Project description
Identifying and preventing environmentally related mental illnesses
Environmentally related mental illnesses represent a significant challenge to modern societies. The EU-funded environMENTAL project will investigate how climate change, urbanisation and psychosocial stress caused by the COVID-19-pandemic affect mental health. The project will identify their fundamental molecular mechanisms and develop preventions and early interventions. Researchers will combine cohort data for over 1.5 million European citizens and patients with deep phenotyping data from large-scale behavioural neuroimaging cohorts. The project will develop a neurocognitive model of multimodal environmental signatures related to transdiagnostic symptom groups by exploiting population and patient data. This is taken from geolocation, and spatiotemporal environmental data derived from remote sensing satellites, climate models, regional-socioeconomic data, and digital health applications.
Objective
The environMENTAL project will investigate how some of the greatest global environmental challenges, climate change, urbanisation, and psychosocial stress caused by the COVID-19-pandemic affect mental health over the lifespan. It will identify their underlying molecular mechanisms and develop preventions and early interventions. Leveraging cohort data of over 1.5 million European citizens and patients enriched with deep phenotyping data from large scale behavioural neuroimaging cohorts, we will identify brain mechanisms related to environmental adversity underlying symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and substance abuse. By linking population and patient data via geo-location to spatiotemporal environmental data derived from remote sensing satellites, climate models, regional-socioeconomic data and digital health applications, our interdisciplinary team will develop a neurocognitive model of multimodal environmental signatures related to transdiagnostic symptom groups that are characterised by shared brain mechanisms. We will uncover the molecular basis underlying these mechanisms using multi-modal -omics analyses, brain organoids and virtual brain simulations, thus providing an integrated perspective for each individual across the lifespan and spectrum of functioning. The insight gained will be applied to developing risk biomarkers and stratification markers. We will then screen for pharmacological compounds targeting the molecular mechanisms discovered. We will also reduce symptom development and progression using virtual reality interventions based on the adverse environmental features - developed in close collaboration with stakeholders. Overall, this project will lead to objective biomarkers and evidence-based pharmacologic and VR-based interventions that will significantly prevent and improve outcomes of environmentally-related mental illnesses, and empower EU citizens to manage better their mental health and well-being.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technology
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencessubstance abuse
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationsvirtual reality
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
10117 Berlin
Germany
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Participants (18)
14195 Berlin
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68159 Mannheim
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23562 Lübeck
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
24118 Kiel
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0313 Oslo
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
0450 Oslo
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14469 Potsdam
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6525 GA Nijmegen
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3400 Klosterneuburg
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08007 Barcelona
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53127 Bonn
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53127 Bonn
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
67000 Strasbourg
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13284 Marseille
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08015 Barcelona
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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80333 Munchen
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07743 JENA
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82256 FURSTENFELDBRUCK
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partners (9)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
200433 SHANGHAI
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
30303 Atlanta
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
90089 5013 Los Angeles Ca
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
94043 Mountain View
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
WC2R 2LS London
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
Participation ended
LE1 9BH Leicester
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
NG7 2RD Nottingham
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
69123 HEIDELBERG
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
0456 Oslo
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