Mapping organ-specific ageing pathways in mental and physical multiple long-term conditions
Supervisors:
Prof Jonathan Cavanagh, School of Infection & Immunity, University of Glasgow
Dr Filippo Queirazza, School of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow
Dr Joana Carvalheiro, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow
Summary:
People with mental illness are at increased risk of developing multiple long-term physical conditions (MLTCs), yet the biological mechanisms linking mental and physical health remain poorly understood. This project will investigate how different organs in the brain and body age, and how variation in these ageing processes contributes to the development and clustering of MLTCs.
Using large-scale population datasets, the PhD will develop models of organ-specific biological ageing and quantify how these relate to mental illness, physical MLTCs, and their co-occurrence. The project will also examine how ageing trajectories differ across organ systems, and whether distinct patterns are associated with adverse health outcomes. In addition, the work will explore how lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, and socioeconomic inequalities influence organ-specific ageing and MLTC risk.
By identifying biological pathways linking organ ageing and MLTCs, the project aims to generate novel biomarkers for early risk detection and improve understanding of disease progression, with the long-term goal of informing more targeted prevention strategies.
This interdisciplinary project spans psychiatry, neuroscience, and computational health data science, and will provide training in advanced statistical modelling and analysis of multimodal health data.