MICA: BRAINTOOLS Phase 1: Optimising neurodevelopmental outcomes for global health

MICA：BRAINTOOLS 第一阶段：优化神经发育结果以促进全球健康

• 批准号: MC_PC_MR/R018529/1
• 负责人: Mark Johnson
• 金额: $ 25.41万
• 依托单位: Birkbeck, University of London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MC_PC_MR%2FR018529%2F1
• 关键词: MICA; BRAINTOOLS; Phase; Optimising; neurodevelopmental

The Centre for Brain & Cognitive Development (CBCD) at Birkbeck has a world leading reputation for the multidisciplinary study of psychological development and mental health in early childhood, including development and application of new methodologies for large-scale longitudinal studies and trials. Our strategic vision is to bring this expertise in theory, study design, and technology development to bear on LMIC early mental health. Child psychiatry has traditionally focused on treating children and adolescents with a diagnosis. However, post-diagnostic treatments are typically expensive and inaccessible to most patients in LMICs (Belfer, 2008), who may also lack access to diagnostic services in general (Saxena et al., 2007). To meet the needs of LMICs, we need a radical shift in our approach. Rather than focus resources on children with a diagnosis, we need to shift towards direct measurement of the brain systems that are affected by early risk factors in infancy, and then use this information to develop low-cost, scalable and preventative treatments targeted towards those brain systems. To do this, we have planned an integrated long-term programme of research to identify the infant brain markers that predict neurodevelopmental outcomes in LMICs; to use these markers to test which common modifiable risk factors in LMICs affect key brain systems; and to identify protective factors that could represent targets for intervention to build resilience in LMIC settings. Directly assessing the effects of environmental risk factors in early childhood (rather than waiting for later neurodevelopmental outcome) enables rapid assessment of the efficacy of simple preventative interventions. Directly measuring brain development allows us to identify the most vulnerable children as early as possible, allowing limited resources to be focused on those most likely to benefit from preventative approaches. Taken together, focusing on brain development in early childhood is critical to revolutionising global mental health. We are optimally suited to leading this challenge because of our combined expertise in developing infant neural markers of long-term mental health and our experience in deploying novel technologies to measure early childhood brain development in low-resource settings. While our long-term vision entails widespread dissemination of expertise, a key first step is close engagement with selected LMIC sites for bi-directional knowledge exchange and feasibility assessments. Thus, we have carefully selected two LMIC partners who face contrasting challenges; MRC Gambia and Sangath India. Building on initial contacts, we will establish and consolidate a collaborative network with four short-term objectives (pump-priming projects); (1) collaboratively develop a feasible protocol for assessing human functional brain development in LMIC settings, (2) prepare a Masters course in Developmental Neuroscience for Global Health, (3) develop a plan for parent education and family engagement in LMIC settings with partner SME BabyBrains, and (4) conduct a gap analysis of how to establish regional Centres of Excellence affiliated to CBCD. Taken together, our cohesive package is designed to provide the foundation for our long-term strategy to bring early childhood brain development into global mental health.

伯克贝克（Birkbeck）的大脑与认知发展中心（CBCD）在儿童早期对心理发展和心理健康的多学科研究中享有世界领先的声誉，包括开发和应用新方法，用于大规模纵向研究和试验。我们的战略愿景是将理论，研究设计和技术发展方面的专业知识带入LMIC早期心理健康。传统上，儿童精神病学一直专注于治疗诊断的儿童和青少年。但是，诊断后治疗通常是LMICS中大多数患者的昂贵且无法访问的（Belfer，2008年），他们也可能缺乏一般的诊断服务（Saxena等，2007）。为了满足LMIC的需求，我们需要对方法进行根本转变。我们需要将资源集中在有诊断的儿童上，而是需要直接朝着受婴儿早期危险因素影响的大脑系统直接测量，然后使用此信息来开发针对这些大脑系统的低成本，可扩展性和预防性治疗。为此，我们计划了一项综合的长期研究计划，以识别预测LMIC中神经发育结果的婴儿脑标记。使用这些标记来测试LMIC中哪些常见的可修改风险因素会影响关键的大脑系统；并确定可以代表干预目标以在LMIC环境中建立弹性的目标的保护因素。直接评估幼儿期环境风险因素的影响（而不是等待后期神经发育结果）可以快速评估简单预防干预措施的功效。直接测量大脑发育使我们能够尽早确定最脆弱的儿童，从而使有限的资源专注于最有可能从预防方法中受益的人。综上所述，专注于幼儿的大脑发育对于彻底改变全球心理健康至关重要。我们非常适合领导这一挑战，因为我们在发展长期心理健康的婴儿神经标志物以及我们在部署新型技术方面的经验以衡量低资源环境中的幼儿脑发育的经验。尽管我们的长期愿景需要广泛地传播专业知识，但关键的第一步是与选定的LMIC站点进行双向知识交流和可行性评估的密切参与。因此，我们精心选择了两个面临对比挑战的LMIC伙伴。 MRC Gambia和Sangath印度。在初始联系人的基础上，我们将建立并合并一个与四个短期目标（泵浦项目）的协作网络； （1）共同制定可行的协议，以评估LMIC环境中人类功能性脑发育，（2）为全球健康的发展神经科学准备硕士课程，（（3）制定一项计划，以与合作伙伴SME Babybrains在LMIC环境中的父母教育和家庭互动计划，以及（4）（4）对如何建立良好的区域为CBBC的区域中的区域分析。综上所述，我们的凝聚力旨在为我们的长期战略奠定基础，以使幼儿大脑发展成为全球心理健康。

项目成果

Objective assessment of visual attention in toddlerhood

幼儿视觉注意力的客观评估

• DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.04.534573
• 发表时间: 2023
• 作者: Braithwaite E

Using mobile health technology to assess childhood autism in low-resource community settings in India: An innovation to address the detection gap

• DOI: 10.1177/13623613231182801
• 发表时间: 2023-07-17
• 期刊: AUTISM
• 影响因子: 5.2
• 作者: Dubey，Indu;Bishain，Rahul;Chakrabarti，Bhismadev
• 通讯作者: Chakrabarti，Bhismadev

Quantifying preference for social stimuli in young children using two tasks on a mobile platform.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265587
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: PLOS ONE
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Dubey, Indu;Brett, Simon;Ruta, Liliana;Bishain, Rahul;Chandran, Sharat;Bhavnani, Supriya;Belmonte, Matthew K.;Estrin, Georgia Lockwood;Johnson, Mark;Gliga, Teodora;Chakrabarti, Bhismadev
• 通讯作者: Chakrabarti, Bhismadev

Reliability of an automated gaze-controlled paradigm for capturing neural responses during visual and face processing in toddlerhood.

• DOI: 10.1002/dev.22157
• 发表时间: 2021-11
• 期刊: Developmental psychobiology
• 影响因子: 2.2

EEG signatures of cognitive and social development of preschool children-a systematic review.

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247223
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: PloS one
• 影响因子: 3.7
• 作者: Bhavnani S;Lockwood Estrin G;Haartsen R;Jensen SKG;Gliga T;Patel V;Johnson MH
• 通讯作者: Johnson MH