Research Group "Neuropsychiatry and Biomarkers"

Research activities led by Prof. J. Popp focus on the early biological and clinical changes associated with delirium and cognitive decline in older people. In particular, this research aims to:

• Identify and validate molecular biomarkers that allow for the prediction, early detection, and differential diagnosis of cognitive impairment and related behavioral psychological symptoms
• Better understand the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative diseases
• Identify risk factors and protective factors of cognitive decline and delirium to assess risk and develop approaches to prevention and treatment

The SNSF has awarded an important research grant to the project "An integrative multi-omics approach to investigate cerebral and systemic biological pathway alterations with clinical relevance in early Alzheimer's disease" led by Prof. J Popp.

The aim of this research project is to comprehensively study biological alterations in blood, cerebrospinal fluid and MRI in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in order to better understand their relevance for cognitive deficits and psychological symptoms such as depression or apathy. In addition, new biomarker candidates to improve individual diagnosis and prognosis could be identified and validated during this project.

In addition to the University Department of Advanced Age Psychiatry (SUPAA), the University Departments of Geriatric Psychiatry in Zurich and Bern are participating in this project. The multicentric implementation of the project will facilitate the application of the results in clinical practice and strengthen the cooperation of the participating centres beyond this project.

• Discovering complex connections between brain energy metabolism and Alzheimer disease: Metabolomics-led system’s wide clinical and experimental study (Synapsis Foundation – Alzheimer Research Switzerland - 2017-PI01)
• An integrative multi-omics approach to investigate cerebral and systemic biological pathway alterations with clinical relevance in early Alzheimer’s disease (Swiss National Science Fund - 320030_204886)
• Molecular pathway alterations of neuropsychiatric symptoms in older people: integrative multi-omics based characterisation and biomarker discovery
• Associations of subjective cognitive decline with cerebral Alzheimer’s disease pathology and cognitive decline