KFO 241:  Genotype-Phenotype Relationships and Neurobiology of the Longitudinal Course of Psychosis

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2011 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 160201488

The overarching theme of the Clinical Research Unit consists in delivering clues to our understanding of the complex biological basis of the longitudinal course of psychosis, namely schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. There are current efforts for a paradigmatic change in the upcoming DSM-V and the ICD-11: Measures of the longitudinal course along with dimensional aspects will be core elements of the new classification systems. Surprisingly, the integration of longitudinal aspects into future classification systems has not yet been paralleled by a similar move in the field of biological, mainly genetic research in psychiatry, as current efforts rather focus on increasing sample sizes of cross-sectional diagnoses than the establishment of longitudinal cohorts.
The Clinical Research Unit is filling this gap by research in large cohorts with a phenotype of interest that is longitudinal in nature and also includes information on functional parameters and environmental factors. Building on a vast body of already available knowledge and long-standing own experience in the fields of psychiatric genetics and neurobiology, we currently implement a research framework comprising the four domains genomics and epigenomics including pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics, phenomics, neurobiology and the study of environment.
The findings of the Clinical Research Unit will substantially contribute to a better understanding of the molecular biological determinants of the longitudinal course of psychosis and their complex interactions with the environment. This in turn will hopefully contribute to the development of therapies improving the long-term outcomes of psychosis.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Research Units

Projects

• Analysis of difficult-to-treat psychosis: Clinical pharmacology and functional pharmacogenetics (Applicant Brockmöller, Jürgen )
• Central administration and scientific coordination of the Clinical Research Group "Genotype-phenotype relationships and neurobiology of the longitudinal course of psychosis" (Applicant Schulze, Thomas G. )
• Gene-environment interacfions and molecular signatures in mouse models of the longitudinal course of psychosis (Applicant Rossner, Moritz )
• Genetic statistics platform with a focus on the longitudinal course of psychosis (Applicant Bickeböller, Heike )
• Genome-wide dissection of genotype-phenotype relationships in the longitudinal course of psychosis (Applicant Schulze, Thomas G. )
• The impact of epigenetic gene-expression on the longitudinal course of psychosis (Applicant Fischer, André )
• Translationale Bildgebungsstudien zu Genotyp-Phänotyp-Beziehungen im longitudinalen Verlauf von Psychosen (Applicant Gruber, Oliver )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Peter Falkai
• Leader: Professor Dr. Thomas G. Schulze