Study of Nottinghamshire Youth at Risk (SONAR)
Study background and aims
Research has shown that mental health problems such as those experienced by people with schizophrenia are likely to arise from both genetic (biological) and environmental factors. The Study of Nottinghamshire youth At Risk (SONAR) was set up to investigate biological markers of schizophrenia by studying mental health, cognitive function and brain activity in young people with schizophrenia and their healthy siblings.
The siblings of people with schizophrenia are known to be at increased risk of developing the illness compared with the general population, although this risk is still very low. Exploring specific aspects of mental health and brain function in these individuals can tell us more about the features of schizophrenia which are related to risk of illness rather than to the illness itself.
The long-term aim of this research programme is to develop a reliable and specific test of brain function for the identification of young people at high risk for developing schizophrenia. If this is possible then treatment could be started earlier, a fact that is important in preventing some of the disorder's serious consequences.
An important aspect of the study is to determine specificity of markers when comparing young people at increased risk of developing schizophrenia (the siblings of patients) with young people who have a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The rationale for this is that both ADHD and schizophrenia are neurodevelopmental disorders with quite different clinical profiles. In order to develop early detection and intervention strategies for schizophrenia, it will be important to identify risk markers which discriminate between developmental disorders.
The study completed data collection in 2005. Three articles have since been published in scientific journals (see below). We are currently carrying out further data analysis, with particular emphasis on examining connectivity between brain regions using functional MRI data and atypical patterns of oscillatory activity in EEG.
Further Details
If you would like further information about this study, please contact Dr Maddie Groom T: +44 (0)115 8230267 E: maddie.groom@nottingham.ac.uk.
Published Articles
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Groom, M.J., Cahill, J.D., Bates, A.T., Jackson, G.M., Carlton, T.G., Liddle, P.F., & Hollis, C. (2010). Electrophysiological indicies of abnormal error-processing in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 51 (1): 66-76
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Groom, M. J., Jackson, G. M., Calton, T. G., Andrews, H. K., Bates, A. T.; Liddle, P. F., & Hollis, C. (2008). Cognitive deficits in early-onset schizophrenia spectrum patients and their non-psychotic siblings: A comparison with ADHD. Schizophrenia Research 99(1-3): 85-95
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Groom, M. J., Bates, A. T., Jackson, G. M., Calton, T. G., Liddle, P. F., & Hollis, C. (2008). Event-related potentials in adolescents with schizophrenia and their siblings: A comparison with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry 63(8): 784-792
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Hollis, C., Groom, M. J., Das, D., Calton, T., Bates, A. T., Andrews, H. K., Jackson, G. M., & Liddle, P. F. (2008). Different psychological effects of cannabis use in adolescents at genetic high risk for schizophrenia and with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Schizophrenia Research 105(1-3): 216-223