Grant: Project Grant

Adult studies demonstrate that serious mental illness (SMI) is associated with increased heart disease risk. Our team has shown that blood flow in the heart, measured using a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, is reduced in adults with heart disease and in youth with bipolar disorder. Adult studies have also linked heart MRI measures with brain MRI measures. Finally, higher genetic risk for heart disease is linked to both SMI and lower brain structure in adults. However, there are gaps in knowledge regarding heart-brain connections in youth. Studying youth provides an opportunity to examine heart-brain connections during a crucial period of brain development when first occurrence of SMI peaks. In addition, youth do not typically have common medical conditions of adulthood, which provides opportunities for early identification of heart disease risk. This multi-site study includes sites in Toronto and Montreal. The team includes experts in heart and brain MRI, heart disease, SMI in youth, and genetics. We plan to recruit 300 youth, ages 16-24, over 5 years. This includes 200 youth with SMI (i.e., bipolar disorder, major depression, psychotic disorder), and 100 control youth. We will conduct heart and brain MRI, and obtain genetic samples from saliva to generate genetic risk scores for heart disease. Psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms will be assessed using interviews and questionnaires. We have three hypotheses: 1) lower blood flow in the heart and higher genetic risk for heart disease will be linked to lower brain structure; 2) higher genetic risk for heart disease will be linked with lower blood flow in the heart; 3) youth with SMI will have lower blood flow in the heart vs. controls. This study has the potential to change the way we look at heart-brain connections in youth, particularly those with SMI. The anticipated findings could lead to novel prevention and treatment approaches that incorporate heart health alongside brain health in youth.