Institute of Living team to study schizophrenia in youth across nation

A research team at the Institute of Living, a mental health center in the Hartford Healthcare system, will join an international research effort studying schizophrenia in high-risk adolescents and young adults.

The Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center and Advanced Services for Adolescents with Psychosis Program at The Institute of Living will participate in the research, which is supported by a $52 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, Hartford Healthcare.

Theproject includes the creation of a Psychosis Risk Outcomes Network at 27 participating institutions, through which researchers will study phenotypes or biomarkers associated with psychosis risk. Research teams will assess whether variation in biomarkers can predict clinical trajectories and identify participants most likely to benefit from specific treatments.

“This large and important award puts the IOL on the map regarding a critical area in psychiatry, which is successfully identifying young individuals at high risk for psychotic illnesses,” Dr. Godfrey Pearlson, MD, director of Olin and one of two co-principal investigators of the study, said in a statement. He added that it is critical to identify people who may develop psychotic illnesses early-on, when the treatment is “more straightforward,” just as it is for those at increased risk for heart disease or breast cancer.

The study will have a central data processing and coordination