About us
Welcome to the Cardiff ONline Cognitive Assessment (CONCA). Our aim is to understand more about the relationship between cognitive function (memory, concentration and problem-solving abilities), and mental and physical health.
Our Research Group
Our team is based at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH, https://www.ncmh.info) and the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (MRC CNGG, https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/mrc-centre-neuropsychiatric-genetics-genomics), which are both situated within Cardiff University’s School of Medicine.
Dr Amy Lynham
Dr Lynham is a Research Associate at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics. Her research investigates how cognitive functions are impacted in patients with a history of mental health problems. She has a special interest in developing web-based cognitive assessments and this online assessment was originally developed and validated as part of her PhD. In addition to this work, she is currently working on a project that aims to create a large cross-disorder resource containing clinical and genetic information from people with many different psychiatric disorders. Many disorders share common symptoms or have overlapping risk factors and it is hoped this work will provide new insights into the causes of mental health problems.
Professor James Walters
Prof. Walters is a Professor of Psychiatry at Cardiff University, Deputy Director of the NCMH and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist with the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Early Intervention in Psychosis Service. His research interests centre on three areas: (i) using genetics to gain insight into the basis of psychosis and schizophrenia, (ii) studying the genetic, biological and psychosocial factors associated with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, and (iii) investigating the nature and genetic basis of memory and concentration problems across the psychosis spectrum including developing methods of online cognitive assessment.
Professor Ian Jones
Prof. Jones is a Professor of Psychiatry at Cardiff University, Director of the NCMH and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist in Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust. His research interests relate to bipolar spectrum disorders and the relationship of mood disorders to childbirth. His research has established the influence of genetic factors on postpartum episodes. He is a principal investigator for the Bipolar Disorder Research Network, in collaboration with the University of Worcester. His other areas of research include: psychoeducation for bipolar disorder, the prospective study of bipolar women in pregnancy; the relationship of symptoms to the menstrual cycle in bipolar disorder; and decision making around the use of psychiatric medications in pregnancy.
Our Work
To date, over 1200 people have taken part in this project. This has enabled us to investigate the relationship between cognition and:
- diagnosis of a mental health problem,
- functional outcomes in patients with a diagnosis of a mental health disorder, and
- symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients with a diagnosis of a mental health disorder.
Funding
The development of this assessment was initially funded by a Medical Research Council (MRC) PhD studentship competitively awarded to Amy Lynham and the NCMH, a collaboration between Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor Universities funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales. This website was developed with funding from the MRC’s Confidence in Concept Scheme.
Dr Lynham’s post is funded by an MRC Pathfinder award. Our study and staff are also supported by the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics.
Acknowledgements
The tasks included on this website were developed for online platforms by The Many Brains Project (http://www.manybrains.net/). We thank Dr Laura Germine and The Many Brains Project for their support of this project and supplying the source code for these tasks.
We thank the patients, carers and clinicians who assisted with the development of this website for their valuable support and feedback.