Research Bursary Program
Supervisor Project Proposal for Summer 2015
Supervisor Last Name: Greenfield
Supervisor First Name: Brian
McGill Dept/School: Medicine
Faculty Professor (Full, Associate or Assistant): Associate Professor
Email: brian.greenfield@muhc.mcgill.ca
Phone No. (optional):
Research Field: Psychiatry
Proposal No. (1 or 2): 1
Research Location (McGill or affiliated institution): Montreal Children’s Hospital
Ethics approval will be required for proposed project (Yes/No): Yes
Proposed project will involve chart reviews (Yes/No): No
Project Title: Childhood suicide; genetic predisposition, disease pathways, treatments and predictive
testing.
Hypothesis/Question to be Addressed:
Among youth presenting to the emergency room of the MCH for crisis assessment, how can we
characterize those at a higher risk of thinking about suicide and making serious suicide gestures. How can
we find genes, epigenetic factors and genomic regions that predispose to suicide. How can we develop a
blood test that predicts childhood suicide.
Specific Aims:
1) To identify the combined environmental and genetic basis of suicidality
2) To identify the combined environmental and genetic basis of BPD
3) To identify relationships between genetic variables and BPD subscales (impulsivity, affective
instability, cognitions)
4) To assess the relationship between BPD, suicidality and co-morbid diagnoses (depression, anxiety,
conduct and oppositional defiant disorders, antisocial PD).
5) To identify (retrospectively) protective factors (social supports, family, treatment for BPD) that might protect
against suicide and BPD appearance in youth and young adulthood.
Role of Student:
The student will be involved in recruitment of patients, collection of data and DNA testing, preliminary
analysis of the genetic comparison, preparation of data for presentation at a scientific conference and
preparing/writing the manuscript for publication.