Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry

Schizophrenia research in 2026: report from the annual meeting of the Schizophrenia International Research Society

Abstract SIRS 2026, held under the theme “Schizophrenia Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” brought together researchers, clinicians, and persons with lived experience to take stock of a field whose tools for measuring, predicting, and intervening in psychosis have e...

Using multi-trait polygenic scores to predict lithium responsiveness in patients with bipolar disorder

Background The predictive power of polygenic scores (PGSs) for lithium treatment response in bipolar disorder remains limited. Aims To enhance the prediction of lithium responsiveness by developing a multi-trait PGS (mt-PGS) combining genetic information from multiple phenotypes...

Neuropsychiatry genetics in Africa

Across Africa, rising mental health needs coincide with rapid advances in genomics, digital health and continental policy reform. Yet research into the genetic, environmental and social determinants of neuropsychiatric illness remains sparse and underfunded. This review argues th...

The global cost of schizophrenia: a health economic modelling study

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that leads to substantial disability, impaired quality of life, and reduced life expectancy. In addition to its profound impact on affected individuals, the disorder places a considerable financial burden on heal...

Population morphology implies a common developmental blueprint for Drosophila motion detectors

Abstract T4 and T5 neurons are the first direction-selective neurons in the visual pathway. They are the most numerous cell types in the fly brain (∼ 6000 within each optic lobe) and, as a population, their compact dendritic arbours span the entire visual field. They are classifi...

Modulation of neuronal excitability and plasticity by BHLHE41 conveys lithium non-responsiveness

Abstract Many bipolar disorder (BD) patients are non-responsive to lithium. The mechanisms underlying lithium (non-)responsiveness are largely unknown. By using gene-set enrichment analysis methods, we found that core clock gene-sets are significantly associated with lithium resp...

Investigating changes in the blood-brain barrier in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: design and methodology of a longitudinal dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI study

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are clinically and biologically heterogeneous and lack reliable biomarkers for stratification, treatment response and course prediction. Evidence from postmortem, fluid biomarker, and neuroimaging studies suggests that changes in the blood-...