Research Interest

This programme focuses on schizophrenia and related disorders, including clinical care, research and teaching. The research is centred on the study of first-episodes, early onset, resistant and chronic schizophrenia. The main lines include neuroimaging, genetics, neurobiology and molecular psychiatry, neuropsychology, psychometric evaluation, psychopharmacology, psychoeducation and physical health.

Technologies & Methods

• Functional and structural neuroimaging techniques.
• Genetic and molecular biological techniques.
• Psychometric evaluation.

Active Projects

• • Biomarcadores de pérdida sináptica, daño neuronal e inflamación en líquido cefalorraquídeo y sangre periférica en pacientes con un primer episodio psicótico. FIS-ISCIII. PI20/01066. Miguel Bernardo Co-IP. Miquel Bioque.

• • Cellular, molecular, genètic and cognitive-behavioral characterization of the antiapoptotic effect of clozapine and glutamate inhibitors in a postnatal ketamine animal model of schizophrenia. Fundació Clínic per a la recerca Biomèdica. FCRB_PB2_2018. Eduardo Parellada.

• • El efecto de los eventos perinatales en los primeros episodios psicoticos. FIS-ISCIII. PI20/00661. Clemente Garcia.

• • Estudio convergente en modelo celular, animal y humano del efecto y mecanismos de acción de la clozapina e inhibidores de glutamato en los síntomas negativos-cognitivos de la esquizofrenia. FIS-ISCIII. PI18/01005. Eduardo Parellada.

• • Identificación y caracterización del valor predictivo de la reserva cognitiva en el curso evolutivo y respuesta en terapéutica en personas con un primer episodio psicótico. Departament de Salut. Generalitat de Catalunya. SLT006/17/00345. Miquel Bernardo.

Selected Publications

• • Ajnakina, O., Rodriguez, V., Quattrone, D., di Forti, M., Vassos, E., Arango, C., Berardi, D., Bernardo, M., Bobes, J., de Haan, L., Del-Ben, C. M., Gayer-Anderson, C., Jongsma, H. E., Lasalvia, A., Tosato, S., Llorca, P. M., Menezes, P. R., Rutten, B. P., Santos, J. L., Sanjuán, J., … EU-GEI WP2 Group (2021). Duration of Untreated Psychosis in First-Episode Psychosis is not Associated With Common Genetic Variants for Major Psychiatric Conditions: Results From the Multi-Center EU-GEI Study. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 47(6), 1653–1662. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab055

• • Amoretti, S., Mezquida, G., Rosa, A. R., Bioque, M., Cuesta, M. J., Pina-Camacho, L., Garcia-Rizo, C., Barcones, F., González- Pinto, A., Merchán-Naranjo, J., Corripio, I., Vieta, E., Baeza, I., Cortizo, R., Bonnín, C. M., Torrent, C., Bernardo, M., & PEPs Group (2021). The functioning assessment short test (FAST) applied to first-episode psychosis: Psychometric properties and severity thresholds. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 47, 98–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.02.007

• • Amoretti, S., Rabelo-da-Ponte, F. D., Rosa, A. R., Mezquida, G., Sánchez-Torres, A. M., Fraguas, D., Cabrera, B., Lobo, A., González-Pinto, A., Pina-Camacho, L., Corripio, I., Vieta, E., Torrent, C., de la Serna, E., Bergé, D., Bioque, M., Garriga, M., Serra, M., Cuesta, M. J., Bernardo, M., … PEPs Group (2021). Cognitive clusters in first-episode psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 237, 31–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.08.021

• • Amoretti, S., Verdolini, N., Mezquida, G., Rabelo-da-Ponte, F. D., Cuesta, M. J., Pina-Camacho, L., Gomez-Ramiro, M., Dela- Cámara, C., González-Pinto, A., Díaz-Caneja, C. M., Corripio, I., Vieta, E., de la Serna, E., Mané, A., Solé, B., Carvalho, A. F., Serra, M., & Bernardo, M. (2021). Identifying clinical clusters with distinct trajectories in first-episode psychosis through an unsupervised machine learning technique. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 47, 112–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.01.095

• • Bernardo, M., Rico-Villademoros, F., García-Rizo, C., Rojo, R., & Gómez-Huelgas, R. (2021). Real-World Data on the Adverse Metabolic Effects of Second-Generation Antipsychotics and Their Potential Determinants in Adult Patients: A Systematic Review of Population-Based Studies. Advances in Therapy, 38(5), 2491–2512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-021-01689-8

• • Gassó, P., Rodríguez, N., Martínez-Pinteño, A., Mezquida, G., Ribeiro, M., González-Peñas, J., Zorrilla, I., Martínez-Sadurni, L., Rodriguez-Jimenez, R., Corripio, I., Sarró, S., Ibáñez, A., Usall, J., Lobo, A., Moren, C., Cuesta, M. J., Parellada, M., González- Pinto, A., Berrocoso, E., Bernardo, M., … 2EPs Group (2021). A longitudinal study of gene expression in first-episode schizophrenia; exploring relapse mechanisms by co-expression analysis in peripheral blood. Translational Psychiatry, 11(1), 539. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01645-8

• • González-Blanco, L., García-Portilla, M. P., Gutiérrez, M., Mezquida, G., Cuesta, M. J., Urbiola, E., Amoretti, S., Barcones, F., González-Pinto, A., Pina-Camacho, L., Corripio, I., Vieta, E., Baeza, I., Toll, A., Sáiz, P. A., Bobes, J., Bernardo, M., & PEPs Group (2021). Impact of previous tobacco use with or without cannabis on first psychotic experiences in patients with firstepisode psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 236, 19–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2021.07.017

Knowledge transfer & Innovation

• Method for predicting the onset of extrapyramidal symptoms
  (EPS) induced by an antipsicotic-based treatment. AVCRI196