Research Unit of Neuropsychopathology

About the group

The research group primarily comprises full-time and part-time employed professors and associate professors at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, as well as post docs and Ph.D. candidates.

Aim

Cognitive deficits are common in severe mental illness and may have a negative impact on functional outcomes such as educational attainment, work functioning and social functioning. In particular, processing speed, attention, social cognition and executive functions are affected. The development of effective treatments is contingent on understanding the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairments. Thus, the group has several projects investigating underlying mechanisms including maternal viral infections, other birth complications as well as immune factors.

We also have several projects focusing on cognitive remediation for improving cognitive impairments both in severe mental illness but also in other disorders such as ADHD. In other projects we focus on improving employment outcomes and investigate the use of individual placement and support, either alone or in combination with cognitive remediation, as a means to help people with severe mental illness obtain and maintain competitive employment. Such interventions can be an important supplement to other types of treatments such as antipsychotic medication, psychoeducation and psychotherapeutic treatment.

Another line of research in the group focuses on recovery in severe mental illness, including predictive factors of recovery and different types of recovery such as clinical and personal recovery.

Projects

Most of RUN's projects use the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) for investigating cognitive functions. This battery consists of neuropsychological tests that have been selected with regard to reliability and validity in repeated measurements in people with severe mental disorders and has been established as the "gold standard" for this type of assessment. In addition to neuropsychological testing, brain imaging techniques (MRI) are used to map brain function.

• Neuro-cognition and resilience in schizophrenia

• Early-Onset Schizophrenia and ADHD

• Neurocognition in adolescents at risk for psychosis: its nature, timing and relation to anomalous self-experiences. A population based study.

• Maternal infection and obstetric complications in the pathogenesis of schizophreni

• Effects of Physical Activity in Psychosis

• Hjernegym - Effects of exergaming in psychosis: a clinical intervention study (Vestfold Hospital Trust)

• Validity of Conners’ CPT-version 3 

• Factors predicting outcome in group treatment of alcohol use disorders 

• NORmative study of FAS, Semantic fluency and Trail Making test for elderly (NorFAST) 

• Long-term course of intellectual and cognitive functioning in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (Cognitive mechanisms and outcome - NORMENT: Norwegian Centre for Mental Disorders Research)

• Inflammation and cognition in psychotic disorders (Cognitive mechanisms and outcome – NORMENT)

• PRECOGNITION: Learning latent cognitive profiles to predict psychosis (Cognitive mechanisms and outcome – NORMENT)

Cooperation

In Norway, RUN collaborates with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo and Psychosis Research Section at Oslo University Hospital. In several projects, Vestre Viken Health Trust is the institution responsible for research. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) collaborates with us on the "Maternal infection in schizophrenia study". We also collaborate with Innlandet Hospital Trust, Vestfold Hospital Trust and Lovisenberg Hospital.

Nordic collaborators include Anna-Karin Olsson, Lars Helldin, and Madeleine Johansson at NU- sjukvården, Västra Götalandregionen, Sverige. Main international collaborators include Michael Green and Keith Nuechterlein at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA; Paul Lysaker at Indiana University, USA (until 2023); Courtenay Harding at Columbia University, USA; Giovanni de Girolamo at IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy; Susan McGurk and Kim Mueser at University of Boston, USA; Brian Levine at University of Toronto, Canada; Andre Marquand Stichting at Radbout University, Netherlands and Paola Dazzan, Kings College, England.

Financing

The projects in RUN are financed by the University of Oslo, Stiftelsen Dam, Vestre Viken Health Trust, the Regional Health Trust of South-East, the Research Council of Norway and the Wellcome Trust.

Completed Ph.D.-projects

• Brain function in early-onset psychosis (completed)
• Mer optimisme for unge med schizofreni - Monica Juuhl-Langseth
• Psykoselidelser hos ungdom - Aina Holmén
• Hjernens fungering hos ungdommer med schizofreni - Rune Thormodsen
• The relationship between neurocognition, symptoms and employment status in patients with psychotic disorders - Marte Tandberg
• Early-Onset Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Cognitive Function, Clinical Characteristics and Obstetric Complications - Charlotte Teigset
• Neurocognitive functioning, clinical course and functional outcome in early phase bipolar I disorder: A prospective longitudinal study - Christine Demmo
• Cognitive remediation of executive dysfunction- Ingvild Haugen
• Neurocognition in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders: long term trajectories - Magnus Johan Engen
• Full recovery in first-episode schizophrenia. Long term cognitive functioning and functional outcome - Susie Fu
• Psychological traits of homicide offenders with schizophrenia - Katharina Nymo Engelstad
• The Naturally Occurring Association between Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cognition in Schizophrenia – Selective Effects, Causal Factors and Mediating Mechanisms - Tom Langerud Holmen

Selected scientific articles from the last 10 years

Bang-Kittilsen, G., Engh, J.A., Holst, R., Holmen, T. L., Bigseth, T.T., Andersen, E., Mordal, J. & Egeland, J. (2022). High-intensity interval training may reduce depressive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia, putatively through improved VO2max: A randomized controlled trial, Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13.

Egeland, J., Holmen, T.L., Bang-Kittilsen, G, Andersen, E., Bigseth, T.T., Vaskinn, A., Engh,J.A. (2019). Body language reading of emotion and outcome in schizophrenia, Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 24(1):1-11.

Engelstad, K.N., Vaskinn, A., Torgalsbøen, A.K., Mohn, C., T., Lau, B.& Rund, B.R. (2018). Impaired neuropsychological profile in homicide offenders with schizophrenia. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 85: 55-60.   

Engen MJ, Vaskinn A, Melle I, Færden A, Lyngstad SH, Flaaten CB, Widing LH, Wold KF, Åsbø G, Haatveit B, Simonsen C, Ueland T. (2022). Cognitive and Global Functioning in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis Stratified by Level of Negative Symptoms. A 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 841057.

Flaaten CB, Melle I, Gardsjord E, Bjella T, Engen MJ, Vaskinn A, Åsbø G, Wold KF, Widing L, Lyngstad SH, Haatveit B, Simonsen C, Ueland T. (2023).  Course of intellectual functioning in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a 10-year followup study. Psychological Medicine.

Flaaten CB, Melle I, Bjella T, Engen MJ, Åsbø G, Wold KF, Widing L, Gardsjord E, Øie MG, Lyngstad SH, Haatveit B, Simonsen C, Ueland T. (2023). Long-term course of cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder: A ten-year follow-up study. Bipolar Disorder.

Fu, S, Czajkowski, N, Torgalsbøen, AK. (2017). The relationship between level of cognitive impairments and functional outcome trajectories in first-episode schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research, vol.190, 144-149.

Gohar, S. M. …..Rund, B.R……Melle, I. (2023). Trajectories off suicidal behavior in first episode psychosis: ten-year follow-up registry linked TIPS study. Lancet Psychiatry, 10: 528-536.

Gurholt, T. P. et al… Rund, B.R…..Agartz, I. (2022). Intracranial and subcortical volumes in adolescents with early‐onset psychosis: A multisite mega‐analysis from the ENIGMA consortium. Human brain mapping, 43(1), 373-384.

Haugen, I., Stubberud, J., Haug, E., McGurk, S. R., Hovik, K. T., Ueland, T., & Øie, M. G. (2022). A randomized controlled trial of Goal Management Training for executive functioning in schizophrenia spectrum disorders or psychosis risk syndromes. BMC psychiatry, 22(1), 575.

Melle. I. … Rund, B.R….Friis, S. (2017). Causes and predictors of premature death in first episode   schizophrenia spectrum psychosis. World Psychiatry, 16, 217-218.

Rund, B.R. (2014). Does active psychosis cause neurobiological pathology?  A critical review of the neurotoxicity hypothesis.  Psychological Medicine, 44: 1577-1590.

Mohn-Haugen, C., Mohn, C., Larøi, F., Teigset, C., Øie, M.G. & Rund, B.R. (2022).

Cognitive functioning in a group of adolescents at risk for psychosis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1075222.

Mohn-Haugen, C., Møller, P., Mohn, C., Larøi, F., Teigset, C., Øie, M.G. & Rund, B.R. (2023).

Anomalous self-experiences and neurocognitive functioning in adolescents at risk for Psychosis: still no significant associations found between these two vulnerability factors. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 125, 152400.   

Mohn. C. & Rund, B.R. (2019). Neurocognitive function and symptom remission 2 years after ECT in major depressive disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders, 246: 368-375.   

Rund, B.R. (2018). The research evidence for schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 59: 49-58.

Rund, B.R. (2018). A review of factors associated with severe violence in schizophrenia. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 72(8), 561-571.

Rund.B.R.,  Barder, H.,  Evensen, J.H.,  Haahr, U., Hegelstad, W.V., Joa, I.,  Johannessen, J.O., Langveld, H.,  Larsen, T.K., Melle, I., Opjordsmoen, S.,  Røssberg, J.I., Simonsen, E., Sundet, K., Vaglum, P., McGlashan, T., & Friis, S. (2016). Neurocognition and duration of psychosis: A 10-year follow-up of first-episode patients. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 42:87-95.

Sæther LS, Ueland T, Haatveit B, Maglanoc LA, Szabo A, Djurovic S, Aukrust P, Roelfs D, Mohn C, Ormerod MBEG, Lagerberg TV, Steen NE, Melle I, Andreassen OA, Ueland T. (2023). Inflammation and cognition in severe mental illness: patterns of covariation and subgroups. Molechular Psychiatry, 28(3):1284-1292.

Teigset, C., Mohn, C., Holmen, A., Juuhl-Langseth, M. & Rund, B.R. (2018). Do clinical  characteristics predict the cognitive course in early-onset schizophrenia? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59, 1012–1023.

Torgalsbøen, AK, Mohn, C, Larøi, F, Fu, S & Czajkowski, N. (2023). A ten-year longitudinal repeated assessment study of cognitive improvement in patients with first-episode schizophrenia and healthy controls: The Oslo Schizophrenia Recovery (OSR) study. Schizophrenia Research.  260:92–98.

Torgalsbøen, AK, Fu, S, Czajkowski, N. (2018) Resilience trajectories to full recovery in first-episode schizophrenia. European Psychiatry,52, 54-60.

Vaskinn A, Løvgren A, Egeland MK, Feyer FK, Østefjells T, Andreassen OA, Melle I, Sundet K. (2019). A randomized controlled trial of training of affect recognition (TAR) in schizophrenia shows lasting effects for theory of mind. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 269:611-620.

Vaskinn A, Haatveit B, Melle I, Andreassen OA, Ueland T, Sundet K. (2020). Cognitive heterogeneity across schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a cluster analysis of intellectual trajectories. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 26:860-872.

Vaskinn, A., Engelstad, K. N., Torgalsbøen, A-K., & Rund, B.R. (2021). The association between childhood trauma and social cognition in homicide offenders with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 303, 114093.

Vaskinn, A., Engelstad, K. N., Zamparini M, de Girolamo G, Torgalsbøen, A-K., & Rund, B.R. (2023).  The “zipper model of empathy” applied to violence in schizophrenia: a search for social cognitive underpinnings of lack of empathic behavior. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 124:152391.

Øie, M.G., Sundet, K.S., Haug, E., Zeiner, P., Klungsøyr, O., Rund, B. R. (2021).
Cognitive Performance in Early-Onset Schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A 25-Year Follow-up Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 606365.