Nimhans-led PARAM research to predict and prevent brain disorders

Bengaluru: Nimhans has collaborated with 10 premier institutes from across India to start long-term research that will help understand how brain and behaviour disorders develop and why some people are more vulnerable than others. 

The study, named PARAM (Pathways to Resilience and Mental Health), will help understand how factors ranging from genetic influences to exposure to multiple environmental factors may result in deviations in brain development. 

As part of the study, researchers will map the brain development of a child from -6 months (second trimester of pregnancy) to 30 years of age. This will help the researchers determine the timeline as to when humans develop psychological and emotional abilities along with a brain map of the development. With a sample set of over 10,000, researchers aim to understand how deviations or differences in brain development make a person vulnerable to developing brain disorders. 

“The primary aim is to predict if a person is at risk of developing brain disorders and if yes what kind of interventions can be planned to reduce the impact or risk. Depending on the genetics and the brain development observed in the patient, we can also plan personalised medicines,” explained Dr Vivek Benegal, Principal Investigator for the research from Nimhans. 

The research will also help the medical fraternity determine the risk factors that contribute to the disorders and the impact of environmental and societal conditions on the development of the human brain. 

“The study will also consider the impact of various environmental exposures such as air pollution (PM2.5), under and over-nutrition, presence of heavy metals like arsenic in groundwater, childhood adversities, poor school environments, and gender and socioeconomic inequality on brain development. In fact, research in various countries has shown the direct impact of these factors on the mental health of people,” Dr Benegal added. 

The researchers also hope that the knowledge of this matrix of risk will open up an understanding of what kind of universal public health interventions can be used to prevent brain illnesses. 

As a part of the study, the researchers will study brain development using brain scans, psychological tests, heart rhythms, blood tests, and saliva or hair tests for infants and children to study genetic influences and other biological measures. 

PARMA is an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Task Force project and is conducted in collaboration with the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh; AIIMS-Kalyani and Jodhpur; IIIT, Bengaluru; IIT-Delhi; IIT-Guwahati and many other well-known institutions. 

The study is open to the public and those interested in participating in the study can contact the researchers at [e-mail].