Associated organisationsCardiff University · Radboud University Medical Centre · University of CambridgeEurope PMC affiliations are not treated as award recipients or mapped locations.
Funding£6.0M
PeriodJul 2024 — Jun 2032
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
A new scanning technique will track how brain cells grow, shrink, and become insulated during the teenage years, comparing 342 typically-developing children with 100 who carry a genetic deletion linked to schizophrenia and autism. We know almost nothing about the microscopic changes happening inside the adolescent brain—how the size and density of cells, or the wrapping of nerve fibres in myelin, shift during this critical window. Without that knowledge, we cannot explain why two children with the same genetic deletion (22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome) can end up with vastly different cognitive abilities and mental health outcomes. This project will use ultra-high-field 7T MRI and a specialised Connectom scanner to measure those microstructural properties at three timepoints between late childhood and late adolescence. If successful, the work will produce the first detailed map of human brain microstructure during development. That map could eventually help clinicians identify early biological markers for mental health vulnerability, allowing earlier and more targeted interventions. The researchers will also release the entire dataset—a globally unique resource—for other scientists to mine for years to come.
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Overview: We will conduct a novel longitudinal study of the brain’s microstructure, cognitive and social-affective processing, focusing on typical and atypical development (TD and AD) in late childhood and adolescence. This will revolutionise our understanding of the interplay between specific aspects of brain microstructure, cognitive and social-emotional development, and how variation between individuals impacts on individual differences in mental health vulnerability. Knowledge Gaps: While we have a good understanding of brain macrostructural changes during adolescent development, we know almost nothing about the underlying microstructural processes, including how specific microstructural properties drive cognitive and social-affective development and why children with the same genetic deletion (22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS)) exhibit varying cognitive and mental health outcomes. Key Goals: 1. Determine how cell size/cell density/myelination change during a critical period of development in humans. 2. Develop and apply Deep Microstructural Phenotyping (DMPL), using a Connectom scanner and 7T MRI, at three time-points from late childhood to late adolescence. 3. Relate these measurements to cognitive profiles, including executive functions in neutral and social- affective contexts, emotion and reward processing, and social cognition. 4. Contrast 342 typically-developing children/young people with 100 children/young people with 22q11.2DS. 5. Share this globally unique data resource with the community.
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