Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
I investigate the link between DNA methylation and mental health. Specifically, I focus on traits including hyperactivity and behavioural difficulties as well as mental health conditions such as anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia. As an active member of the ENIGMA Schizophrenia and ENIGMA Eating Disorder working groups, I have a long track record of investigating brain imaging correlates of mental health conditions and how these link to genetic and epigenetic markers. In my research I apply several approaches including methylome-wide association analyses, mixed and multi-level modelling, as well as causal inference methods such as Mendelian randomization. I also study the life-course of these associations by applying longitudinal analyses on prospectively collected data from large UK and international cohorts.
Biography
I have expert knowledge on mental health research and hands-on experience in leading large-scale collaborations, as part of my work within the ENIGMA consortium. My career has taken me to diverse research environments in the UK (MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, King’s College London), Germany (TU Dresden), the Netherlands and the US (as part of my DFG-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia State University), allowing me to develop skills, which I apply now in my own research.
I use the following methods:
R programming, methylome-wide and genetic association analyses, FreeSurfer, mixed and multi-level modelling, as well as causal inference methods such as Mendelian randomization
Willing to supervise doctoral students
Accepting PhD students
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Network
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Advancing quantification of autistic traits (ESRC SWDTP Studentship)
1/10/20 → 30/09/24
Project: Research-related funding
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Brain ageing in schizophrenia (GW4 BioMed MRC DTP PhD studentship)
1/10/20 → 30/09/24
Project: Research-related funding
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BrainHealth - Decoding life course pathways of mental ageing - Frontier Research Guarantee
1/10/23 → 30/09/28
Project: EU Commission
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A meta-analysis of deep brain structural shape and asymmetry abnormalities in 2,833 individuals with schizophrenia compared with 3,929 healthy volunteers via the ENIGMA Consortium
ENIGMA Consortium, Jan 2022, In: Human Brain Mapping. 43, 1, p. 352-372 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access16 Citations (SciVal) -
Brain Structure in Acutely Underweight and Partially Weight-Restored Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa - A Coordinated Analysis by the ENIGMA Eating Disorders Working Group
Walton, E., Bernardoni, F., Batury, V-L., Bahnsen, K., Larivière, S., Abbate-Daga, G., Andres-Perpiña, S., Bang, L., Bischoff-Grethe, A., Brooks, S. J., Campbell, I. C., Cascino, G., Castro-Fornieles, J., Collantoni, E., D'Agata, F., Dahmen, B., Danner, U. N., Favaro, A., Feusner, J. D., Frank, G. KW., & 30 others , 1 Nov 2022, In: Biological Psychiatry. 92, 9, p. 730-738 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Citations (SciVal)1 Downloads (Pure) -
Correction: Obesity and brain structure in schizophrenia – ENIGMA study in 3021 individuals (Molecular Psychiatry, (2022), 10.1038/s41380-022-01616-5)
McWhinney, S. R., Brosch, K., Calhoun, V. D., Crespo-Facorro, B., Crossley, N. A., Dannlowski, U., Dickie, E., Dietze, L. M. F., Donohoe, G., Du Plessis, S., Ehrlich, S., Emsley, R., Furstova, P., Glahn, D. C., Gonzalez- Valderrama, A., Grotegerd, D., Holleran, L., Kircher, T. T. J., Knytl, P., Kolenic, M., & 23 others , 20 Jul 2022, In: Molecular Psychiatry.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
Open Access -
Cortical thickness across the lifespan: Data from 17,075 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years
Karolinska Schizophrenia Project (KaSP), 31 Jan 2022, In: Human Brain Mapping. 43, 1, p. 431-451 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile65 Citations (SciVal)8 Downloads (Pure) -
DNA methylation signature of chronic low-grade inflammation and its role in cardio-respiratory diseases
BIOS consortium, 3 May 2022, In: Nature Communications. 13, 1, p. 2408 2408.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access8 Citations (SciVal)