In this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Alex Neumann, of the VIB Centre for Molecular Neurology at the University of Antwerp, and Professor Henning Tiemeier (pic), Professor of Social and Behavioural Science at the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health in Boston and professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam.

The focus is on their co-authored JCPP paper ‘Combined polygenic risk scores of different psychiatric traits predict general and specific psychopathology in childhood’ (doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13501).

Alex and Henning begin by providing us with a quick insight into how they became interested in the field of child and adolescent mental health, before providing us with an insight into what their JCPP paper looks at and why they choose to explore this area.

Alex and Henning then provide insight into the methodology used in the research and share some of the findings, including how polygenic risk scores associated with school age psychopathology tended to either be associated with general psychopathology only or general and specific, but not except in the case of anxiety specific psychopathology only. Alex and Henning explain the importance of this finding and what it means for assessment and diagnosis.

Furthermore, Alex and Henning describe what the implications of their findings are for professionals working with young people and their families, what message they have to researchers in this field, and what they concluded in the paper.