Researchers Oren Contreras-Rodríguez and Carlos Soriano-Mas, from the Psychiatry and Mental Health research group of the Neurosciences program of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), have been awarded a Llavor grant from the Knowledge Industry Program of the Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement of the Generalitat of Catalonia to carry out a project aimed at developing an image analysis algorithm to detect alterations in fronto-subcortical connectivity in patients with different brain alterations.
This grant, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, has allowed researchers to design an automatic system, available through a web platform, to study the brain alterations associated with behavioral dysregulations such as Compulsiveness and the inability to regulate emotions, present in a transdiagnostic manner in different neurological and psychiatric pathologies, such as Parkinson’s disease, major depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder or addictions.
The work has been carried out in collaboration with the company Q-Menta, based in Barcelona, and specialized in the analysis of structural and functional magnetic resonance data through the use of algorithms located on web platforms. The system should allow researchers, psychiatrists, psychologists and neurologists to determine, in a fast and automated way, and without previous knowledge of brain image analysis, the degree of dysfunction of the cerebral circuits related to compulsivity and emotional dysregulation. It can be very useful to quantify in an objective way the improvement of patients throughout a treatment process or establish a reliable prognosis of its evolution.
The researchers are currently investigating how to get this analysis system to its potential beneficiaries, and how to evaluate its real impact on the clinical management of patients.
“Projecte: Web-based platform for the identification of fronto-subcortical connectivity disruptions in brain disorders. Convocatoria Llavor 2016 Ref 2016LLAV00015. Finançat per AGAUR – Fons Europeu de Desenvolupament Regional. IP Dr. Soriano”