We got funded by La Marató 2021

At the BiSC team we are very excited because a few days ago we heared that the project will receive funding from La Marató de TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, which in the 2021 edition dealt with Mental Health with the motto “La Marató that breaks barriers”.

As you already know, and thanks to the solidarity and commitment of the more than 1000 families that participate, the BiSC Project has very valuable information: we have neuropsychological and mental health evaluations at different times up to 28 months of age of the children and we also have many data related to exposure to pollutants, fetal growth, placental function, neuroimaging and a wide range of sociodemographic data. Now, with financing from La Marató, the objective is to identify genetic, psychosocial and environmental risk factors, as well as gene-environment interactions in the development and evolution of neurobehavioral and emotional problems in the first years of life. For this reason, starting in April 2023, we will begin to visit the children of BiSC at the age of 4.

We hope that our results contribute to a better understanding of the origins of neurobehavioral and emotional problems in the first years of life and facilitate the implementation of specific prevention and intervention policies and strategies to truly protect the mental health of children and the population. It is important to remember that in Europe, children (<18 years) represent 25% of the population, and about 10% of them have neurobehavioral and emotional problems, such as temperament problems or various disorders [due to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic spectrum (TEA), anxiety, depression], among others. In addition, a recent study in Catalonia reported that 18.3% of students between the ages of 5 and 17 are affected by at least one of these disorders. These figures highlight the importance of understanding the factors that increase the risk of developing these disorders, especially during pregnancy and the first years of life, when the brain is developing and, therefore, it is more vulnerable.

The funds obtained in the last edition of La Marató de TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio will finance 36 research projects, led by 81 expert research groups in mental health. And one of these projects will be with BiSC! Those resources will be decisive in the coming years to find more answers to disorders that, despite the advances in recent years, continue to have a very high incidence and prevalence: according to experts, one in four people will suffer from some mental health problem throughout his/her life.

Link to the new: https://www.ccma.cat/tv3/marato/la-fundacio-financa-81-equips-de-recerca-en-salut-mental-gracies-a-la-marato-del-2021/noticia/3191462/

This post has been written by Mireia Gascon, researcher at BiSC Project