| OBJECTIVES |
- developing strategies for early detection, diagnosis and monitoring of people with high risk of psychotic episode;
- these strategies facilitate, at first psychotic episode, the prevention of psychosis expression by attenuating its impact, increasing the life quality of people affected, family, community, reducing morbidity, mortality, direct costs but especially the indirect costs involving these diseases and their long evolution.
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| DESCRIPTION |
The current study aims to emphasize the association between genetic variables and phenotypic expressions-e.g. biochemical diagnosis (dosage of dopamine metabolite-homovanilic acid-HVA and of serotonine-hidroxiindolacetic acid-HIAA), cognitive impairment, structural and functional brain abnormalities, evidenced by imagistic techniques at high risk population for affective disorders and schizophrenia and at first episode of psychosis. Although these disorders are considered by the categorical perspective as distinctive diagnostic and outcome entities, there is a considerable overlap in abnormal neurochemical processes between them and a genetic linkage has also been observed between psychiatric diseases such as bipolar, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia (long arm of chromosome 13, 22, various polymorphisms of COMT, DISC1, BDNF), suggesting that there is a shared genetic predisposition to have all these diseases. The polymorphism of COMT enzyme is important because it may link disease susceptibility, cognitive endophenotypes, neurochemical abnormalities and the functional localization in the prefrontal cortex. Due to this prophylactic approach, we hope to diagnose these diseases in the premorbid, prodromal phase, to offer targeted intervention in order to postpone the onset of the first episode of psychosis or to lessen its brutal impact. The network for early detection of psychosis facilitates the dynamic and comprehensive follow-up of high risk persons, the characteristics of the genetic risk, to point the biochemical profile and the structural and functional brain abnormalities detected through advanced neuroimagistic techniques corroborated with the only relevant precocious phenotypic indices of prefrontal impairment-the cognitive disturbances. . The platelets level of HIAA is an index of imminent suicide at depressive persons, permitting efficient suicide prevention methods in good time. We hope that prophylactic methods, targeted interventions will escape the onset of the disease, delay it, or manifest less dramatic. |
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| Other Informations |
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Attached documents:
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Acronim:
FENOGEN
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Financing Authority:
CEEX
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Program:
VIASAN
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Partners:
P1: BABES-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY CLUJ-NAPOCA
P2: THE PROFESSOR IULIU MOLDOVAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH CLUJ-NAPOCA
P3: EMERGENCY CLINICAL COUNTY HOSPITAL CLUJ-NAPOCA
P4: INCDO-INOE2000, RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR ANALYTICAL INSTRUMENTATION CLUJ-NAPOCA SUBSIDIARY
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Project Responsible:
CS II Dr. Cecilia Roman
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Project Duration:
24 months
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Deadline:
2008
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Links:
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Events:
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