The Galway Psychosis Study

Psychosis is an illness that is characterised by distressing experiences and behaviours resulting from loss of contact with reality, causing deterioration of normal social functioning. This study seeks to find out more about changes in brain structure and cognitive functioning as well as in blood sample measurements that are associated with psychotic illness.

What is MRI?

MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging; and uses a combination of magnetic and radiofrequency fields to produce exquisitely detailed anatomical pictures of the brain. Unlike a CT scan, no X-rays are used which makes the technique perfectly safe for routine use.

What does volunteering involve?

If you decide that you want to take part in this study you need to come to University College Hospital Galway to do some tests. Altogether, the study consists of five different parts: 1. an interview with a psychiatrist, 2. a blood test, 3. an MRI scan , 4. neurocognitive tests (e.g. attention, memory) and 5. a simple visual experiment. You will receive travel compensation and there will be a small amount of financial compensation for your time.

How do I find out more?

The “What does volunteering involve?” section contains links (underlined text) to more detailed information about this study. If you decide that you might like to take part, please contact the study coordinator, Heike Schmidt or John Mc Farland, who will be happy to answer any further questions you may have and send you an information pack in the post.

 Psychosis

Psychosis is a broad term that refers to a cluster of mental illnesses resulting from when a person suffers distressing experiences due to a loss of contact with reality.
It is not a disease on its own, but a symptom that can be present in a number of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder (manic-depression), psychotic depression, and also as a result of misusing certain recreational drugs such as cannabis, LSD etc and alcohol (drug-induced psychosis). Since it comprises of several disorders, it is difficult to pinpoint how common psychosis is and how many people it affects.

Psychotic thinking can present in many different ways, for example:

• Unrealistic beliefs (delusions) e.g. having special powers, feelings of being targeted and manipulated by powerful organisations, alien or religious forces (persecutory delusions).
• Lack of control over ones own thoughts e.g. Believing that someone is putting ideas into ones head, or reading ones mind, possibly by using special technology such as microchips or through the tv or radio.
• Hallucinations e.g. seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there.

As well as the above, patients may also experience a range of emotional, psychological and physical symptoms, including, but not limited to depression, elation, or not being able to feel emotions at all; slowed or increased speech, lack of motivation, a lack of, or excess energy and sometimes a reduced ability to experience normal social relationships.

Although psychotic illnesses can be treated, there is no known cure for psychosis and the exact causes of psychosis are unknown. Many theories have been proposed and it is acknowledged by most researchers that several factors contribute to the onset of psychosis, including a genetic risk, early brain damage, stressful experiences and illicit drug use.
Psychosis is generally treated with antipsychotic medication, such as olanzapine or risperidone, combined with support from psychiatric services and family members or psychosocial rehabilitation.
 
Unfortunately, treatment often gets delayed by months of even years after patients first develop symptoms. This delay between first showing symptoms and seeking professional help is associated with slow recovery or even lack of response to treatment. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment as soon as an individual presents with signs of psychosis in order to initiate treatment early.

Current Research

After many decades of research, it has been recognised that psychosis will be better understood by approaching it from different angles, using new biological technologies such as genetics, brain imaging, and molecular biology as well as clinical, psychological and social assessments. Scientists hope that by combining such different techniques with performance measures it will help to shed light on as the causes of psychosis, ultimately leading to better and earlier diagnosis, treatment and hopefully even prevention.

Further reading:

http://www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk/content/?id=17

Schizophrenia: A Very Short Introduction by Chris Frith & Eve C. Johnstone

Overview of tests involved in Galway Psychosis study

DSM-IV Structured Clinical Interview

This is an extended interview with a psychiatrist that lasts around an hour. During the interview questioning will explore past experiences of mental illness, if there are any, and present feelings. The questions are very specific and the interview will not be the same as a normal consultation with a psychiatrist. It will not be like being ’on the couch’, and participants will not be given a diagnosis or be prescribed any treatment. Anything discussed in the interview will be used solely for the purposes of the study and kept strictly confidential. There will be some short additional questions for patients only that are taking part in this study with regards to insight into their condition and the severity and type of symptoms they experience.

Neurocognitive tests:

NART (National Adult Reading Test)

The NART is a very simple estimate of a person’s IQ prior to the development of any illness. It consists of a list of 50 words, which participants will be asked to read aloud, and takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

MATRICS (Measurement And Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia)

This is a standardised test battery which measures memory, attention and more complex functions (e.g. problem solving). In addition, there are tests that measure language abilities and how emotions are used to deal with different hypothetical situations. These tests will give us an indication of your cognitive functioning and should last for approximately 1 hour.

Psychophysics measurement (Visual Experiment)

These are simple visual tests that require you to tell us if two shapes on a computer screen appear at the same time or at different times. These tests represent a measure of how well connected together different brain networks are. This will take less than 1 hour to complete.

MRI Brain Scan

For information about the MRI brain scan, please click on the link below to our MRI guide for volunteers.
• MRI Guide.pdf

Blood Test

A small sample of blood will be taken and analysed for genes that are inherited by an individual and might be associated with psychotic illness. Although most psychotic illnesses are thought to be largely heritable, no specific genetic abnormalities have yet been identified and it is likely that these disorders are due to the effect of many genes acting together, with each conferring a small additional risk. Your blood sample will be anonymised and stored for future analysis. Taking the blood sample may be briefly painful, but there are no significant risks associated with this procedure.  There is no specific result for participants from this blood test.
             

How do I volunteer?

You can volunteer to take part in the Galway Psychosis Study, if you:
• Have either a diagnosis of first episode psychosis (patient volunteer)
or
• Have a diagnosis of schizophrenia (patient volunteer)           or
• Have no personal history of mental illness (non-patient volunteer)
and
• Are aged between 16-45, male or female
• Have no history of neurological illness, e.g. epilepsy, or severe head injury
• Do not have a medical condition that requires oral steroids
• Have no recent history of heavy substance and/or alcohol abuse
• Have no mechanical implants such as a heart pacemaker or aneurysm clips
• Are not pregnant

Contact

If you fulfil the above criteria and think you may like to take part in the study, please contact the study recruitment coordinators:

Dara Cannon, E-mail: dara.cannonnuigalway.ie, Tel. 091-495692

Dr. John McFarland, Email: john.mcfarlandnuigalway.ie

• Disclaimer
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Accessibility