Research Program

The Department is undergoing a period of expansion with the recent appointment of a new Professor and the ongoing recruitment of additional academic staff, including a Senior Lecturer, Clinical Lecturer, Non-clinical Lecturer, as well as PhD studentships and research support staff.

A major component of the expansion is the establishment of a new neuroimaging analysis laboratory within the Department. This laboratory will specialise in the analysis of structural and functional MRI datasets and will be involved in a number of ongoing projects locally, on the Siemens 1.5T MRI scanner at University College Hospital Galway, and in collaboration with academic departments at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, the University of Cambridge and the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Dublin. The laboratory will be directed by Professor Colm McDonald who has substantial experience in the application of region of interest and computational morphometry analyses to structural MRI datasets acquired from patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as unaffected individuals carrying genetic liability for these disorders.

The Department’s research program will focus on the following themes:

• Mapping of brain abnormalities associated with psychotic and affective disorders.
• The relationship of such brain abnormalities to genetic and environmental risk factors, and to course of illness.
• The extent to which psychotropic medications impact upon brain structure and function.
• The association of brain abnormalities with genetic liability and genotypic variation.
• Endophenotypic markers of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Neurobiological abnormalities associated with psychotic and affective disorders, including assessments of patients with first episode psychosis and with euthymic bipolar disorder.

Recent Publications

D.G.. Dikeos, H. Wickham, C. Mc Donald, M. Walshe, T. Sigmundsson, E. Bramon, A. Grech, R.M. Murray, P.C. Sham (in press) Distribution of symptom dimensions across Kraepelinian divisions. British Journal of Psychiatry

K. Schulze, J. MacCabe, S. Rabe-Hesketh, T. Crawford, N. Marshall, J. Zanelli, M. Walshe, E. Bramon, R.M. Murray, C. McDonald (in press). The relationship between eye movement and brain structural abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected relatives. Journal of Psychiatry Research

R.M. Murray, P. Fearon, M. Cannon, C. McDonald, A. Cardno (in press). Are the genetic and environmental factors impacting on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder the same or different? In Beyond Nature and Nurture in Psychiatry: Genes, Environment, and their Interplay. Editors J. MacCabe, O. O’Daly, R.M. Murray, P. McGuffin, P.Wright. Martin Dunitz, London.

C. McDonald, E. Bullmore, R.M. Murray (2006). The Kraepelinian Dichotomy [ltr]. British Journal of Psychiatry 188: 392-393

C. McDonald, N. Marshall, P. Sham, E.T. Bullmore, K. Schulze, B. Chapple, E. Bramon, F. Filbey, S. Quraishi, M. Walshe, R.M. Murray (2006). Regional brain morphometry in patients with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives. American Journal of Psychiatry 163: 478-487

E.Bramon, E. Dempster, S. Frangou, C.McDonald, P.Schoenberg, J.H. MacCabe, M. Walshe, P.Sham, D. Collier, R.M. Murray (2006).   Is there an association between the COMT gene and P300 endophenotypes? European Psychiatry 21:70-73

E. Kravariti, T. Toulopoulou, F. Mapua-Filbey, K. Schulze, M. Walshe, P. Sham, R.M. Murray, C. McDonald (2006). Intellectual asymmetry and genetic liability in first-degree relatives of probands with schizophrenia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 188:186-7

T. Toulopoulou, S. Quraishi, C. McDonald, R.M. Murray (2006) The Maudsley Family Study: Premorbid and current general intellectual function levels in familial bipolar I disorder and schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 28(2): 243-59

C. McDonald (2005) Guide to Withdrawing and Switching Antipsychotics. Prescriber 16 (19): 13-18

J. MacCabe, H. Simon, R. Walwyn, C. McDonald, R. Murray (2005). Saccadic distractibility is elevated in schizophrenic patients, but not in their well relatives. Psychological Medicine, 35(12):1727-36

E. Bramon, C. McDonald, R.J. Croft, J.H. Gruzelier, S. Landau, P.C. Sham, S. Frangou, R.M. Murray (2005). Is the P300 wave an endophenotype for schizophrenia? A meta-analysis and a family study. Neuroimage, 27(4):960-8.

F.V. Rijsdijk, N.E.M. vanHaren, M. Picchioni, C. McDonald, N. Davies, T. Sharma, H.E. Hulshoff Pol, R.S. Kahn, R. Murray, P.C. Sham (2005). Brain MRI.   Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: Same Genes or Same Environment? Psychological Medicine, 35(10):1399-409

J. Zanelli, H. Simon, S. Rabe-Hesketh, M. Walshe, C. McDonald, R.M. Murray, J.H. MacCabe (2005). Eye tracking in schizophrenia: does the antisaccade task measure anything that the smooth pursuit task does not? Psychiatry Research,136(2-3):181-8

T. Toulopoulou, F. Mapua-Filbey, S. Quraishi , E. Kravariti, R.G. Morris, C. McDonald, M. Walshe, E. Bramon, R.M. Murray (2005). Cognitive performance in presumed obligate carriers for psychosis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 187: 284-285.

C. McDonald, K. Schulze, R. Murray, M. Tohen (Eds). Bipolar Disorder: The Upswing in Research and Treatment. Taylor and Francis, London, 2005.

C. McDonald (2005). Is there a genetic basis to the brain abnormalities associated with bipolar disorder? In Bipolar Disorder: the Upswing in Research and Treatment. Editors C. McDonald, K. Schulze, R. Murray, M. Tohen. Taylor and Francis, London, pp 93-102

C. McDonald, J. Zanelli, R.M. Murray and N. Kennedy (2005). Structural MRI Studies In Bipolar Disorder: A Meta-analysis. In Bipolar Disorder: the Upswing in Research and Treatment. Editors C. McDonald, K. Schulze, R. Murray, M. Tohen. Taylor and Francis, London, pp 27-35

E. Bramon, M. Walshe, C. McDonald, B. Martin, T. Toulopoulou, H. Wickham, J. van Os, P. Fearon, P. Sham, L. Fañanás, R. Murray (2005). Dermatoglyphics and Schizophrenia: A meta-analysis investigation of the impact of obstetric complications upon a–b ridge count. Schizophrenia Research, 75: 399-404

E. Dempster, T. Toulopoulou, C. McDonald, E. Bramon, M. Walshe, F. Mapua-Filbey, H. Wickham, P.C. Sham, R.M. Murray, D.A. Collier (2005). Association between BDNF val66met genotype and episodic memory. American Journal of Medical Genetics B Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 134 (1):73-5

C. McDonald, E. Bullmore, P. Sham, X. Chitnis, J. Suckling, J. MacCabe, M. Walshe, R. Murray (2005). Regional volume deviations of brain structure in schizophrenia and psychotic bipolar disorder: a computational morphometry study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 186: 369-77

M. Walshe, C. McDonald, M. Taylor, J. Zhao, P. Sham, A. Grech, K. Schulze, E. Bramon, R.M. Murray (2005). Obstetric Complications In Patients With Schizophrenia And Their Unaffected Siblings. European Psychiatry, 20:28-34

R.M Murray, P. Sham, J. Van Os, J. Zanelli, M. Cannon, C. McDonald (2004) A Developmental Model For Similarities And Dissimilarities Between Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder. Schizophrenia Research, 71: 405-416

C. McDonald, E.T. Bullmore, P.C. Sham, X. Chitnis, H. Wickham, E. Bramon, R. Murray (2004). Association of genetic risks for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with specific and generic brain structural endophenotypes. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61: 974-984

C. McDonald, J. Zanelli, S. Rabe-Hesketh, I. Ellison-Wright, P. Sham, S. Kalidindi, R.M. Murray, N. Kennedy (2004). Meta-analysis of MRI Brain Morphometry Studies in Bipolar Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 56: 411-417

T. Toulopoulou, A. Grech, R.G. Morris, K. Schulze, C. McDonald, B. Chapple, S. Rabe-Hesketh, R.M. Murray (2004). The relationship between volumetric brain changes and cognitive function: a family study on schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 56: 447-453

N. vanHaren, M. Picchioni, C. McDonald, N. Marshall, N. Davis, T. Ribchester, H. Hulshoff Pol, T. Sharma, P. Sham, R. Kahn, R. Murray (2004). A Controlled Study of Brain Structure in Monozygotic Twins Concordant and Discordant for Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 56: 454-461

C. McDonald & R.M. Murray (2004). Can Structural MRI Provide an Alternative Phenotype for Genetic Studies of Schizophrenia? In Neurodevelopment and Schizophrenia. Edited M.S. Keshavan, J.L. Kennedy, R.M. Murray. Cambridge University Press, pp 138-155

S.E. Connor, V. Ng, C. McDonald, K. Schulze, K. Morgan, P. Dazzan, R.M. Murray (2004). A study of hippocampal shape anomaly in schizophrenia and in families multiply affected by schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Neuroradiology, 46: 523-534

C. McDonald, K. Schulze, R. Murray, P. Wright (Eds). Schizophrenia: Challenging the Orthodox. Taylor and Francis, London, 2004.

C. McDonald (2004). Are there brain structural differences between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder? In Schizophrenia: Challenging the Orthodox. Editors C. McDonald, K. Schulze, R. Murray, P. Wright. Taylor and Francis, London, pp183-191.

B. Chapple, A. Grech, P. Sham, T. Toulopoulou, M. Walshe, K. Schulze, K. Morgan, R.M. Murray, C. McDonald (2004) Normal Cerebral Asymmetry in Familial and Non-familial Schizophrenic Probands and their Unaffected Relatives. Schizophrenia Research, 67: 33– 40

O.D. Howes, C. McDonald, M. Cannon, L. Arsenault, J. Boydell, R.M. Murray (2004). Pathways to schizophrenia: the impact of environmental factors. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology: 7 (Suppl 1):S7-S13

E. Bramon, R.J. Croft, C. McDonald, G.K.Virdi, J.G. Gruzelier, T. Baldeweg, P.C. Sham, S. Frangou, R.M. Murray (2004) Mismatch Negativity in Schizophrenia: A Family Study. Schizophrenia Research, 67: 1– 10

K. Schulze, C. McDonald, S. Frangou, P. Sham, A. Grech, T. Toulopoulou, M. Walshe, T. Sharma, T. Sigmundsson, M. Taylor, R. M. Murray (2003) Hippocampal volume in familial and non-familial schizophrenic probands and their unaffected relatives. Biological Psychiatry, 53 (7): 562-570

L.J. Seidman, H.E. Wencel, C. McDonald, R.M. Murray, M.T. Tsuang (2003). Neuroimaging Studies of Nonpsychotic First Degree Relatives of People with Schizophrenia. In Early Clinical Intervention and Prevention of Schizophrenia. Edited by W.S. Stone, S.V. Faraone and M.T. Tsuang. Humana Press, pp 179-210

C. McDonald & K.C. Murphy (2003) The New Genetics of Schizophrenia. In Schizophrenia: Contemporary Clinical Perspectives, special issue of Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 26 (1): 41-63

C. McDonald, A. Grech, T. Toulopoulou, K. Schulze, B. Chapple, P. Sham, M. Walshe, T. Sharma, T. Sigmundsson, X. Chitnis, R.M. Murray (2002) Brain volumes in familial and non-familial schizophrenic probands and their unaffected relatives. American Journal of Medical Genetics B Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 114: 616-625

R.M. Murray, C. McDonald, E. Bramon (2002) Neurodevelopmental impairment, dopamine sensitisation, and social adversity in schizophrenia. World Psychiatry, 1 (3): 137-145

C. McDonald, E. O’Callaghan, F. Keogh, P.C. Sham, A. Kinsella, M. Morris & D. Walsh (2001) Number of Older Siblings of Individuals Diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 47 (2-3):275-280

C. McDonald, P. Fearon & R.M. Murray (2000) The Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis of Schizophrenia 12 Years On: Data and Doubts. In Childhood Onset of ’Adult’ Psychopatholgy: Clinical and Research Advances. Editor Dr. Judith Rapoport, American Psychiatric Press, pp193-220

C. McDonald & R.M. Murray (2000) Early and Late Environmental Risk factors for Schizophrenia. Brain Research Reviews, 31: 130-137

C. McDonald (2000) Patients with schizophrenia who smoke. British Journal of Psychiatry, 176: 596-597 

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility