University of Cagliari
Italy
History
In 2009 several European researchers developed ENBREC, a disease-oriented EU-wide network designed to foster collaboration between expert centers specialized in research and clinical management of bipolar disorders. This project was funded by FP7 as a support action to set-up the network infrastructure and was also supported by the section for European Network Initiatives of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP-ENI). ENBREC provided an EU-integrated facility for research on underlying mechanisms in bipolar disorder, its epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. From this initiative stemmed the ECNP Bipolar Disorders Network which continues fostering harmonization of clinical and neurobiological research efforts in bipolar disorders.
The Bipolar Disorders Network is poised to facilitate clinical and translational research that can provide insights on the neurobiology of the disorder, improve efficiency of the drug discovery pipeline and inform treatment decision making. A specific focus is the development of research initiatives that can drive the development of multimodal predictive models for the risk of bipolar disorder and for mapping the trajectory of its clinical course. We foresee an increasing role of Network science in bipolar disorders essential for the harmonization of the phenotypes, reduction of heterogeneity and improvement of clinical outcomes that still show suboptimal response.
Goals
1
Foster research activities in clinical and neurobiological areas of bipolar disorders.
2
Facilitate collaboration among research centers in bipolar disorder within EU and associated countries.
3
Promote interactions between the members of research groups participating in the Network.
4
Facilitate the development of large-scale collaborative efforts focused on data harmonization and sharing among centers.
5
Encourage the preparation of research proposals for the repurposing of drugs for bipolar disorders.
Core members
| Member name | Institution | City | Country |
| Ole Andreassen | Oslo University Hospital | Oslo | Norway |
| Michael Bauer | Technische Universität Dresden | Dresden | Germany |
| Frank Bellivier | INSERM | Paris | France |
| Veerle Bergink | Erasmus University Medical Center | Rotterdam | The Netherlands |
| Deniz Ceylan | Koc University | Istanbul | Türkiye |
| Max de Leeuw | Leiden University Medical Center | Leiden | The Netherlands |
| Ana Gonzalez-Pinto | Hospital Santiago Apostol | Vitoria | Spain |
| Tomas Hajek | Dalhousie University | Halifax | Canada |
| Lars Vedel Kessing | Psychiatric Center Copenhagen | Copenhagen | Denmark |
| Mikael Landen | University of Gothenburg | Gothenburg | Sweden |
| Pavol Mikolas | Technische Universität Dresden | Dresden | Germany |
| René Ernst Nielsen | Aalborg University Hospital | Aalborg | Denmark |
| Andreas Reif | University Hospital Frankfurt | Frankfurt | Germany |
| Philipp Ritter | Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital | Dresden | Germany |
| Gonzalo Salazar de Pablo | King's College London | London | United Kingdom |
| Thomas Schulze | Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich | Munich | Germany |
| Jan Scott | University of Newcastle | Newcastle | United Kingdom |
| Alessio Squassina | University of Cagliari | Cagliari | Italy |
| Eduard Vieta | Fundació Clínic for the Biomedical Research | Barcelona | Spain |
| Nefize Yalin | National Institute for Mental Health | Maryland | USA |
| Aysegul Yildiz | Dokuz Eylül University | Izmir | Türkiye |
Shell members
| Member name | Institution | City | Country |
| Andreas Bechdolf | Vivantes Klinikum am Urban | Berlin | Germany |
| Hilary Blumberg | Yale School of Medicine | New Haven | USA |
| Bruno Etain | University of Paris | Paris | France |
| Andrea Fagiolini | University of Siena | Siena | Italy |
| John Geddes | University of Oxford | Oxford | United Kingdom |
| Guy Goodwin | University of Oxford | Oxford | United Kingdom |
| Chantal Henry | Hospital Albert Chenevier | Creteil | France |
| Ralph Kupka | VU University Medical Center Amsterdam | Amsterdam | The Netherlands |
| Trine Vik Lagerberg | Oslo University Hospital | Oslo | Norway |
| Rasmus Licht | Aalborg University Hospital | Aalborg | Denmark |
| Monica Martinez-Cengotitabengoa |
Hospital Universitario Araba-Santiago | Madrid | Spain |
| Gunnar Morken | St. Olav's University Hospital Norwegian University of science and Technology |
Trondheim | Norway |
| Marcella Rietschel | Heidelberg University | Mannheim | Germany |
| Emanuel Severus | Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital | Dresden | Germany |
| Maj Vinberg | University of Copenhagen | Copenhagen | Denmark |
Early Career Academy member
| Member name | Institution | City | Country |
| Hanne Lie Kjaerstad | Psychiatric Center Copenhagen | Frederiksberg | Denmark |
| Luisa Klahn | University of Gothenburg | Gothenburg | Sweden |
Publications
-
2019Stahl et al.
Genome-wide association study identifies 30 loci associated with bipolar disorder.
Nature Genetics -
2018The Brainstorm Consortium et al.
Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain.
Science -
2018Hibar et al.
Cortical abnormalities in bipolar disorder: an MRI analysis of 6503 individuals from the ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group.
Molecular Psychiatry -
2015Bauer et al.
Influence of birth cohort on age of onset cluster analysis in bipolar I disorder
European Psychiatry -
2017Bauer et al.
Solar insolation in springtime influences age of onset of bipolar I disorder
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica -
2020Manchia et al.
Translating big data to better treatment in bipolar disorder - a manifesto for coordinated action
European Neuropsychopharmacology -
2021Mullins et al.
Genome-wide association study of more than 40,000 bipolar disorder cases provides new insights into the underlying biology
Nature genetics -
2021Kessing et al.
DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria for bipolar disorder: Implications for the prevalence of bipolar disorder and validity of the diagnosis - A narrative review from the ECNP bipolar disorders network
European Neuropsychopharmacology -
2022European Neuropsychopharmacology
Outcomes associated with different vaccines in individuals with bipolar disorder and impact on the current COVID-19 pandemic- a systematic review
European Neuropsychopharmacology -
2025Baune et al.
A stratified treatment algorithm in psychiatry: a program on stratified pharmacogenomics in severe mental illness (Psych-STRATA): concept, objectives and methodologies of a multidisciplinary project funded by Horizon Europe
European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience -
2025Smeland et al.
Novel multimodal precision medicine approaches and the relevance of developmental trajectories in bipolar disorder
Biological Psychiatry -
2025O'Connell et al.
New genomics discoveries across the bipolar disorder spectrum implicate neurobiological and developmental pathways
Biological Psychiatry -
2025O'Connell et al.
Genomics yields biological and phenotypic insights into bipolar disorder
Research projects
R-LiNK
To improve outcomes of bipolar I disorder cases prescribed lithium through the application of stratified approaches and optimize the early prediction of lithium response using a set of multi-modal biomarkers
Grant agreement no. 754907
REALMENT
The EU-funded REALMENT project aims to optimise the treatment of mental disorders through novel precision medicine strategies based on current pharmaceutical options.
Grant agreement no. 964874
Psych-STRATA
The project intends to analyze extensive clinical, genetic and biological data of psychiatric patients to establish criteria for early detection of treatment resistance, proposing treatment strategies for patients at risk.
Grant agreement no. 101057454
European Brain Research Area
Facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, knowledge and data sharing, to support innovative translational research, from basic to clinical and public health research, for the benefit of patients, focusing on the transdiagnostic disease-modifying prevention of severe mental disorders and improved care for established bipolar disorders.
Grant agreement no. 825348