Network Activity

Activity period: 2020 – ongoing

National Funding:
“Medizinisch-Wissenschaftlicher Fonds des Bürgermeisters der Bundeshauptstadt Wien“ (Scientific Funds of the Major of Vienna) (2020-2021).

Description:
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a global pandemic. The collaborative outcomes study („Collaborative Outcomes study on Health and Functioning during Infection Times (COH-FIT) - Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical and mental well-being: a global survey”) is a large international survey project for the entire population of countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Christoph Correll, Berlin/Germany and New York/USA, and Marco Solmi, Padua/Italy, are the two COH-FIT project leads, and Harald Aschauer leads the project in Vienna/Austria. The project involves almost 200 investigators in more than 35 countries and has been endorsed by multiple national and international professional organizations. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine measures can have marked detrimental effects on physical and mental health of the general population. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of COVD-19 pandemic and related quarantine measures on mental health of the general population. The hypothesis is that the mental health of the general population is heavily affected by COVID-19, but that risk and protective factors exist, which could inform strategies for mental health-care after the pandemic is over, and inform also future preventive strategies, should other pandemic situations arise. The survey will be distributed in three waves: wave 1 at the current time of the COVID-19 pandemic (to compare the rating at the current time of COVID-19 with ratings recalled from before the time of the COVID-19), wave 2 after the COVID-19 pandemic has resolved (estimation: after 6 months, to compare ratings after the COVID-19 pandemic with ratings recalled during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic), and wave 3 (estimation: after 12 months, to compare long-term follow-up with the ratings recalled from the acute and mid-term responses). For a subgroup of adult health care professionals, additionally, a survey will be performed by a professional institute for field research.

The link to the survey: https://www.coh-fit.com

Participants:
Almost 200 researchers in more than 35 countries worldwide

Study period: 2017 – 2022

Sponsor:
Univ. Prof. René S. Kahn
Brain Center Rudolf Magnus
Department of Psychiatry
University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands

Subsidising Party:
Stanley Medical Research Institute

Sites at Universities, Hospitals and Institutes in
Austria, Germany, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom

The chronic and severe mental disorder “psychosis” (e.g. schizophrenia) is usually preceded by a prodromal phase of attenuated psychotic symptoms and decline in function. During this prodromal state intervention could prevent transition to psychosis, and is of high significance.

The primary objective of this trial is to compare transition rates between individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis treated with omega-3 fatty acids to those randomised to placebo (treatment for six months and monitored in a 1.5 year clinical follow-up). The study is a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial and it aims to recruit 220 participants between the age of 13 and 20.

Secondary objectives of the trial include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), clinical symptomatology, social and cognitive function, quality of life and parameters identified by blood draw (e.g. bioactive lipids, genetic markers, immune parameters).

The project is approved in Austria by the local Ethics Committees and the Regulatory Authority (Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Health Care / BASG - Bundesamt für Sicherheit im Gesundheitswesen).

BioPsyC is the only site in Austria (Country Coordinator) and collaborates with e.g. University and specialized institutes.

Network Activity

Activity period: 2018 – 2022

Network funding:
COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Avenue Louise 149
1050 Brussels
Belgium
www.cost.eu

Description:
„The Action Enhancing Psychiatric Genetic Counselling, Testing, and Training in Europe (EnGagE) aims to strengthen pan-European research into the newly emerging disciplines of Psychiatric Genetic Counselling (PsyGC) and Psychiatric Genetic Testing (PsyGT); and to develop a framework to facilitate the implementation of both disciplines into routine clinical care.“ (Description at www.cost.eu)

Participants:
34 countries in Europe and Israel

Network Activity

Activity period: 2017 – 2021

Network funding:
COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology
Avenue Louise 149
1050 Brussels
Belgium
www.cost.eu

Description:
„This Action focuses on patients with rare neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) whose study have the potential for major impact on our understanding and treatment of NDD in general, including schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). NDD affect 1 in 25 individuals in Europe, and have high impact on healthcare systems, economic development and society. Lack of mechanistic knowledge hampers development of improved treatments. New knowledge from psychiatric genomics provides for the first time a route to identify neurobiological mechanisms underlying NDD. The key challenge is to link genetic risk to altered brain biology.“ (Description at www.cost.eu)

Participants:
30 countries in Europe and Israel and 1 international partner