King's College London

Professor Sylvane Desrivères is one of seven researchers, based at five UK universities to have received funding by  the Medical Research Foundation and the Medical Research Council for new research into eating disorders (EDs) and self-harm. 

ESTRA aims to investigate the aetiology and underpinning mechanisms EDs, including the underlying bio-psycho-social mechanistic and environmental drivers, in children, adolescents and young adults. It builds on IMAGEN, the largest and most comprehensive longitudinal functional and structural neuroimaging genetics study in adolescents to date, generating additional synergy with the recruitment of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Complementing recruitment and assessments of patients with Major Depressive Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder and Psychosis from the STRATIFY project, ESTRA will give us an opportunity to identify early risk factors, investigate comorbidity and core psychopathology across EDs and inform future prevention and treatment strategies. 

This project is a collaboration with Prof. Ulrike Schmidt, consultant Psychiatrist in EDs at SLaM, and Prof. Gunter Schumann, PONS, Director and coordinator of the multi-centre IMAGEN project.