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BIPP STUDY

Brain, Immunity and Psychopathology following very Preterm birth (BIPP)

BIPP STUDY

Brain, Immunity and Psychopathology following very Preterm birth (BIPP)

Our Research

Prematurity

Roughly 13% of all births occur prematurely in the developed world and this number continues to increase. Psychological research has found that being born early can affect the development of a child's mental health, attention and social skills.

In particular, children born prematurely have a higher risk of developing anxiety - a feeling of worry or fear - which can lead to further problems such as difficulties in mood, sleep and concentration. Inattention and social and emotional problems are also more likely to arise in premature children.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY?

Our key research goal is to generate new information about brain development and immune system activation in relation to mental health problems in premature children.

The ultimate aim of the study is to identify those children who could benefit from interventions to prevent mental health problems from arising, and before they become overt.

On the day

the study

What will the children be asked to do?

The child will be asked to go into an MRI machine for a 45-minute session involving playing games and watching television.

The study will also include a number of games and tests. For example, the child be asked to solve a puzzle, or remember some numbers.

We will also ask for optional samples of your child's saliva. This will allow us to examine immune markers which help us indicate how the body reacts to stress.

What happens on the day?

A taxi will pick up the child and their parent(s) and drop them at St Thomas' Hospital, where they will be met by a member of our team. The taxi will also be called for the family at the end of the session to take them home.

While the child is busy, the parent will be asked to fill out some questionnaires regarding the child's development. The parent will also be interviewed by an experienced researcher about his/her child's behaviours.

The family is welcome to take a break at any point of the session, during which they can get something to eat or drink at one of the restaurants around the hospital.

How do we recruit our participants?

We will be contacting the parents of children born very prematurely who have taken part in a previous scientific study (e-Prime study; EudraCT 2009-011602-42). These parents gave their consent to be contacted for future studies.

Full-term (control) participants will be recruited through parents of premature participants, who will be asked to contact a friend of their child, who was not born prematurely, that they think might be interested in taking part too. Control participants will also be recruited from the community and local schools.

What will the children get at the end of the study?

Every child will receive a £40 gift voucher and a report of their results will be sent out to their parents and GP.

MRI Safety

What is an MRI machine?

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine is a scanner used to take detailed pictures of the inside of our bodies, including the brain. The person lies down inside of a long tube and is usually given padding and earphones to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

Does it hurt? Is it safe?

The scan is completely painless. it is a non-invasive procedure, meaning that no chemicals or radiation is used to take the pictures (unlike X-ray scans).

Who can have an MRI?

And MRI machine uses a big magnet, meaning that no metal can come into the room. This means that it is not possible to have an MRI scan if the person has:

implanted metal medication device
metal objects in the head e.g. clips
metal/shrapnel wounds where fragments are lodged
metal joint or heart valve replacement
tattoos or eye make-up

Meet The Team

Chiara nosarti

Serena Counsell

Chiara nosarti

Chiara is a Professor of Neurodevelopment and Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and Head of Psychology and Outcome Studies at the Centre for the Developing Brain, St Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London. Her research focuses on the study of brain development following very preterm birth in child

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david edwards

Serena Counsell

Chiara nosarti

David is Director of the Centre for the Developing Brain, Professor of Paediatrics and Neonatal Medicine, and Head of the Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, King’s College London, as well as Consultant Neonatologist, Evelina London Children’s Hospital. He is particularly interested in reducing the incidence and severity of neurol

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Serena Counsell

Serena Counsell is Professor of Perinatal Imaging and Head of Advanced Neuroimaging at the Centre for the Developing Brain. Her primary research focus is the use of diffusion MRI to assess tissue microstructure, functional MRI and other neuro-informatic tools to assess neonatal and paediatric brain development and injury, and to develop

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EMILY SIMoNOFF

Carmine Pariante

EMILY SIMoNOFF

Emily is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, where she is also the head of the Department. She is the academic lead for the Child Mental Disorders Clinical Academic Group in King's Health Partners. Her research interests focus on neurodevelopmental disorders, such as ADHD, autism and intellectual disabilities in particular. She is involved in studies of both epidemiological and clinical populations, researching underlying disease mechanisms, longitudinal developmental cohorts and clinical trials.

Paola Dazzan

Carmine Pariante

EMILY SIMoNOFF

Paola is Professor of Neurobiology of Psychosis at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London, and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in the Perinatal Service the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She was named Psychiatric Academic Researcher of the Year 2014 by the Royal College of Psychiatrists at the RCPsych Awards 2014. Her main research interests lie in the application of brain imaging to study early stages of psychosis, and the relationship between brain and other biological risk factors for psychosis, and the biological effects of antipsychotics.

Carmine Pariante

Carmine is Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. He is head of the Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology laboratory and Perinatal Psychiatry Research Group (SPI-Lab) at King's College London. His main research interests lie in investigating the role of stress and inflammation pathogenesis of mental disorders and in the response to psychotropic drugs, both in clinical samples and experimental settings.

Jo Hajnal

Andrew Pickles

Carmine Pariante

Jo is Chair in Imaging Science at the Biomedical Engineering Department at King's College London, and is a Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Fetal imaging is a primary interest of his. He leads major projects focusing on the development of comprehensive fetal imaging methods, incorporating new methods for image acquisition-reconstruction-analysis and MRI and ultrasound imaging techniques.

Andrew Pickles

Andrew is Chair in Biostatistics at the Biostatistics and Health Informatics department at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. His research interests have been in multivariate longitudinal data, with applications mainly in life-courses analysis, involving genomic, physiological, psychological and social measures and processes, spanning from neonates to geriatrics.

Dana Kanel

Andrew Pickles

Dana is a Research Worker and PhD student at the Centre for the Developing Brain and the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. She is interested in the mental health of children, specifically ones that were born prematurely and what can be done to prevent developmental difficulties in the child's future.

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Laila Hadaya

Marguerite Leoni

Laila Hadaya

Laila is a Research Worker and PhD Student at the Centre for the Developing Brain and the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. She has a Neuroscience (BSc) and Psychiatric Research (MSc) background. She is interested in increasing the understanding of children's mental health and in using neuroimaging techniques to research biomarkers predictive of mental health outcomes following premature birth.

Lucy VANES

Marguerite Leoni

Laila Hadaya

Lucy is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for the Developing Brain and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Her research investigates brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of psychiatric disorders from childhood to adulthood. Lucy has previously investigated brain changes in relation to psychotic disorders. Her current research focuses on early brain development and the emergence of mental health problems in children who were born preterm.

Marguerite Leoni

Marguerite is a Research Worker and BSc Psychology student at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London. Her main research interest focuses on investigating the link between neonatal brain alterations, environmental factors and autism like difficulties throughout childhood in preterm children.

BIPP STUDY

BIPP STUDY

The Study

Virtual MRI

Virtual MRI

Virtual MRI

Virtual MRI

Virtual MRI

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Virtual MRI

contact us

Our Research

Prematurity

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY?

On the day

the study

What will the children be asked to do?

What happens on the day?

How do we recruit our participants?

What will the children get at the end of the study?

MRI Safety

What is an MRI machine?

Does it hurt? Is it safe?

Who can have an MRI?

Virtual MRI

Meet The Team

Chiara nosarti

Serena Counsell

Chiara nosarti

david edwards

Serena Counsell

Chiara nosarti

Serena Counsell

Serena Counsell

Serena Counsell

Site Content

EMILY SIMoNOFF

Carmine Pariante

EMILY SIMoNOFF

Paola Dazzan

Carmine Pariante

EMILY SIMoNOFF

Carmine Pariante

Carmine Pariante

Carmine Pariante

Jo Hajnal

Andrew Pickles

Carmine Pariante

Andrew Pickles

Andrew Pickles

Andrew Pickles

Dana Kanel

Andrew Pickles

Andrew Pickles

Site Content

Laila Hadaya

Marguerite Leoni

Laila Hadaya

Lucy VANES

Marguerite Leoni

Laila Hadaya

Marguerite Leoni

Marguerite Leoni

Marguerite Leoni

Who is funding the BIPP study?

Contact Us

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