Inflammation has been implicated as a potential mechanism in the development of psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is not fully understood whether inflammation causes mental illness, whether behaviours associated with mental illness cause increased inflammation, or whether mental illness and inflammation share common risk factors. This project therefore aims to i) investigate whether genetic risk for psychiatric disorders is associated with inflammation and ii) investigate whether inflammation explains the associations between genetic risk for psychiatric disorders and mental health outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood.
Results of this project will further improve our understanding of the role of inflammation in pathways to mental ill health.