Irish-led research is to examine why disruption to sleep is linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Researchers at Maynooth University will investigate how sleep influences mental health, leading an important international research and doctoral training initiative.
The programme, DataGenChrono, co‑led by Maynooth University professors Andrew Coogan and Lorna Lopez, will bring together leading researchers from academia and industry across 12 partner organisations in Europe and Canada.
DataGenChrono will uncover the genetic and biological pathways that connect sleep and mental illness using advancements in human genomics, artificial intelligence and large‑scale health data.
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The programme aims to lay the foundations for approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.
While it is already known that sleep becomes altered by mental health conditions, Coogan said “a key question for us to address” is how each mental health condition alters sleep.
He gave the example that sleep may be disturbed in a different way for someone with an anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
He said another “really important question” to understand from this research is how sleep patterns change across a lifespan, moving from adolescence to an older adult.
Coogan, from the Department of Psychology and Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research at Maynooth University, said, “Our research specialism here is in sleep and circadian rhythm.
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“We’ve been working for a number of years on links between circadian rhythms and sleep and aspects of mental health and aspects of physical health.
“Obviously, mental health and mental health challenges are recognised as major public health challenges, major challenges for society and for individuals.
“We are particularly interested in the opportunity that understanding how sleep and sleep health can be leveraged to improve mental health.
“One of the things we know quite a bit about is that sleep becomes poorer in mental health conditions. That poor state can be a risk factor for those conditions as well. So it’s both a risk factor and a symptom,” he said.
