how environmental factors interact with neurological and psychiatric diseases, and determine some key environmental factors as the targets. By further analyzing data from genes and imaging, combining with cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology, we plan to develop new strategies and platform to identify and predict relevant risks of environmental factors for neurological and psychiatric diseases, and invent efficient intervention measures. After a 3-year duration (with a potential extension), we look forward to transforming these new methods and tools into affordable and mature products which can not only provide immediate risk identification and prediction of environmental factors but also can provide informative and effective health advice to public for preventing and intervening neurological and psychiatric diseases.
