UCL and KCL researchers form partnership using AI for early OCD detection in children

Professor Georgina Krebs, from the UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, has joined an international team of researchers who have been awarded £2.2m in Wellcome funding to use AI to predict children at risk of OCD.

Professor Philip Shaw and Professor Gustavo Sudre from the King’s Maudsley partnership for Children & Young People will lead the team of researchers, including Professor Georgina Krebs from UCL, Professor Elizabeth Shephard from the University of São Paulo, Professor David Mataix-Cols from the Karolinska Institute and Dr Nick Sireau and Dr Margherita Zenoni from Orchard OCD.

OCD, also known as obsessive-compulsive disorder, is characterised by intrusive and unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and lengthy, ritualistic behaviours (compulsions).

The aim of the project is to develop a tool to pinpoint who is likely to develop OCD and when.

To do this, easily obtainable information, often found in medical records, will be combined with more complex information on genetic make-up and brain features to train AI prediction models.

Once this prediction tool has been developed, it will be tested and evaluated in diverse cohorts across the world to ensure that it performs well across different populations.

Alongside the AI predictors, the team will also develop a digital intervention for parents of children who are at risk of OCD.

via Unsplash

This digital intervention is being led by Professor Georgina Krebs (UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences) which will see her evaluating the intervention in the UK and collaborating with researchers at the University of São Paulo to design a culturally-adapted version in Brazil.

Most Read

Horrid new details about body emerge as pop star is named a ‘target’ in teen’s death

Investigating what the Love Is Blind season 10 cast actually do for jobs, according to LinkedIn

I’m a Black person with Tourette’s, here’s my take on the John Davidson BAFTAs incident

The team aims to develop an intervention that is designed to “nip the problem in the bud” before OCD fully develops, and it will be co-developed with people with lived experience of OCD and parents to ensure that it is relevant and accessible to those it aims to help.

Professor Krebs said: “By working directly with families and young people both in the UK and Brazil, we hope to create an intervention that can meet children and young people’s needs at the earliest possible moment. If we can reliably identify those at risk for OCD and offer parents a tool that is easy to access, culturally sensitive and grounded in evidence, we can intervene before OCD takes hold.”

She also said: “We hope that this will reduce the long-term burden and ultimately give children a far better start.”

Talking about the importance of early intervention in OCD, Professor Philip Shaw from King’s College London explained that from”‘talking to young people living with OCD and their parents, it’s clear that intervening early before symptoms spiral out of control, could prevent a lot of distress and anguish.”

“This project aims to do just that for children not just in the UK, but in Brazil, Sweden and beyond”, he continued.

The collaboration is a major step toward a future in which OCD can be both anticipated and prevented, helping children and families all over the world.

For more of the latest news, guides, gossip, and memes, follow The King’s Tab on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Featured image via Unsplash