Four I3PT mental health projects, awarded 1,3 million euros by La Marató

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota could play an important role in the depressive symptoms that characterize major depressive disorder (MDD) and that frequently appear in functional gut diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Postbiotics, small molecules derived from the metabolic activity of the microbiota, could be a key factor in this symptomatology. The aim of the project is to transfer the established knowledge about the microbial signature in IBS, and to identify bacteria and postbiotics associated with TDM. It is expected to identify a series of postbiotic molecules linked to depression and neuronal alterations.

Some ICU survivors develop mental health problems and cognitive and physical alterations, which are known as Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). Some of the symptoms experienced, such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment, can become chronic and have an impact on the quality of life of patients and their relatives.
The aim of the project is to optimize, implement and evaluate the impact on the quality of life of the APPICS digital platform, designed for the monitoring and management of the mental health sequelae of PICS in ICU survivors and their relatives , during the first year of recovery. It is expected that critically ill patients in the APPICS program will show better levels of functionality and quality of life, as well as an improvement in emotional disturbances during the first 12 months of ICU discharge.

ICUs are places intended for the care of critically unstable patients at risk of death, therefore they are a potentially hostile environment for a mentally vulnerable patient. Along with the physical stress associated with critical illness and interventions (mechanical ventilation), there are physiological (delirium) and psychosocial factors (isolation, inability to communicate due to intubation or tracheotomy) that negatively affect their comfort and well-being during admission. Beyond the emotional impact related to the ICU environment, approximately half of the patients will suffer Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (SPCI), a set of physical, cognitive and emotional sequelae that affect the functionality and quality of life of the survivors. Multiple interventions have been proposed to mitigate the medical, economic, and social cost of PCOS, but prevention-focused strategies are scarce, delaying treatment initiation and increasing the risk of chronicity.

The aim of the project is to conduct a clinical trial to test the effectiveness and safety of an early cognitive and emotional digital therapy based on non-immersive virtual reality techniques in critically ill patients.

Only 50% of patients with depression benefit from standard treatment and this places a massive burden on society. Clinical assessment, cognitive therapies, and brain stimulation for depression may benefit from including a detailed characterization of situational awareness. This clashes with standard practices that deal primarily with how patients interpret specific events or their environment as a whole. However, there is good evidence that most everyday situations can be well described by eight standard dimensions.
Across six work packages, the group will study whether situational awareness potential is related to depressive symptoms in both virtual reality and outpatient settings in samples of patients with mild to moderate depression. He will also investigate the neural bases of situational perception in depression using neuroimaging. Finally, artificial intelligence will be used to extract the features most predictive of treatment response. This project aims to provide new therapeutic targets for depression based on situational awareness.