Imaging in Neuroscience Workgroup
Overview
Launched in 2014 and still evolving, the Working Group for Imaging and Genetics in Neuroscience (IMAGINE) at Stellenbosch University is a unique convergence of clinical, genomic, statistical and bioinformatics expertise aiming to tackle the challenges posed by neuropsychiatric disorders in South Africa. Neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) are best understood as disorders of brain structure and function with wide-ranging neural abnormalities that implicate domains of behaviour, motor function, cognition, and emotion. These disorders are often of long duration, have a slow progression and are contributed to by complex gene-environment interactions and epigenetic phenomena that intervene across the lifespan.
Drawing from its multi-disciplinary membership, IMAGINE plans to investigate NPDs using multiple units of analysis, from genes to neural circuits to behaviours. In short, we aim to answer cross-cutting, translational neuroscience questions relevant to reducing the burden of these disorders in South Africa, using a toolkit comprising innovative multi-'omics' (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics) and multi-modal brain imaging technologies (e.g. functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging).
Our specific aims are to:
- Apply genomic and imaging technologies together with a range of computational and statistical methods to provide more precise molecular signatures and characterisation of NPDs that will aid in guiding and tailoring their clinical management.
- Establish a biorepository comprising a wide range of biological samples (e.g. DNA, RNA, skin, hair) for neuroscience research.
- Develop induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) disease models of NPDs to develop a more fine-grained understanding of the development of dysregulated pathways resulting in psycho- and neuro-pathology.
- Use our expertise and critical mass to train and foster the development of a core cadre of clinicians and basic neuroscientists versed in genomic, other 'omic', and neuroimaging techniques.
- Develop into a national and regional hub for the identification, facilitation and coordination of cross-cutting research priorities traversing basic science and clinical/therapeutic application in neuroscience.
IMAGINE Group members
Soraya Seedat
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Executive Head of the Department of Psychiatry, SU
Research focus: Assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders with a special interest in clinical and translational work in childhood and adult posttraumatic stress disorder.
Leigh van den Heuvel
Psychiatrist and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, SU. SHAREDROOTS Project Manager.
Research focus: The impact of chronic stress on the interaction between NPDs and metabolic syndrome.
Alex Doruyter
Specialist Nuclear Physician, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Tygerberg Hospital
Research focus: Molecular brain imaging and functional connectivity in social anxiety disorder, and how these correlate with measures of social cognition.
Jonathan Carr
Professor and Head of the Division of Neurology, Tygerberg Hospital and SU
Research focus: Aetiology of neurodegenerative disease, particularly Parkinson's disease, from both a genetic and environment perspective.
Louise Warnich
Emeritus Professor in Human Genetics, Department of Genetics, SU
Research focus: Variability in drug response due to heredity, with a specific focus on antipsychotic treatment response outcomes.
Bonga Chiliza
Chief Specialist Psychiatrist, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the Department of Psychiatry, UKZN
Research focus: Efficacy of long-acting injectable antipsychotics in first-episode schizophrenia; Clinical trials of antipsychotic & alternative medication; Language &...
Laila Asmal
Associate Professor and Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, SU
Research focus: Neuropsychiatry and first-episode psychosis.
Christine Lochner
Professor in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, SU and Co-director: MRC Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders
Research focus: Phenomenology, psychobiology and neuroimaging of psychiatric disorders with apparent compulsive/impulsive features.
Robin Emsley
Emeritus Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, SU
Research focus: Psychopharmacology of schizophrenia.
Soraya Bardien
Professor in the Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, SU
Research focus: Genetic causes of Parkinson's disease (PD) in the South African population and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of the disorder.
Stefan du Plessis
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, SU
Research focus: Use of functional and structural neuroimaging to study psychopathologies in South African populations; Development of a Virtual Reality Exposure therapy for PTSD.
Olivia Matshabane
Neuroethics Researcher, Department of Psychiatry, SU
Research focus: Neuroethics and the ethical, legal, social, and cultural implications of neuropsychiatric genomics.