“The PsyCoMed project opened avenues for investigating neurological consequences of pollutant contamination. Our researchers benefited from secondments during the 48 months of the project to collaborate with laboratories in Tunisia and Italy to explore microplastic contamination, and in France to study animal models of ADHD pathophysiology. We are also developing local studies to understand glioblastoma pathophysiology.”
PsyCoMed
Psychiatric disorders and Comorbidities caused by pollution in the Mediterranean area
Pollution has been linked with psychiatric disorders and comorbidities. The EU-funded PsyCoMed project considers the role of anthropogenic pollutants as a risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders and associated pathologies in the Mediterranean area. It investigates the role of neuroinflammatory responses in disease progression. This MSCA Staff Exchange programme merges molecular and clinical science, mechanistic and behavioural approaches and intersectoral strategies to compare the effects of pollutants on psychiatric symptoms with alterations of inflammatory pathways in animal models and psychiatric patients. By investigating neural mechanisms underlying pathological changes in vitro and in vivo preclinical models, the project aims to standardise protocols and experimental design, and propose therapeutic strategies.
