Approved research

Characterising the relationship between behavioral and mental health characteristics and the modular organization of the brain network

Lay summary

We will investigate how the organization of the brain connectome (i.e., network of neural connections) is linked to the behavior. More specifically, we will use concurrent neuroimaging and behavioral phenotype data to identify meaningful 'clusters' that can be identified across these two sets. By applying these analyses to the diverse population of the UK Biobank, we will be able to identify clusters of linked brain-behavior profiles ('biotypes'), including some that may represent states of psychopathology. These biotypes may be more representative of the underlying neurophysiology compared to traditional constructs based that are behavior alone (e.g., Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]). Additionally, this process will be applied recursively and will allow the identification of 'sub-biotypes' (e.g., subtypes of depression). By characterizing these biotypes, clinically-relevant findings may find potential use in the clinic as biomarkers of psychopathology. Longitudinal data from the UK Biobank will allow us to tease out whether biotypes have differential temporal trajectories (e.g., which biotypes are at risk of significant neuropsychiatric morbidity), and whether they can be used pragmatically to predict such outcomes. The analyses will be conducted on all individuals who have available neuroimaging data, and we estimate that the project will be complete by 24 months from the start date.