Speaker : 

Professor Preben Bo Mortensen

National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Denmark

Title: "iPSYCH: studying nature and nurture in mental disorders in Denmark"

Abstract: Mental illnesses constitute a large, costly and often devastating part of the global burden of illness. Their etiologies are complex, and to a large extent unknown, but include genetic and environmental factors over the life course. Danish registers and biobanks, together with its homogenous population with access to the same uniform healthcare system provides unique opportunities to explore these complex etiologies at an unprecedented scale. The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH) is a multisite study that combines researchers from six major institutions in Denmark. The group is studying five specific mental disorders; autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression in a representative study population of more than 130.000 persons. The iPSYCH project has studied these disorders from many different angles, ranging from genes and cells to population studies, from fetus to adult, from cause to symptoms of the disorder, and this knowledge will be combined in new ways across scientific fields. The main goals are to identify the causes of these disorders by studying the genetic and environmental factors and thereby find new targets for treatment. The perspective is to offer better and more personalized treatment, providing a better life for each individual patient with the disorder - and perhaps even ways to prevent the development of the disorder in some cases. The 9 year project has been supported by the Lundbeck Foundation (funding DKK 361m; AUD$77 million), and has resulted in over 570 publications. This presentation will provide a broad overview of this program of research and highlight key findings related to the role of genetics and non-genetic risk factors in the etiology and pathogenesis of mental disorders.

 

 

About Neuroscience Seminars

Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.

Seminars in the QBI Auditorium on Level 7 are held on Wednesdays at 12-1pm, which are sometimes simulcast on Zoom (with approval from the speaker). We also occassionally hold seminars from international speakers via Zoom. The days and times of these seminars will vary depending on the time zone of the speaker. Please see each seminar listed below for details. 

 

Neuroscience Seminars archive 2005-2018