In search of mechanism: A multimodal neuroimaging study of dynamic brain networks in psychotic disorders in children and adults

Psychotic disorders are difficult to treat due to their widespread effects in the brain. A hallmark of any brain state is that the brain continuously explores the available communication patterns.

In the proposed three-year collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and University of Oxford, I will use state-of-the-art whole-brain modelling to find markers of psychotic brain states in children, adolescents and adults, potentially leading to new treatments.

The advanced methods will characterise the dynamics, i.e., the frequency with which the defined patterns are visited, their duration, and the switching between states and the relationship to psychotic disorders.Project 1 will use two Swedish cohorts with psychotic disorders imaged using multi-modal neuroimaging, allowing for the study of the relationship between structure and function in the brain.

Resolving the relationship could contribute towards novel treatments, by, for example, stabilising the excitatory-inhibitory balance.

Project 2 will use a large public dataset, where brain states will be related to psychotic-like experiences in childhood, which could contribute towards identifying children at risk of developing psychotic illness.

Using whole-brain modelling will provide a mechanistic explanation of brain states by probing brains in silico, including in children where little is known.

Overall, the proposed research will provide a fundamental understanding of the requirements for rebalancing the diseased brain.