Investigating the neural basis for psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the neural basis for psychosis
IRAS ID
317299
Contact name
Helen Barron
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford / Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia still relies on behavioural rather than physiological assessment. There are currently no effective treatments for cognitive impairments that accompany schizophrenia, while treatment of positive symptoms remains ineffective in at least a third of patients. Establishing how symptoms reported in schizophrenia relate to pathophysiology is therefore of critical importance. One of the most robust pathologies in schizophrenia is a decrease in neural inhibition, observed using structural and functional markers that derive from post-mortem investigations and genetic studies. Additionally, abnormal recruitment of the hippocampus is routinely observed in schizophrenia, during memory retrieval and rest. A key challenge is to establish how these pathophysiological markers of schizophrenia relate to core cognitive deficits. In this research study we will address this challenge by first testing whether impaired inhibitory signalling perturbs memory gating mechanisms. We will then assess whether such perturbations explain incidence of hallucinatory experience, formation of spurious associations or general memory impairment. The proposed research will therefore aim to relate markers of pathophysiology to cognitive disturbances observed in psychosis. The long-term aim of this research program is to identify physiological diagnostic traits that can be used as drug targets to reduce the social and economic burden of neuropsychiatric disease in the UK.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SC/0150
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion