Page 132 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

Genomics of Brain
Disorders Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Soraya Seedat

Prioritising responsive research Equitable capacity development
through impactful interventions for empowering communities

The overarching aim of our research in the The GBD Unit's projects over the reporting
Genomics of Brain Disorders (GBD) Extramural period have afforded opportunities for up-skilling
Research Unit is to provide new insights into of students and staff in clinical/psychometric
genomic and environmental factors that influence assessments, genomics and 'omics' technology,
risk or progression of brain disorders across the brain imaging, qualitative and mixed-methods
lifespan, gather fundamental knowledge about research, and cultural neuroscience approaches.
disease processes in South African and African The Master’s in Science (Neuroscience) programme
samples to develop new and effective treatments introduced in 2023, has facilitated the upskilling
that are culturally appropriate and acceptable, and of research students in these areas. Profs Seedat
to develop and/or validate processes to utilise and Hemmings also co-founded and currently co-
genomic data in clinical care. lead the African Neuroscience Alliance, and in
2023, we initiated monthly African Neuroscience
Over the reporting period, one of our aims has been Alliance (ANA) meetings, held at the beginning
to improve our unit's computational capacity, which of each month, in order to equip young African
has been realised with the recent establishment neuroscientists with the knowledge and tools to
of the Virtual Reality and Psychophysiology further their careers. GBD has over the years, also
Laboratories, alongside the Psychiatry Molecular supported research within the unit, with a focus
Laboratory, facilitating the cross-pollination of on research initiated by early-career researchers.
projects and ideas. These projects provide a Recently, we provided seed funding to 2 early-
unique opportunity to further investigate causal career collaborative teams (comprising African
relationships between targeted neural circuits neuroscientists) to embark on neuroscience
and objective neurophysiological responses research together. We have also successfully
and have allowed us to broaden our scope of conducted a number of other capacity-building
research and build training capacity in multi-modal events, ranging from short, intensive workshops
neurotechnologies. We have also introduced a on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia
new research thrust integrating neuroethics and (CBT-I), and "Paper-in-a-Day" workshops to regular
neuroscience research in South Africa. Here, the weekly workshops on brain imaging data analysis.
long-term goal is to develop, test, and disseminate
strategies to promote ethics in African neuroscience. Science for creating a
We have established a Neuroethics Workgroup,
comprising experts in neuroscience, psychiatry, healthier society
bioethics, community engagement and law, with Members of the Psychiatric Molecular Laboratory
a focus to identify challenges and priorities which facilitated the research group's involvement in the
are important for empirically informed policy and SAMRC GenS Job-shadow programme, where
practice options in African neuroscience research. high school learners were given the opportunity

130 SAMRC ANNUAL REPOR T 2023-24