ENHANCED MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS AND PREDICTIONS THROUGH INTEGRATING GENETICS AND NEUROIMAGING IN PSYCHIATRY

To accomplish a comprehensive understanding of complex psychiatric disorders, a multimodal approach is required. Alterations in brain structure and function sit along the causal continuum from genetic variants to behavioural symptoms defining psychiatric disorders. Combining neuroimaging and genetics can expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. The knowledge gained from such multimodal investigations has the potential to inform clinical translation of psychiatric genomics findings.

This symposium will include four presentations of frontline research which incorporate common or rare genetic variants in conjunction with brain imaging. To understand and leverage the underlying biology of psychiatric disorders, the speakers use multimodal approaches and novel analytical tools. Each presentation will illustrate how integrating data from psychiatry, genetics, and neuroimaging can enhance genomic discoveries, advance mechanistic insights, and improve prediction and/or patient stratification.

Dr. Pravesh Parekh will introduce the FEMA-GWAS tool and show results from its application on charting the genetic variants associated with longitudinal changes in brain development, using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Patterns of genetic overlap with psychiatric disorders will be discussed.

Dr. Nadine Parker will present novel studies that integrate polygenic and neuroimaging risk scores for the improved prediction of psychiatric disorders. This work combines data derived from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) and the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium.

Dr. Rune Bøen will present new findings from the multi-site analysis of the mechanistic relationships between rare recurrent copy number variants and brain structure. Leveraging data from rare genetic variant carriers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and psychosis, his work informs neurobiological pathways of psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Carolina Makowski will present new work improving the mechanistic understanding of eating disorders through integrating neuroimaging and metabolic genetics. She will highlight genetically-based insights from metabolic psychiatry and their intersection with the genetic architecture of brain tissue microstructure, with a discussion on how these findings may help inform the treatment of anorexia nervosa.

Dr. Jakub Kopal, the symposium discussant, will present a comprehensive overview of integrative approaches in psychiatric and neuroimaging genetics. Particular emphasis will be placed on the translation of research findings into clinical practice.