Childhood Origins of Brain Health and Co-occurring Conditions: COBraH-CC
Supervisors:
Prof Tim Hales, School of Medicine, University of Dundee
Prof Douglas Steele, School of Medicine, University of Dundee
Prof Lesley Colvin, School of Medicine, University of Dundee
Summary:
Adverse childhood experiences increase the risk of developing multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs), including depression, chronic pain, substance misuse and cognitive impairment. The biological mechanisms linking early adversity to co-occurring mental and physical ill-health remain unclear. COBraH-CC will investigate whether accelerated biological ageing of the brain provides one such pathway and whether it can be detected using accessible blood-based markers.
Using existing cohort data from Generation Scotland/STRADL, MIDUS and UK Biobank, the student will examine relationships between childhood trauma, MRI-derived brain age, cognitive function and patterns of mental–physical MLTCs. They will then test whether DNA methylation measures of biological ageing in blood are associated with brain-age differences and MLTC burden and develop integrated molecular/imaging signatures of adversity-related vulnerability.
The project will provide training in epidemiology, neuroimaging, epigenetics, machine learning, reproducible analysis and trauma-informed public involvement. By identifying biological pathways that link childhood adversity to later co-occurring conditions, COBraH-CC aims to improve understanding of health inequalities and inform future strategies for earlier identification and prevention.