Klinik für Psychische Gesundheit

Multimodal phenotyping and Molecular Neurobiology in Psychosis: Focus on Early Detection, Treatment and Prognosis

In light of current developments in genetics, genomics, epigenetics and epigenomics, digital mental health phenotyping gains increasing interest. The understanding and impact of phenotypic variation joined with molecular biological insights is therefore a main interest of this group.

Theme and Objectives

This interest is reflected in the following topics:

  • Pharmacogenomics and epigenomics
  • Digital phenotyping of treatment response
  • TMS and neurostimulation in Psychosis
  • Early and first-time treatment of affective and non-affective psychosis
  • Genetics and epigenetics of developmental processes of psychopathology in adolescence

Team

Dr. Evelien Van Assche

Dipl.-Psych Teresa Vermillion

Dipl.-Psych Leonie Kiefer

Hr. Jan Greve (Medizindoktorandin)

SHKs

Projects

  • Digital Phenotyping for Psychiatric Research; in Collaboration with ECNP
     
  • CLOZIN: International Collaboration Studying phenotypic and molecular effects of Clozapin as an established antipsychotic treatment; in Collaboration with UMC Utrecht (NL).Website: Clozin study
     
  • CARE-BMBF: Computer-assistierte Risiko-Evaluation in der Früherkennung psychotischer Erkrankungen. BMBF Project with focus on early psychosis management and prognosis. CARE
     
  • STRATEGIES-Cohort. Gene-Environment Interactions and Epigenetics/Epigenomics in Adolescence; in Collaboration with Prof. Stephan Claes, KU Leuven (B).
     
  • Molecular and cellular biobank for patients with psychosis

Current funding

Internal funds

BMBF

Current selected publications (selection of 5)

Kendall, K. M., Van Assche, E., Andlauer, T. F. M., Choi, K. W., Luykx, J. J., Schulte, E. C., & Lu, Y. (2021). The genetic basis of major depression. Psychological Medicine, 1-14.

Okhuijsen-Pfeifer, C., Ayhan, Y., Lin, B. D., van Eijk, K. R., Bekema, E., Kool, L. J., ..., Van Assche, E., … & Luykx, J. J. (2020). Genetic susceptibility to clozapine-induced agranulocytosis/neutropenia across ethnicities: results from a new cohort of Turkish and other Caucasian participants, and meta-analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin Open1(1), sgaa024.

Verhagen, M., Verweij, K. J., Lodder, G. M., Goossens, L., Verschueren, K., ..., Van Assche, E. & Vink, J. M. (2020). A SNP, gene, and polygenic risk score approach of oxytocin‐vasopressin genes in adolescents’ loneliness. Journal of Research on Adolescence30, 333-348.

Nelemans, S. A., Van Assche, E., Bijttebier, P., Colpin, H., Van Leeuwen, K., Verschueren, K., ... & Goossens, L. (2019). Parenting interacts with oxytocin polymorphisms to predict adolescent social anxiety symptom development: A novel polygenic approach. Journal of abnormal child psychology47(7), 1107-1120.

Van Assche, Evelien, et al. "Gene‐based interaction analysis shows GABA-ergic genes interacting with parenting in adolescent depressive symptoms." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 58.12 (2017): 1301-1309.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Leitung

Evelien Van Assche, MD, PhD

T 0251 / 83-56627
evelien.vanassche(at)­ukmuenster(dot)­de