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You are here Psychiatry > Research > Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group > Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive Genetics and Cognitive Therapy Group

Our work in cognitive genetics has focused on characterising the effects of genetic variants linked to risk for psychosis on brain structure and function. Aspects of brain structure, such as brain volume and white matter integrity, and brain functions, such as cortical activations that occur during information processing  are likely to mediate the effects of genetic variants on illness. In what’s often described as an intermediate or 'endophenotype' approach, studying these brain based ‘phenotypes’ may help bring us closer to the mechanism of gene activity so as to understand the broader illness phenotype.  To do this our work draws on neuropsychological, electrophysiological, and neuro-imaging techniques for investigating the role of gene function at the level of individual brain systems.

Research

Our research is focussed on the key question: how do genes increase risk for psychosis? To address this question we are studying the effects of recently identified psychosis risk genes on brain structure and brain function. Identifying and charactiersing how neural systems are affected by risk genes can tell us much about the neurobiology of the psychosis, a key requirement for the development of new treatments. Two recent developments in this work include focusing on risk genes effects on aspects of social cognition, and communication or ‘connectivity’ between brain regions.

  1. Social cognitive neuroscience

    2. Disability in schizophrenia (SZ) results from, and is predicted by, deficits in social cognition that are not targeted by current treatments. Targeting these deficits is challenging because the underlying neural mechanisms are poorly understood. The purpose of our research into this area is twofold: (1) to delineate patterns of abnormal activations within cortical and sub-cortical regions during performance of social cognition tasks; (2) to comprehensively evaluate the impact on social cognition of common and rare genetic variation contributing to the genetic architecture of schizophrenia and related phenotypes. Investigating the biology of social cognition in SZ patients rather than simply in healthy participants is relatively novel for our field. Moreover, analysis of imaging data on patients and controls collected here, together with our existing behavioural social cognition data and genome data, uniquely positions us to establish the effects of risk variants on social cognition at the level of behaviour, cortical activation, and neuroanatomy.

  2. Neural Connectivity

    3. Neural connectivity has recently been proposed as an intermediate phenotype for schizophrenia.  In the CogGene lab, we are examining the effects of specific schizophrenia risk variants on:

    1. Structural connectivity: the white matter tracts connecting different parts of the brain

    2. Functional connectivity: the correlation of activity between different parts of the brain

    3. Effective connectivity: the effect of one group of neurons on another

     To carry out this research, we are using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), with analysis techniques including DTI tractography, psychophysiological interactions (PPI) and dynamic causal modelling (DCM).  Characterising the effects of these variants on neural networks has the potential to further elucidate the mechanisms by which they increase risk, which may guide future treatment strategies.

Diffusion tensor imaging of white matter tracts in the brain

Research Volunteers needed

For details on how to participate in our research please click 'Volunteers Needed'. 

Research Methods

  1. Neuropsychological Assessment

    2. Measures of neuropsychological ability, including general cognitive ability (IQ), memory, and attention have been extensively used to investigate variance in cognition in both health controls and patients. This provides a relatively simple and cost-effective strategy for measuring the effects of individual genes on cognition in large numbers of individuals.

  2. Electrophysiological Tests

    3. The use of high density EEG to study variance in sensory information processing, both at early and late processing stages involves a non-invasive measurement of electrical impulses picked up by scalp electrodes. This approach allows mili-second accuracy in recording brain responses to visual and auditory stimuli.

  3. Neuroimaging Approaches

    4. This involves the use of MRI for a wide range of purposes, including measurement of grey and white matter density, white matter integrity (DTI), and functional MRI (fMRI). Collectively, these approaches provide millimetre accuracy in investigating the influence of individual genes on brain structure and function.

Publications

  1. Burdick K, Glicksberg B, Donohoe G. Genetic Influences on Cognition in Schizophrenia. Genetic Influences on Cognition in Schizophrenia. Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: Characteristics, Assessment and Treatment. Ed Philip Harvey. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. (In press).
  2. Corvin A, Donohoe G, Hargreaves A, Gallagher L, Gill M. The Cognitive Genetics of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2012 Feb 26. [Epub ahead  of print] PubMed PMID: 22367920. 
  3. Donohoe G, Goldberg TE, Corvin A. Cognitive intermediate phenotypes in schizophrenia genetics. In TE Goldberg and D Weinberger (Eds) The Genetics of Cognitive neuroscience, 2009 Boston: MIT Press.
  4. Waddington JL, Corvin AP, Donohoe G, O'Tuathaigh CM, Mitchell KJ, Gill M. Functional genomics and schizophrenia: endophenotypes and mutant models. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2007 Sep;30(3):365-99. Review. PubMed PMID: 17720028.  
  1. *Rose EJ, Donohoe G. Brain vs. behavior: an effect size comparison of neuroimaging and cognitive studies of genetic risk for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin (In Press).
  2. *Donohoe G, Duignan A, Hargreaves A, Morris DW, Rose EJ, Robertson D, Cummings E, Moore S, Gill M, Corvin A. Social Cognition In Bipolar Disorder Versus Schizophrenia:  Comparability of Mental State Decoding Deficits. Bipolar Disorders (In Press).
  3. *Rose EJ, Morris DW, Fahey C, Robertson IH, Greene C,  Doherty J, Newell FN, Garavan H, McGrath J, Bokde A, Tropea D, Gill M, Corvin AP, Donohoe G.The effect of the neurogranin schizophrenia risk variant rs12807809 on brain structure and function. Twin Research and Human Genetics (In Press).
  4. *Mothersill O, Kelly S, Rose EJ, Donohoe G. The effects of psychosis risk variants on brain connectivity: a review. Frontiers In Psychiatry (In Press).
  5. Pertl M, Hevey D, Donohoe G, Collier S. Assessing Patients’ Beliefs About Their Cancer-Related Fatigue: Validation of an Adapted Version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire J Clin Psychol Med Settings (In Press).
  6. Gilks WP, Hill M, Gill M, Donohoe G, Corvin AP, Morris DW. Functional investigation of a schizophrenia GWAS signal at the CDC42 gene. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Mar 5. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22385474.  
  7. *Rose EJ, Greene C, Kelly S, Morris DW, Robertson IH, Fahey C, Jacobson S, O'Doherty J, Newell FN, McGrath J, Bokde A, Garavan H, Frodl T, Gill M, Corvin AP, Donohoe G. The NOS1 variant rs6490121 is associated with variation in prefrontal function and grey matter density in healthy individuals. Neuroimage. 2012 Mar;60(1):614-22. Epub 2011 Dec 29. PubMed PMID: 22227051.  
  8. *Donohoe G, Schmidt H, Robertson IH. Cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: What works for whom? 2011. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 28(4) 414-424.
  9. Jablensky A, Angelicheva D, Donohoe G, Cruickshank M, Azmanov DN, Morris DW,  McRae A, Weickert CS, Carter KW, Chandler D, Alexandrov B, Usheva A, Morar B, Verbrugghe PL, Filipovska A, Rackham O, Bishop AR, Rasmussen KO, Dragovic M, Cooper M, Phillips M, Badcock J, Bramon-Bosch E, Almeida OP, Flicker L, Gill M, Corvin A, Macgregor S, Kalaydjieva L. Promoter polymorphisms in two overlapping 6p25 genes implicate mitochondrial proteins in cognitive deficit in schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Oct 4. doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.129. [Epub ahead  of print] PubMed PMID: 21968932.  
  10. Ripke S, […]Donohoe G, et al., Schizophrenia Psychiatric Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) Consortium. Genome-wide association study identifies five new schizophrenia loci. Nat Genet.  2011 Sep 18;43(10):969-76. doi: 10.1038/ng.940. PubMed PMID: 21926974.
  11. *Hargreaves A, Morris DW, Rose E, Fahey C, Moore S, Cummings E, Tropea D, Gill  M, Corvin A, Donohoe G. ZNF804A and social cognition in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Mol Psychiatry. 2012 Feb;17(2):118-9. doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.102. Epub 2011 Aug 30. PubMed PMID: 21876541.
  12. *O'Donoghue T, Morris DW, Fahey C, Costa AD, Foxe JJ, Hoerold D, Tropea D, Gill M, Corvin A, Donohoe G. A NOS1 variant implicated in cognitive performance influences evoked neural responses during a high density EEG study of early visual perception. Hum Brain Mapp. 2011 Apr 21. doi: 10.1002/hbm.21281. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 21520349.  
  13. *Donohoe G, Walters J, Morris DW, Da Costa A, Rose E, Hargreaves A, Maher K, Hayes E, Giegling I, Hartmann AM, Möller HJ, Muglia P, Moskvina V, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Gill M, Corvin A, Rujescu D. A neuropsychological investigation of  the genome wide associated schizophrenia risk variant NRGN rs12807809. Schizophr  Res. 2011 Feb;125(2-3):304-6. Epub 2010 Nov 26. PubMed PMID: 21112188.
  14. *Donohoe G, Rose E, Frodl T, Morris D, Spoletini I, Adriano F, Bernardini S, Caltagirone C, Bossù P, Gill M, Corvin AP, Spalletta G. ZNF804A risk allele is associated with relatively intact gray matter volume in patients with schizophrenia. Neuroimage. 2011 Feb 1;54(3):2132-7. Epub 2010 Oct 8. PubMed PMID: 20934520.
  15. *Donohoe G, Morris DW, Corvin A. The psychosis susceptibility gene ZNF804A: associations, functions, and phenotypes. Schizophr Bull. 2010 Sep;36(5):904-9. Epub 2010 Aug 5. PubMed PMID: 20688871; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2930340.  
  16. *Walters JT, Corvin A, Owen MJ, Williams H, Dragovic M, Quinn EM, Judge R, Smith DJ, Norton N, Giegling I, Hartmann AM, Möller HJ, Muglia P, Moskvina V, Dwyer S, O'Donoghue T, Morar B, Cooper M, Chandler D, Jablensky A, Gill M, Kaladjieva L, Morris DW, O'Donovan MC, Rujescu D, Donohoe G. Psychosis susceptibility gene ZNF804A and cognitive performance in schizophrenia. Arch Gen  Psychiatry. 2010 Jul;67(7):692-700. PubMed PMID: 20603450.
  17. Cummings E, Donohoe G, McDonald C, Dinan TG, O'Neill FA, O'Callaghan E, Waddington JL, Murphy KC, Gill M, Morris DW, Corvin A. Clinical symptomatology and the psychosis risk gene ZNF804A. Schizophr Res. 2010 Sep;122(1-3):273-5. Epub 2010 Jun 11. PubMed PMID: 20538430.  
  18. Spalletta G, Morris DW, Angelucci F, Rubino IA, Spoletini I, Bria P, Martinotti G, Siracusano A, Bonaviri G, Bernardini S, Caltagirone C, Bossù P, Donohoe G, Gill M, Corvin AP. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with aggressive behavior in schizophrenia. Eur Psychiatry. 2010 Oct;25(6):311-3. Epub  2010 Apr 28. PubMed PMID: 20430595.   
  19. O'Dushlaine C, Kenny E, Heron E, Donohoe G, Gill M, Morris D; International Schizophrenia Consortium, Corvin A. Molecular pathways involved in neuronal cell  adhesion and membrane scaffolding contribute to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder susceptibility. Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Mar;16(3):286-92. Epub 2010 Feb 16. PubMed PMID: 20157312.  
  20. Frodl T, Reinhold E, Koutsouleris N, Donohoe G, Bondy B, Reiser M, Möller HJ, Meisenzahl EM. Childhood stress, serotonin transporter gene and brain structures in major depression. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 May;35(6):1383-90. Epub 2010 Feb 10. PubMed PMID: 20147891; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3055341. 
  21. *Donohoe G, Goldberg TE, Corvin A. Cognitive intermediate phenotypes in schizophrenia genetics. In TE Goldberg and D Weinberger (Eds) The Genetics of Cognitive neuroscience, 2009 Boston: MIT Press.
  22. Gilks WP, Allott EH, Donohoe G, Cummings E, International Schizophrenia Consortium, Gill M, Corvin AP, Morris DW. Replicated genetic evidence supports a  role for HOMER2 in schizophrenia. Neurosci Lett. 2010 Jan 14;468(3):229-33. Epub  2009 Nov 13. PubMed PMID: 19914345.  
  23. Haq F, Behan C, McGlade N, Mulkearn U, O’Callaghan E, Kinsella A, Corvin A, Donohoe G, Gill M. Factors that influence patients' attitudes to antipsychotic medication. 2009, Ir J Psych. Med. 26(1): 6-11.
  24. Gill M, Donohoe G, Corvin A. What have the genomics ever done for the psychoses? Psychol Med. 2010 Apr;40(4):529-40. Epub 2009 Oct 12. Review. PubMed PMID: 19818200.  
  25. *Donohoe G, Walters J, Morris DW, Quinn EM, Judge R, Norton N, Giegling I, Hartmann AM, Möller HJ, Muglia P, Williams H, Moskvina V, Peel R, O'Donoghue T, Owen MJ, O'Donovan MC, Gill M, Rujescu D, Corvin A. Influence of NOS1 on verbal intelligence and working memory in both patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Oct;66(10):1045-54. PubMed PMID: 19805695.
  26. *Donohoe G, Frodl T, Morris D, Spoletini I, Cannon DM, Cherubini A, Caltagirone C, Bossù P, McDonald C, Gill M, Corvin AP, Spalletta G. Reduced occipital and prefrontal brain volumes in dysbindin-associated schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Jan;35(2):368-73. Epub. PubMed PMID: 19794403; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3055383.
  27. Murtagh A, Hurley AL, Kinsella A, Corvin A, Donohoe G, Gill M, O'Callaghan E, Murphy KC. The Letter-Number Sequencing Test and its association with potential to work among people with psychotic illness. Eur Psychiatry. 2010 Mar;25(2):101-4. Epub 2009 Aug 31. PubMed PMID: 19720503.  
  28. *Donohoe G, Hayden J, McGlade N, O'Gráda C, Burke T, Barry S, Behan C, Dinan TG, O'Callaghan E, Gill M, Corvin AP. Is "clinical" insight the same as "cognitive" insight in schizophrenia? J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2009 May;15(3):471-5. PubMed PMID: 19402933.  
  29. *Donohoe G, Spoletini I, McGlade N, Behan C, Hayden J, O'Donoghue T, Peel R, Haq F, Walker C, O'Callaghan E, Spalletta G, Gill M, Corvin A. Are relational style and neuropsychological performance predictors of social attributions in chronic schizophrenia? Psychiatry Res. 2008 Oct 30;161(1):19-27. Epub 2008 Sep 11. PubMed PMID: 18789541.  
  30. *O'Gráda C, Barry S, McGlade N, Behan C, Haq F, Hayden J, O'Donoghue T, Peel R, Morris DW, O'Callaghan E, Gill M, Corvin AP, Dinan TG, Donohoe G. Does the ability to sustain attention underlie symptom severity in schizophrenia? Schizophr Res. 2009 Feb;107(2-3):319-23. Epub 2008 Sep 3. PubMed PMID: 18768299.  
  31. *McGlade N, Behan C, Hayden J, O'Donoghue T, Peel R, Haq F, Gill M, Corvin A,  O'Callaghan E, Donohoe G. Mental state decoding v. mental state reasoning as a mediator between cognitive and social function in psychosis. Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;193(1):77-8. PubMed PMID: 18700225; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2802524.  
  32. Yang MS, Morris DW, Donohoe G, Kenny E, O'Dushalaine CT, Schwaiger S, Nangle  JM, Clarke S, Scully P, Quinn J, Meagher D, Baldwin P, Crumlish N, O'Callaghan E, Waddington JL, Gill M, Corvin A. Chitinase-3-like 1 (CHI3L1) gene and schizophrenia: genetic association and a potential functional mechanism. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jul 15;64(2):98-103. Epub 2008 Feb 20. PubMed PMID: 18281018.  
  33. Corvin A, Donohoe G, Nangle JM, Schwaiger S, Morris D, Gill M. A dysbindin risk haplotype associated with less severe manic-type symptoms in psychosis. Neurosci Lett. 2008 Jan 31;431(2):146-9. Epub 2007 Dec 4. PubMed PMID: 18162312.  
  34. *Donohoe G, Morris DW, De Sanctis P, Magno E, Montesi JL, Garavan HP, Robertson IH, Javitt DC, Gill M, Corvin AP, Foxe JJ. Early visual processing deficits in dysbindin-associated schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Mar 1;63(5):484-9. Epub 2007 Oct 22. PubMed PMID: 17945199.
  35. Corvin A, Donohoe G, McGhee K, Murphy K, Kenny N, Schwaiger S, Nangle JM, Morris D, Gill M. D-amino acid oxidase (DAO) genotype and mood symptomatology in  schizophrenia. Neurosci Lett. 2007 Oct 16;426(2):97-100. Epub 2007 Sep 8. PubMed  PMID: 17890006.  
  36. *Donohoe G, Morris DW, Robertson IH, McGhee KA, Murphy K, Kenny N, Clarke S, Gill M, Corvin AP. DAOA ARG30LYS and verbal memory function in schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. 2007 Sep;12(9):795-6. PubMed PMID: 17767147.
  37. Waddington JL, Corvin AP, Donohoe G, O'Tuathaigh CM, Mitchell KJ, Gill M. Functional genomics and schizophrenia: endophenotypes and mutant models. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2007 Sep;30(3):365-99. Review. PubMed PMID: 17720028.  
  38. Morris DW, Murphy K, Kenny N, Purcell SM, McGhee KA, Schwaiger S, Nangle JM, Donohoe G, Clarke S, Scully P, Quinn J, Meagher D, Baldwin P, Crumlish N, O'Callaghan E, Waddington JL, Gill M, Corvin AP. Dysbindin (DTNBP1) and the biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 1 (BLOC-1): main and epistatic  gene effects are potential contributors to schizophrenia susceptibility. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jan 1;63(1):24-31. Epub 2007 Jul 9. PubMed PMID: 17618940.  
  39. Corvin A, McGhee KA, Murphy K, Donohoe G, Nangle JM, Schwaiger S, Kenny N, Clarke S, Meagher D, Quinn J, Scully P, Baldwin P, Browne D, Walsh C, Waddington  JL, Morris DW, Gill M. Evidence for association and epistasis at the DAOA/G30 and D-amino acid oxidase loci in an Irish schizophrenia sample. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2007 Oct 5;144B(7):949-53. PubMed PMID: 17492767.  
  40. *Donohoe G, Morris DW, Robertson IH, Clarke S, McGhee KA, Schwaiger S, Nangle  JM, Gill M, Corvin A. Variance in facial recognition performance associated with  BDNF in schizophrenia. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2007 Jun 5;144B(4):578-9. PubMed PMID: 17450558.  
  41. *Donohoe G, Reilly R, Clarke S, Meredith S, Green B, Morris D, Gill M, Corvin  A, Garavan H, Robertson IH. Do antisaccade deficits in schizophrenia provide evidence of a specific inhibitory function? J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2006 Nov;12(6):901-6. PubMed PMID: 17064452.  
  42. *Donohoe G, Morris DW, Clarke S, McGhee KA, Schwaiger S, Nangle JM, Garavan H, Robertson IH, Gill M, Corvin A. Variance in neurocognitive performance is associated with dysbindin-1 in schizophrenia: a preliminary study. Neuropsychologia. 2007 Jan 28;45(2):454-8. Epub 2006 Aug 22. PubMed PMID: 16930638.  
  43. *Donohoe G. Adherence to Antipsychotic Treatment in Schizophrenia: What Role Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Play in Improving Outcomes? Dis. Man. Health Outcomes, 4: 207-214.
  44. *Donohoe G, Clarke S, Morris D, Nangle JM, Schwaiger S, Gill M, Corvin A, Robertson IH. Are deficits in executive sub-processes simply reflecting more general cognitive decline in schizophrenia? Schizophr Res. 2006 Jul;85(1-3):168-73. Epub 2006 May 23. PubMed PMID: 16716568.  
  45. *Nangle JM, Clarke S, Morris DW, Schwaiger S, McGhee KA, Kenny N, Murphy K, Gill M, Corvin A, Donohoe G. Neurocognition and suicidal behaviour in an Irish population with major psychotic disorders. Schizophr Res. 2006 Jul;85(1-3):196-200.
  46. *Donohoe G, Corvin A, Robertson IH. Evidence that specific executive functions predict symptom variance among schizophrenia patients with a predominantly negative symptom profile. Cogn Neuropsychiatry. 2006 Jan;11(1):13-32. PubMed PMID: 16537231.  
  47. *Donohoe G, Corvin A, Robertson IH. Are the cognitive deficits associated with impaired insight in schizophrenia specific to executive task performance? J Nerv  Ment Dis. 2005 Dec;193(12):803-8. Review. PubMed PMID: 16319702.  
  48. McGhee KA, Morris DW, Schwaiger S, Nangle JM, Donohoe G, Clarke S, Meagher D, Quinn J, Scully P, Waddington JL, Gill M, Corvin A. Investigation of the apolipoprotein-L (APOL) gene family and schizophrenia using a novel DNA pooling strategy for public database SNPs. Schizophr Res. 2005 Jul 15;76(2-3):231-8. PubMed PMID: 15949655.  
  49. *Donohoe G, O’Donnell C, Owens N, O'Callaghan E. Evidence that health attributions and symptom severity predict insight in schizophrenia. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2004 Sep;192(9):635-7. PubMed PMID: 15348981.  
  50. O'Donnell C, Donohoe G, Sharkey L, Owens N, Migone M, Harries R, Kinsella A,  Larkin C, O'Callaghan E. Compliance therapy: a randomised controlled trial in schizophrenia. BMJ. 2003 Oct 11;327(7419):834. PubMed PMID: 14551096; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC214016.
  51. *Donohoe G, Robertson IH. Can specific deficits in executive functioning explain the negative symptoms of schizophrenia? A review. Neurocase. 2003 Apr;9(2):97-108. Review. PubMed PMID: 12925934.  
  52. *Donohoe G, Owens N, O'Donnell C, Burke T, Moore L, Tobin A, O'Callaghan E. Predictors of compliance with neuroleptic medication among inpatients with schizophrenia: a discriminant function analysis. Eur Psychiatry. 2001 Aug;16(5):293-8. PubMed PMID: 11514132. 
Donohoe G. Book Review: ‘Genes brain and Development. The neurocognition of genetics disorders. In Neuropsychological rehabilitation, 2010. 20(5) 798-799.
  1. Donohoe G, Spolletini I. Researching the DSM-V: Current questions and likely answers. Irish Psychologist, 2008. 34 (8): 217-221.
  2. Greene BR, Meredith S, Reilly R, Donohoe G (2004) A novel, portable eye tracking system for use in schizophrenia research Irish Signals and Systems Conference, 2004, P89-94.
  3. Donohoe G, Compliance with neuroleptics in Schizophrenia., Irish Medical Times, 2002 (Feb), 2002, p32
  4. Donohoe G, Is your child depressed?, Frontline, 48, 2001, p28
  5. Donohoe G et al., Differences in cognitive, social, and physical resources between depressed and non-depressed older people. Thornfield Journal, 21, 1999, p11-18
  6. Donohoe G, Burnt People: Living in l’Arche, Furrow, 98, (2), 1997, p95-101

Rose, E.J., Hargreaves, A., Morris, D.W., Fahey, C., Gill, M., Corvin,
A., and Donohoe,G. The novel psychosis risk variant rs7914558 at CNNM2 is
associated with variability in social cognitive function and gray matter
volume. Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Chicago, IL, USA.  March 2012.

Rose, E.J., Greene, C., Morris, D.W., Fahey, C., Robertson, I., Garavan,
H., Gill, M., Corvin, A.P., and Donohoe, G.  The NOS1 polymorphism
rs6490121 is associated with variation in prefrontal function and gray
matter density in healthy individuals. Organization
for Human Brain Mapping, Quebec, Canada, June 2011.

Rose, E.J., Mothersill, O., Greene, C., Kelly, S., Morris, D.W., Fahey,
C., Robertson, I., Garavan, H., Gill, M., Corvin, A.P., and Donohoe, G.
The putative NOS1 schizophrenia risk variant rs6490121 is associated with
prefrontal function and gray matter density in healthy individuals. Wiring the Brain, Ireland, April 2011.

O'Donoghue, T; Morris, Dw; Fahey, C; Da Costa, A; Foxe, Jj; Hoerold, D; Gill, M; Corvin, A; Donohoe, G. The Nos1 Variants Rs6490121 Previously Associated With Both Schizophrenia And Poorer Cognitive Performance Also Influences Early Visual Processing In Healthy Participants Irish conference of Medical Genetics, Belfast, 2011.                                                               
Donohoe, G; Walters, J; Rose, E; Morris, D; Frodl, T; Spolletini, I; Gill, M; O'donovan, M; Owen, M; Spalletta, G; Rujescu, D; Corvin, A Znf804a Delineates A Schizophrenia Subtype Characterised By Relatively Spared Cognitive Performance And Brain VolumeSchizophrenia Research 2nd Conference Of The Schizophrenia-International-Research-Society (Sirs) Florence, Italy Apr 10-14, 2010       

Rose, E.J., Donohoe, G., Frodl, T., Morris, D.W., Spoletini, I.,
Cherubini, A., Adriano, F., Caltagirone, C.,  Bossu, P., Gill, M., Corvin,
A.P., and Spalletta, G. ZNF804A risk allele is associated with relatively
intact hippocampal grey matter volume in schizophrenia (poster
presentation).  Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Barcelona, Spain,
June 2010.

Jacobson, S; Connolly, C; Kelly, C; Donohoe, G; Cannon, M; Garavan, H Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reveals Reduced Intra-Regional Communication In Children At-Risk For Psychosis Schizophrenia Research 2nd Conference Of The Schizophrenia-International-Research-Society (Sirs) Florence, Italy Schizophrenia Apr 10-14, 2010                                                                                        
Walters, Jtr; Owen, Mj; Donohoe, G; Rujescu, D; O'donovan, M Znf804a, The Top Hit In The Largest Gwas To Date, Influences Performance Iq In Schizophrenia Cases And Healthy Controls    Schizophrenia Bulletin12th International Congress On Schizophrenia Research Mar San Diego, Ca 28-Apr 01, 2009  

Morris, Dw; Donohoe, G; Runker, A; O'tuathaigh, Cmp; Dunleavy, M; Gilks, Wr; Allott, Eh; Hakansson, K; Suto, F; Fujisawa, H; Manabe, T; Henshall, Dc; Gill, M; Waddington, Jl; Corvin, Ap; Mitchell, Kj Animal Knockout Studies In Mice And Human Studies Of Clinical And Neurocognitive Phenotypes Identify A Role For Sema6a And Plxna2 In Schizophrenia Biological Psychiatry 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting Of The Society-Of-Biological-Psychiatry  San Diego, Ca 2007                                                                                                                                                                                               
Donohoe, G; Morris, Dw; Allot, E; Clarke, S; Quinn, Em; Robertson, Ih; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, Ap Olig-2 And Cnp Are Associated With Schizophrenia Risk And Variance In General Cognition And Memory Function In An Irish Sample    Biological Psychiatry 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting Of The Society-Of-Biological-Psychiatry, San Diego, Ca 2007                                                                                                                                                                                               
Donohoe, G; Morris, Dw; Robertson, Ih; Clarke, S; Nangle, Jm; Schwaiger, S; Magno, E; Desanctis, P; Montesi, J; Garavan, H; Javitt, Dc; Gill, M; Foxe, J; Corvin, A       Chacterisation Of Dysbindin Positive Schizophrenia Using Clinical, Cognitive, And Neurophysiological Measures 14th World Congress On Psychiatric Genetics Cagliari, Italy Oct 28-Nov 01, 2006                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Donohoe, G     Dtnbp1 And Cognition In An Irish Sample 61st Annual Convention Of The Society-Of-Biological-Psychiatry Toronto, Canada May 18-20, 2006                                                                                                                                                                                   
Donohoe, G; Morris, D; Mcghee, K; Clarke, S; Nangle, J; Schwaiger, S; Garavan, H; Robertson, Ih; Gill, M; Corvin, A Evidence That Dysbindin-1 Is Associated With Poorer Spatial Working Memory Performance In Schizophrenia. American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetic    13th World Congress On Psychiatric Genetics Boston, Ma Sep 04-08, 2005

Donohoe, G; Morris, D; Clarke, S; Robertson, Ih; Gill, M; Corvin, A Evidence That G72 And Daao Influence Neurocognitive Performance In Patients With Schizophrenia American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 13th World Congress On Psychiatric Genetics Boston, Ma Sep 04-08, 2005

Mcghee, Ka; Morris, Dw; Schwaiger, S; Nangle, J; Murphy, K; Kenny, N; Donohoe, G; Clarke, S; Meagher, D; Quinn, J; Scully, P; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, Ap Association Study Of Three Oxidative Stress Genes Putatively Involved In The Pathogenesis Of Schizophrenia In A Large Irish Case-Control Sample. American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 13th World Congress On Psychiatric Genetics Boston, Ma Sep 04-08, 2005

Morris, Dw; Murphy, K; Kenny, N; Williams, Nm; Mcghee, Ka; Schwaiger, S; Nangle, J; Donohoe, G; Clarke, S; Owen, Mj; O'donovan, Mc; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, Ap Association Analyses Of The Bloc-1 Genes Suggest The Involvement Of Bloc-1 In Schizophrenia Etiology American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 13th World Congress On Psychiatric Genetics Boston, Ma Sep 04-08, 2005

Clarke, S; Donohoe, G; Corvin, A; Reilly, R; Garavan, H; Gill, M; Morris, D; Mcgee, K; Nangle, Jm; Schwaiger, S; Greene, B; Meredith, S; Robertson, Ih Evidence Of Independence Between Antisaccade And Working Memory Task Performance In Schizophrenia 20th International Congress On Schizophernia Research Savannah, Ga Apr 02-06, 2005

Nangle, Je; Clarke, S; Donohoe, G; Schwaiger, S; Morris, D; Mcgee, K; Gill, M; Corvin, A Neurocognition And Suicidal Behaviour In An Irish Population With Major Psychotic Disorders. 20th International Congress On Schizophernia Research Savannah, Ga Apr 02-06, 2005

Mcghee, Ka; Morris, Dw; Schwaiger, S; Nangle, J; Murphy, K; Donohoe, G; Clarke, S; Baldwin, P; Scully, P; Quinn, J; Meagher, D; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, ApAssociation Analysis In A Large Irish Case-Control Sample Of Hspa8 And Gstm3, Two Genes Putatively Involved In Schizophrenia American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 12th World Congress Of Psychiatric Genetics Dublin, Ireland Oct 09-13, 2004

Mcghee, Ka; Morris, Dw; Murphy, K; Schwaiger, S; Naugle, J; Donohoe, G; Clarke, S; Scully, P; Quinn, J; Meagher, D; Baldwin, P; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, Ap Positive Association Of G72-G30 And Daao With Schizophrenia In An Irish Case-Control Sample American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 12th World Congress Of Psychiatric Genetics Dublin, Ireland Oct 09-13, 2004

Morris, D; Mcghee, K; Schwaiger, S; Nangle, J; Murphy, K; Donohoe, G; Clarke, S; Baldwin, P; Scully, P; Quinn, J; Meagher, D; Waddington, Jl; Gill, M; Corvin, Ap An Update On Association Studies Of Dtnbp1, Nrg-1, Rgs4 And Mrds1 In An Extended Irish Schizophrenia Case-Control Sample American Journal Of Medical Genetics Part B-Neuropsychiatric Genetics 12th World Congress Of Psychiatric Genetics Dublin, Ireland Oct 09-13, 2004

Vacancies

Details on current vacancies are available on the trinity college vacancies website at: www.tcd.ie/vacancies

 

Funding Agencies

The work of the CogGene lab is generously sponsored by Science foundation Ireland, the Higher Education Authority (Ireland), the Wellcome trust, and NARSAD.

Brain images constructed using MRIcroGL (http://www.mccauslandcenter.sc.edu/mricrogl/).

Staff

Gary Donohoe

Associate Professor in Clinical Neuropsychology, Group Leader

Gary Donohoe studied psychology at University College Dublin and graduated in 1998. He completed his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Trinity College Dublin in 2002, and his PhD in psychiatric genetics in 2007. He received his faculty position in the dept of psychiatry in 2009, where he leads the psychology program for the school of medicine.

Gary’s research group, which forms part of the neuropsychiatric genetics research group at TCD, studies how brain structure and function are affected by genetic risk factors for psychosis using neuropsychology, MRI and EEG. This work has led to a number of important insights into newly discovered risk genes for schizophrenia.
Having previously worked as a senior clinical psychologist in St John Of God hospital, Gary remains clinically active both in the health services and in private practice. Currently, he is engaged with the Wicklow Mental Health service working on a schizophrenia program funded by the Genio Trust. As part of this work he is actively involved in developing psychological therapies for psychosis, with a particular interest in therapies that address cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

Derek Morris

Assistant Professor of Molecular Psychiatry

Derek Morris graduated with a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 1998. In 2001, he completed his PhD in molecular genetics at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Cardiff University. He subsequently joined the Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group in TCD as a research fellow and was awarded a HRB Postdoctoral Career Development Research Fellowship in 2003. In 2006, Prof. Morris was appointed Assistant Professor of Molecular Psychiatry within the Dept. of Psychiatry in TCD.

Prof. Morris’ research interests are the development of novel methods for mapping genes for complex diseases and the application of high-throughput genomics technologies to detection of risk genes for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He has extensive experience of genome-wide association studies and using SFI funding, set up the first next-generation sequencing lab in Ireland in 2008. His contribution to the Cognitive Genetics Group is the management of biosample resources and genetics data used for ongoing studies.

 

Ken OReilly

Lecturer in Clinical Psychology

Ken has a background in Counselling and Clinical Psychology. He completed a Masters in Counselling Psychology in 2004 at TCD and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at UCD in 2009. Ken has experience working with young people and their families and also with adults who have a variety of mental health needs. In 2011 he took up a joint appointment with the Central Mental Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry TCD. He has a special interest in developing psychological therapies for forensic mental health patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Craig Chigwedere

Lecturer in CBT
Craig studied psychiatric nursing at Brighton University before branching into counselling and specialising in cognitive behavioural psychotherapy (CBT). He completed an MA in Counselling Studies at Brighton and a diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy at King’s College London (KCL). He then worked in Neuropsychiatry at Maudsley Hospital and developed an interest in research into and treatment of non-epileptic seizures. He then completed an MSc in Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, KCL. He became involved in the teaching and supervision of CBT through the CBT courses at the Institute of Psychiatry, KCL. In 2007 he moved to Dublin, to work as a CBT therapist at St Patricks Hospital and Clinical Lecturer at Trinity College Dublin. Craig is currently director of the Foundation Course in CBT and Clinical Lecturer with the CBT Courses at TCD. His research interests include dissociation, therapist self-development and the dissemination of CBT.  He is currently researching the utility of self-practice and self-reflection (SP/SR) as an alternative to personal therapy in CBT and the impact of behavioural activation as applied by briefly trained nurses in an inpatient setting.

Emma Jane Rose

Research Fellow

In my research endeavours my primary interest lies in delineating trait (e.g. genetic risk) and state (e.g. acute drug effects) factors that impact upon the trajectory and experience of psychiatric illness, since I believe this knowledge will (1) inform models of disease etiology, (2) help us to better understand disease development, and (3) contribute to more efficacious prevention and treatment strategies. To this end, my work has focused on using a combination of functional, structural and pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging and imaging genetics in an attempt to determine trait and state specific effects on cognitive and affective processes in psychiatric conditions, such as addiction (nicotine and cocaine), schizophrenia and depression.  Two key areas of interest in my work have been executive function and reward processing, although more recently I have expanded my work to consider social cognitive processes, such as affective forecasting and attributional style.

Deepa Pal

Research Fellow

I graduated with a PHD in physics from the Universiy of Lucknow. I joined the cognitive genetics and therapy group in 2012 following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology at the University of Reading, where I had a lead role in a BBSRC funded research project entitled ″Effect of flavonoids on cognitive functions of human brain: A FMRI study”. My interests include. Functional/Structural MRI, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, MR Spectroscopy, Nutrition & cognition, memory and choice. I currently work on the HRB funded Cognitive Remediation Therapy for schizophrenia within the group.

April Hargreaves

PhD Student

April studied psychology at UCD graduating in 1997. Following this she completed a Masters in neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill and spent two years working at the Institute of Neurology, Queen Square. She is currently studying for her Doctorate in Neuropsychology and genetics with the Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses on the neuropsychological profile of schizophrenia risk variants recently identified in genome wide association studies.

Sinéad Kelly

PhD Student

I studied Psychology in NUI Galway and graduated with a B.A (Hons) in 2009. Following this I began a Neuroscience MSc in Trinity College and completed this course in 2010. I then began my Ph.D with the Dept. of Psychiatry in 2011. My area of research is in Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) which is an MRI method used to measure the diffusion of water molecules in the brain in order to assess the structure and integrity of white matter. White matter connects various grey matter areas of the brain to each other, and carries nerve impulses between neurons. The goal of my research is to investigate how genetic variants associated with illness may impact whole brain white matter and the integrity of specific white matter tracts. I am also involved in the collection of neuropsychological data.

Omar Mothersill

PhD Student

My PhD research is focussed on brain connectivity and how this may be impacted by genes.  I am particularly interested in (1) functional networks associated with the resting state, and (2) networks underlying executive processes such as working memory.  To examine these networks I am using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a range of analysis techniques including independent component analysis (ICA), psychophysiological interactions (PPI), and dynamic causal modelling (DCM).  Previously, I completed a B.A. (Hons) in Science in 2007, and M.Sc. in Neuroscience in 2009.  After finishing my Master’s, I worked as a research assistant in the TCD Department of Psychiatry, and then on the IMAGEN project, a Europe-wide imaging genetics project examining brain development during adolescence.

Rachel Dillon

PhD Student

Rachel graduated in 2011 from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee with a B.A. in Psychology. Her Ph.D, which she started within the Department of Psychiatry in 2012, aims to investigate adherence to computerized cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) for psychosis. Her work focuses on psychological factors that predict treatment non-adherence, including contextual, patient, and illness related factors.

Ana McLaughlin

PhD Student

Ana graduated in 2009 from Dublin Business School with a BA (Hons) in Psychology. Following this she completed a Masters in Clinical Neuroscience in The Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. She is currently working within the TCD department of Psychiatry on a study of Cognitive Remediation Therapy.