Psychiatric Connectomics

👤 Avram Holmes, PhD — PI, Rutgers University, RWJ Medical School Department of Psychiatry
Thomas Yeo, PhD — PI, National University of Singapore
Justin Baker, PhD — Co-PI, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital

Objective:

Establish connectome signatures, or “fingerprints”, that co-vary with cognition, negative valence systems, and social functions in healthy and clinical samples, dissecting their associated genetic and cellular bases.

Questions to address:

1) To what extent can brain function predict symptom profiles (cognition, negative valence, and social functions) across transdiagnostic cohorts, revealing the presence of clinical subgroups?
2) Can a predictive modeling approach establish network profiles that precede longitudinal change?
3) Do cell type profiles recapitulate functional network organization in the general population?
4) Do these cellular associates of network function reveal genomic signatures that are co-heritable with psychiatric illness risk?

PCX Links

Recruitment

Clinical Interview Session

MRI Session Scheduling

MRI Session

Within scanning session script:

  1. Holmes PCRID Linking Sheet is located at /(Restricted)_PCR/PCR_Holmes/PCR_Linking_ID_Holmes.xlsx
  2. PCRID Tracker
  3. PCR consent form
  4. fMRI Tasks
  5. MRI Sounds Audio
  6. Movie Rater Task
  7. fMRI Self-report Surveys
  8. Post-MRI Scan Email Template
  9. Mental_health_resources_NJ (printed)
  10. MindLAMP Instructions for User
  11. MindLAMP Admin Page
  12. MindLAMP Instructions for Researchers

Subject Payments

Supplemental Survey

Study Overview

👤 Avram Holmes, PhD — PI, Rutgers University, RWJ Medical School Department of Psychiatry
Thomas Yeo, PhD — PI, National University of Singapore
Justin Baker, PhD — Co-PI, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital

Sample: N=270 at McLean and Rutgers (135 at each site), over 4 years

Demographics: Primary of Bipolar or SCZ, variety of severities, as well as comorbidities; Healthy controls

Aims

Objective: Establish connectome signatures, or “fingerprints”, that co-vary with cognition, negative valence systems, and social functions in healthy and clinical samples, dissecting their associated genetic and cellular bases.

Questions to address: 1) To what extent can brain function predict symptom profiles (cognition, negative valence, and social functions) across transdiagnostic cohorts, revealing the presence of clinical subgroups

2) Can a predictive modeling approach establish network profiles that precede longitudinal change

3) Do cell type profiles recapitulate functional network organization in the general population

4) Do these cellular associates of network function reveal genomic signatures that are co-heritable with psychiatric illness risk

Timeline

Feb 12, 2025: Grant Awarded, Feb 3 grant “started”

QuarterParticipants in periodRateRutgers (Cumulative)McLean (Cumulative)
Mar 1* -April 1 20251313/month1313
April 1 - Aug 1 2025**143.5/month2727
Aug 1 - Dec 1 2025133.25/month4040
Dec - April 1 2026143.5/month5454
April 1 - Aug 1 2026133.25/month6767
Aug 1 - Dec 1 2026143.5/month8181
Dec 1 - April 1 2027133.25/month9494
April 1 - Aug 1 2027143.5/month108108
Aug 1 - Dec 1 2027133.25/month121121
Dec 1 - April 1 2028143.5/month135135

*Grant not awarded until mid-February, so first quarter recruitment will be less than expected

** try to get back to track by Aug 1

Data collection Overview:

📎 Canva link: PCR_Workflow

Clinical Interview - Session 1

  • Clinical Interview (SCID)
  • Clinician-Administered Scales
  • Self-Report Scales
  • MRI Screener

0-4 weeks later… MRI Scan - Session 2

  • Self-Report Scales
  • MRI Scan
  • Post-scan surveys
  • Setup smartphone tracking

Starting after scan… After scan

  • Smartphone Tracking for 6 months
  • Passive Data Daily Surveys

Within 48 hours…
Supplemental - Session 3

  • Self-Report Scales
  • TestMyBrain Tasks

MRI Scan Parameters & Elements

  1. Localizer & anatomical (T1w, T2w)
  2. 2 Rest runs (6.5min each, 13min total)
  3. Task run: flanker task (6min20s)
  4. Task run: listening language task (6min28s)
  5. task run: The Elevator short film (3min45s)
  6. Diffusion (7min)
  7. Task run: Momentous short film (6min)
  8. 2 rest runs (6.5min each, 13min total)

Surveys & Data Collection:

Clinical Interview - Session 1

  1. Structured Clinical Interview - DSM V
    • In RedCAP for McLean, in CCNP protocols for Rutgers
    • At Rutgers, only diagnoses are communicated for participants, not SCID notes
    • At Rutgers, participants who have already done the SCID may do a ‘refresher’ version of the SCID with only modules A, B & D
  2. Clinician-Rated Scales
    1. YMRS (Young Mania Rating Scale)
    2. (BPRS) Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale
    3. (PANSS) Positive and Negative Symptom Scale
    4. (MADRS) Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
    5. C-SSRS (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale)
  3. Self-Report Scales
    • On Qualtrics: PCX_ClinicalVisit_SelfReport
      1. STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory)
      2. BIS/BAS (Behavioral Inhibition Scale/Behavioral Activation Scale)
      3. Barratt (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale)
      4. TCI (Temperament and Character Inventory)
      5. NEO-FFI (Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory)
      6. DOSPERT (Domain-Specific Risk Taking Scale)
      7. MSPSS (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support)
      8. BAPQ/Lifestyle Questionnaire (Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire)
      9. FTND (Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence)
      10. Alcohol/Tobacco/Caffeine Use Questionnaire
      1. Alcohol, caffeine, tobacco: use per day/month, amount per use
        1. QIDS-SR
        2. ECT and Illicit Drug Use
      2. Last time you had electroconvulsive therapy, last time you were dependent on an illicit substance

Between Session 1 & Session 2:

  1. CAHBIR Screener / McLean Screener

MRI Scan - Session 2

  1. PCR Consent Form
  2. Self-Report Scales
    • On Qualtrics: PCX_fMRIVisit_SelfReport
      1. Demographic Survey
      1. Sex, age, height, weight, birth city, marital status, housing, living with, english native language, occupational status
        1. Ethnicity/Handedness Form
      2. Ethnic category, race, overall handedness, writing hand, throwing hand
        1. Education Form
      3. Highest grade completed, highest grade desired, father’s highest grade, mother’s highest grade
        1. Occupation Form
      4. Occupation type, occupation type of mother, occupation type of father
        1. Hormone/Menstrual Cycle Questionnaire
      5. Birth control, pregnancy, menstrual cycle questions
        1. Health Questionnaire
      6. health rating, health satisfaction, loss of consciousness, medications, conditions, family history, siblings
        1. ASI (Anxiety Sensitivity Index)
        2. DASS-42 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales)
        3. Shipley-Hartford Vocabulary Task
        4. POMS (Profile of Mood States)
        5. TEPS (Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale)
        6. PSS (Perceived Stress Scale)
        7. CTQ Childhood Trauma Questionnaire

Post Scan Surveys

  1. Short Film Valence-Rating Scale
    • SOP in Box: Movie Rater SOP
    • Data in Box: Box-Box/Holmes_Lab_Wiki/PCX_Round2/Procedures/movie_rater_task/data

Smartphone Tracking

  1. Daily Survey
    • In MindLAMP: https://dashboard.lamp.digital/#/
      1. Emotions ratings from POMS
      2. Social in person / social digitally
      3. Stress and anxiety management
      4. Physical activity
      5. Physical pain / abnormalities
      6. Sleep
      7. Medications
      8. Alcohol/cannibis/caffeine
      9. Menstruating
      10. Psychosis symptoms
  2. Passive Data
    1. Accelerometer (no activity, low activity, med activity, high activity)
    2. GPS (distance from ‘home’)
    3. Phone screen on/off

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