# A Psychobiological Follow-up Study of Transition from Prodrome to Early Psychosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $589,147

## Abstract

7. Project Summary/Abstract:
There is a worldwide movement in the early intervention for adolescents and young adults appearing to
develop early signs of psychosis or described as at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, led mainly by
researchers in Australia, Europe, and North America. Within the Asian Network for Early Psychosis, Taiwan
and Singapore have started to address the CHR population. To our knowledge, we are the first research group
carrying out CHR studies in a low-middle income country in Asia. Since 2012, supported by NIMH/Fogarty
1R21MH093294-01A1 and an NIMH R01 MH101052-01, we have worked closely with the Shanghai Mental Health
Center (SMHC), to develop a CHR research program in Shanghai, China. The completed R21 and on-going
R01 projects aim at identification of the risk factors for CHR conversion over approximately one year. In our
current proposal, in response to NIH FOA PAR-14-332, Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research
across the Lifespan (R01), we will continue to enhance research capacity building at SMHC, and
collaboratively carry out an extensive follow-up study of clinical outcomes such as conversion to psychosis and
level of disability, and we will evaluate the evolution of biomarkers such as event related potentials, resting
state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), white matter as assessed by diffusion tensor imaging MRI,
and neurocognition. We will follow-up 300 well characterized CHR and Healthy Control (HC) participants
between the ages of 15-45 for two more follow-up assessments. The longitudinal nature of the project is novel
in China and worldwide as this will be the first study to comprehensively examine biopsychosocial parameters
predictive of psychosis conversion and illness progression for up to 6 years, including two new follow-ups of
the biomarkers (4 assessments including baseline). Moreover, unlike many studies in the West, virtually 100%
of the participants are psychotropically naïve when they enter the study, and the assessments are done at one
site (SMHC), reducing confounds associated with medications and multiple sites. Our goal is to work
collaboratively with researchers at the SMHC to establish a sustainable CHR longitudinal program of research
in China and to lay a solid foundation for CHR early intervention.This project aims to: 1). Develop predictors for
conversion to psychosis, 2). Investigate clinical and biomarker progression in CHR, 3). Demonstrate an
association between clinical features, biological measures and disability in CHR, and 4). Explore the feasibility
of early intervention with CHR subjects. Capacity building and research training will be conducted during and
beyond the proposed project to facilitate sustainable research at SMHC.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10011832
- **Project number:** 5R01MH111448-05
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Huijun Li
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $589,147
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2022-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10011832

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10011832, A Psychobiological Follow-up Study of Transition from Prodrome to Early Psychosis (5R01MH111448-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10011832. Licensed CC0.

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