Principal Investigator: Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE
Funded by: Lupus Research Alliance
Study Goals: The goal of this study is to examine in youth with Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (cSLE) the association between affective function (measured via longitudinal assessment of depression, anxiety and psychosis spectrum) and i) multimodal imaging metrics, ii) cognitive function, and iii) serum biomarkers.
Description: This longitudinal study recruits cSLE patients and healthy controls (age, ethnicity and sex-matched to cSLE subjects) who undergo two study visits, consisting of MRI, neurocognitive and psychiatric assessments, brief electronic survey (for covariate collection) and a blood sample collection, and medical record review.
Impact: This study aims to add to the knowledge of the impact of cSLE on the developing brain by examining the relationship between affective functioning in cSLE, measured by longitudinal psychiatric assessment (of depression, anxiety and psychosis spectrum), to multi-level measures. The resulting data will lead to further study of the utility of noninvasive biomarkers for predicting and managing paediatric NPSLE. Integrating multi-level biomarkers in cSLE may elucidate the mechanisms underlying inflammatory disease in NPSLE, critically impacting research and clinical care.