Proposal summaries
B4251 - Prenatal Environment and Neurodevelopmental Disorders - 27/02/2023
The mother's internal and external environment during the developmental stages of the fetus influences the health of the offspring. According to the evolutionary origins of health and disease theory,
environmental factors influence offspring and also affect health in adulthood. Recently, studies based on this theory have attracted attention for their clinical utility in identifying risk groups for various diseases.
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise globally and may be caused by exposure to certain
environments, lifestyle (including diet) prenatally during pregnancy. Researching the determinants of prenatal environment and lifestyle on the mechanism of NDD onset serves to fill a useful knowledge gap
in preventing the increase of these disorders and disseminating preventive medicine.
The goal of this research is to find out how different types of prenatal data (like lifestyle, nutrition, sociodemographics, and environment) interact to make a prediction algorithm (conversion score) for how
a child's brain develops. In this way, the statistical analysis of the dataset will try to find the most accurate predictors of how children's neurodevelopment and NDD will turn out. We'll make a machine learning
algorithm (like a support vector machine or a random forest) to rank the predictors by how well they can predict and choose a weighted average of that power.
B4269 - Risk factors for developing depression in adolescents and young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability
worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young
people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in
young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which
stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in
young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further
investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among
these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the
development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be
targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in
young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon
Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around
14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study
include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse, parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness,
or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms
occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old),
using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations,
regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4270 - Identification of risk factors for developing depression in adolescents and young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability
worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young
people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in
young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which
stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in
young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further
investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among
these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the
development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be
targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in
young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon
Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around
14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study
include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse,
parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness,
or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms
occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old),
using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations,
regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4271 - Risk factors for depression in adolescents and young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability
worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young
people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in
young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which
stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in
young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further
investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among
these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the
development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be
targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in
young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon
Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around
14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study
include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse,
parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness,
or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms
occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old),
using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations,
regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4272 - Identifying of risk factors for depression in young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability
worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young
people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in
young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which
stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in
young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further
investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among
these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the
development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be
targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in
young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon
Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around
14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study
include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse,
parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness,
or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms
occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old),
using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations,
regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4273 - Risk factors for depression in adolescents and young adulthood - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability
worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.
Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young
people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in
young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which
stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in
young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further
investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among
these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the
development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be
targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in
young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon
Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around
14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study
include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse,
parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness,
or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms
occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old),
using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings
Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations,
regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4257 - Is maternal BMI causally linked to offspring neurodevelopmental traits - 27/02/2023
Maternal overweight or obesity (defined by an elevated body mass index exceeding 25.0–29.9 or 30.0–34.9 kg/m2, respectively) has been associated with autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the offspring. However, little is known on whether these associations may be causal, considering that observational investigations may be limited by confounding and reverse causation. Epidemiological approaches integrating genotype information have the potential to overcome the limitations of traditional observational approaches and provide evidence of potential causality.
B4258 - CAMERA Causes and MEchanisms foR non-atopic Asthma in children - 06/03/2023
Use outcome data on asthma and atopy in children across different settings over a wide age range. Combine these outcomes with information on potential risk factors from questionnaires to identify those that are associated with atopic asthma and non-atopic asthma.
B4268 - Risk factors for developing depression in young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be targeted when designing early intervention in young people. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around 14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse, parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness, or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old), using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire). Expected statistical analyses to apply include correlations, regression analyses and path analyses, using SPSS.
B4245 - Relationships Between Emotion Recognition Visual Memory Working Memory Capacity and Mental Health - 20/02/2023
Individuals with mood disorders have cognitive biases towards disorder-related cues in the environment. Emotion recognition ability is distorted in mood disorders. People with mood disorders tend to perceive ambiguous facial expressions more negative compare to healthy controls. Working memory capacity is decreased in mood disorders which is related to the perception of emotions. Also, mood disorders are related to memory deficits. The aim of this project is to examine the relationship between emotion recognition, visual memory, memory, working memory capacity, and mental health. Also, replicate previous findings of distorted emotion recognition and decreased working memory capacity in mood disorders in a large sample.
B4255 - Identification of risk factors for developing depression in young people - 23/02/2023
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease. Further, depression is one of the most common mental health problems in young people, with an estimated prevalence of 5.6%. Most importantly, depression in young people is frequently an indicator of recurrent or chronic depression which stretches into adulthood. Thus, to recognise, prevent, and treat depression in young ages is crucial. However, a number of important issues need further investigation to aid early intervention in depression in young people. And among these, it is crucial to identify those risk factors that have greatest impact in the development of depression in young people, as these are the factors that should be targeted when designing early intervention in young people.6 Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify relevant risk factors for the development of depression in young people. To do this, we will use secondary data analyses, using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), which comprises around 14,000 individuals recruited at birth. Risk factors to be investigated in this study include sleep, cognitive function, diet, substance abuse, childhood abuse, parenting style, academic performance, social relationships, school connectedness, or self-esteem, among others. Further, we will focus on depression symptoms occurring at several time points across adolescence (from 13 to 21 years old), using a validated questionnaire on depression (the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire).
B4253 - Admin Archive request access to ethics and consent documents for Research Tissue bank application - 17/02/2023
Please see documents in associated B number folder
B4246 - The role of genetics in the intergenerational transmission of IPVA - 07/02/2023
Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPVA; whether cohabiting or not) is a widespread public health issue which often results in serious physical and psychological harm. In the last 50 years, research has been dedicated to understanding IPVA, including its effects and why it takes place. Research has highlighted that individuals who experience or witness IPVA during childhood are more likely to become perpetrators or survivors of IPVA in the future which is referred to as intergenerational transmission. However, the mechanisms behind this are debated. There are several theories in the literature including Social Learning Theory and biological theory, which are among the more prominent. The social learning approach theorises that offspring learn the violent attitudes/behaviour from their environment, in particular their parent(s). However, this theory does not account for the offspring in violent homes who do not exhibit IPVA in their relationships, or those who do not grow up in violent homes who become perpetrators or survivors in the future. Recent findings suggest that IPVA is passed from parent to offspring through environmental factors, psychological factors, and underlying biological mechanisms including a genetic component. The studies on genetic liability and IPVA outcomes to date have largely involved twin studies with preliminary results. This study will expand on previous research and use a novel approach to explain why some offspring are at increased risk of perpetrating or suffering IPVA in their future relationships.
B4249 - Understanding causes and consequences of body composition cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness - 06/02/2023
Health related physical fitness has 3 main subcomponents: body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness. Body composition refers to the percentage of muscle, fat, bone and water in the body; CRF refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to muscles during physical activity; muscular fitness refers to the ability to do work against a load (and is usually judged by muscle strength). The 3 components of physical fitness are affected by physical activity and are associated with important health outcomes like cardiovascular disease and frailty. Body composition, CRF and muscular fitness develop and change over a lifetime, and, in adulthood, meaningful changes in them are achievable in the general population. Thus, if we want to develop strategies to maintain our health for as long as possible, we need to understand the causes and consequences of these 3 aspects of fitness as well as how they are related to each other.
Behaviours can influence the components of fitness, e.g., higher intensity physical activity is associated with subsequent higher CRF. So, it is unsurprising that government guidelines recommend doing activities to improve/maintain CRF (i.e., moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity) and muscle strength (i.e., strength building activities). However, the general population’s perception of physical activity is skewed towards aerobic activity which mostly benefits CRF. Muscle strengthening activities are often referred to as ‘forgotten’ guidelines. To demonstrate and emphasise the unique added value of the different types of physical activity recommended by the guidelines, we need to understand the independent effects of CRF and muscle strength on health. Moreover, the fitness components are interrelated and can influence each other, but questions remain unanswered, e.g., we do not know whether duration of exposure to obesity is important for CRF or the extent to which CRF influences muscle strength and vice-versa. Understanding interrelationships with obesity in particular is crucial, because, compared with older generations, younger generations are accumulating greater exposure to obesity throughout their lives, and the impact of living longer with obesity is potentially enormous.
‘Real life’ is complex and outside of a lab or a randomised trial it is difficult to assess cause. However, some extremely important health questions like ‘how much of the effect of obesity on poor health could be avoided if everyone was strong?’ cannot be answered in a lab or by doing a trial. This is where the approach we will adopt is valuable: we will use different analytical methods and different datasets to answer our questions. The datasets and methods we will use have different strengths and weaknesses and taken together they overcome weaknesses of studying cause and effect in a single dataset with a single method. Therefore, our adopted approach is extremely powerful in terms of triangulating evidence for (or against) causality when results from the different datasets and analysis methods are considered collectively. We will use the 5 different national cohorts to address 3 specific knowledge gaps. We aim to better understand the (i) interrelations between components of physical fitness (muscular fitness, CRF, and body composition), how they affect each other and subsequently cause poor health; and to improve understanding of influences over a life-time on, and the development of, (ii) CRF and (iii) muscular fitness. Our work will promote the physical activity guidelines regarding specificity of types of exercise that should be encouraged at the population level and provide evidence for when an ideal life stage might be to intervene to promote maintenance of high levels of CRF and muscular fitness for as long as possible. This work is therefore of relevance, and, will have impact on, health policy. Finally, our work will demonstrate how to make best use of existing data resources.
B4247 - Genetic Research Of Asthma From The Study Of Genes Belonging To Metabolic Pathways Including Interleukin 6 Search For Associati - 07/02/2023
Dysregulation of the immune defence system of the lungs can induce inflammation and lead to chronic respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma. Numerous cytokines are involved in this process. Among these cytokines, those of the interleukin 6 (IL-6) family play a very important immunoregulatory role. Recent studies on IL-6 have shown that this cytokine is not simply a by-product of inflammation, but instead may play a role in the aetiology of asthma. It has been suggested that a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathways related to IL-6 could improve asthma treatment while minimising side effects. A few genetic studies have already reported an association between IL-6 genetic variants and asthma, with divergent results depending on the type of asthma. Specifically, a Finnish study showed an association with adult-onset allergic asthma, while a GWAS study showed an association specifically with childhood-onset asthma and no association with adult-onset asthma. The association between IL-6 and asthma seems to be established, but not yet well understood, especially regarding to which asthma phenotype the cytokine may be related. Furthermore, interactions between IL-6 and tobacco smoking exposure were shown in different diseases including asthma.
B4240 - Migraine and inflammation during pregnancy and ADHD in the offspring- Disentangling the causal links - 30/01/2023
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition (Rube & Kaur, 2012) that has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Some of them are auto-immune conditions and migraine. However, the mechanisms behind these associations are unclear and it remains to be established if maternal immune-related conditions and migraine during pregnancy could increase risk for ADHD in the offspring.
Studies have suggested that the prevalence of ADHD is significantly higher in children with migraine (Arruda et al., 2010), although they are different kinds of brain disorders(Justyna, 2017). Migraine is twice as prevalent in females, and acetaminophen (paracetamol), a common medication indicated for migraine, is considered generally safe for use during all stages of pregnancy. However, there is evidence indicating that acetaminophen use during the prenatal period may increase the risk of multiple behavioural difficulties in the offspring (Stergiakouli et al., 2016). The mechanisms for the association remain unclear. One hypothesis is that migraine and ADHD may share common genetic variants. Meanwhile, paracetamol could be mediating the association between migraine and ADHD. Distinguishing between these explanations is important because they have different prevention and treatment implications.
Research suggests that ADHD and immune-related conditions might co-occur (Anand et al., 2017). Although associations exist between ADHD and asthma (Leffa et al., 2021), little is known about the potential role of ADHD in later inflammation. We hypothesize that ADHD might be involved in the pathway of development of inflammation or immunological indicators. Further study is warranted to assess the causal association between ADHD and inflammation indicators in different stages in the lifespan.
B4242 - Children of the 90s Coping strategies Study Long COVID sub-study - 30/01/2023
Children of the 90s aims to discover as much as possible about our health. People cope in many different ways with ill health, especially long-term or chronic illnesses. By interviewing 120 Children of the 90s participants with either long Covid, diabetes or asthma, we hope to gain important insights into the most effective ways of managing chronic conditions.
B4244 - Genetics of neurodevelopmental traits and disorders in ALSPAC - 15/05/2023
This project will look at the genetic underpinnings of neurodevelopmental traits such as cognitive ability and social and communication difficulties, and the genetics of related conditions such as autism, intellectual disability and ADHD. It is known that both common and rare genetic variants influence these traits. In this project, we will use the extensive longitudinal data in ALSPAC to construct trajectories of neurodevelopmental traits over time, and look at genetic influences on these and whether they are moderated by environmental factors. We will also contribute data to the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), a leading international collaborative group working on deciphering autism genetics and its relation to cognition and brain development. We plan to combine ALSPAC clinical and sequencing data with other datasets of similar nature from the ASC, to identify new genes underlying autism, understand genetic differences between autistic individuals who have different co-morbidities and understand sex differences in autism.
B4244 - Genetics of neurodevelopmental traits and disorders in ALSPAC - 15/05/2023
This project will look at the genetic underpinnings of neurodevelopmental traits such as cognitive ability and social and communication difficulties, and the genetics of related conditions such as autism, intellectual disability and ADHD. It is known that both common and rare genetic variants influence these traits. In this project, we will use the extensive longitudinal data in ALSPAC to construct trajectories of neurodevelopmental traits over time, and look at genetic influences on these and whether they are moderated by environmental factors. We will also contribute data to the Autism Sequencing Consortium (ASC), a leading international collaborative group working on deciphering autism genetics and its relation to cognition and brain development. We plan to combine ALSPAC clinical and sequencing data with other datasets of similar nature from the ASC, to identify new genes underlying autism, understand genetic differences between autistic individuals who have different co-morbidities and understand sex differences in autism.
B4234 - Investigating Associations Between Religious/Spiritual Beliefs and Behaviours and Inflammation - 06/02/2023
This project will investigate whether someone’s religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviors (RSBB) influences protein levels of individuals and their offspring. It will be hypothesis driven, so we will look at all relevant RSBB-linked questions from ALSPAC questionnaires as possible exposures. We will also investigate whether attending a faith school (G1) is associated with protein levels at age 9 and 24. Furthermore, we will also explore whether intergenerational shifts in terms of people gaining/losing faith in ALSPAC have any effect on protein levels; and similarly, whether discordance between parents’ RSBB affects offspring protein levels.
The outcomes are the 92 proteins analysed by Olink, plus the inflammatory biomarkers Glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) which were measured previously in ALSPAC. We will also look at the ratio of IL-10 to IL-6, since it has been highlighted as an inflammation biomarker connected with spiritual activation. As a validation exercise, we will also include IL-6 measured by clinical chemistry, to compare with results from IL-6 measured by Olink. The ALSPAC proteomic data includes approximately 3000 samples from each of three age groups: the mothers from the 1st Focus on Mothers clinic (FOM1) and the children at ages 9 and 24, with a significant sample overlap between the three groups.