£1m project sets out to find mental illness ’fingerprint’ in brainwaves

A team of psychologists and psychiatrists are beginning research on a brainwave 'fingerprint' which could identify young people at risk of developing serious mental illness. Researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh are looking to recruit 100 volunteers aged between 16 and 35 for a new £1m project which will measure their brain activity and examine changes in their mental state for a period of up to two years. The Youth Mental Health Risk and Resilience Study (YouR-Study) will use magnetoencephalography (MEG), a brain imaging technique, to examine a specific set of brainwaves known to be involved in cognitive functions. The University of Glasgow is home to the only MEG equipment in Scotland. The researchers hope that the project could lead to an early-warning system capable of identifying people at high risk of developing psychosis before they fully manifest the symptoms, such as hallucinations or delusions. Volunteers will be drawn from the general public, recruited via the study's website at your-study.org.uk , and people who have had past contact with NHS mental health services. They will also be offered access to mental health services if required at any stage during the study.