Bergen Psychosis Research Group (BPRG)

Bergen Psychosis Research Group (BPRG) aims to contribute to development of more effective and personalised treatment strategies for patients suffering from psychosis. Our clinical and basic research will through better understanding of the mechanisms involved in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders contribute to more effective and personalised treatments. User participation represented by Psychosis research with lived experience (PEK) is a central part of our research activities.

BPRG sin logo
Photo: BPRG

Affiliation

About the research group

BPRG has been a partner of the Mohn Research Centre for Regenerative Medicine since 2022.

Erik Johnsen leads the project "Personalized Medicine in Psychosis Treatment", which is one of the main projects at MRCRM.

On March 1, 2024, BPRG leader Erik Johnsen inaugurated a new Mohn research center: Mohn Research Centre for Psychotic Disorders (MRCP) – Helse Bergen HF (helse-bergen.no).

The center is funded by grants from the Trond Mohn Research Foundation (TMF), Haukeland University Hospital, the University of Bergen, and Oslo University Hospital.

What is psychosis?

Psychosis is an umbrella term for conditions characterized by one or more symptoms. Examples of such symptoms include hearing voices, suspiciousness, or cognitive difficulties. Psychosis can occur as a primary mental disorder or secondarily due to an underlying physical condition or substance use.

The prevalence of schizophrenia, which is the most common psychotic disorder, is about one percent of the population. The overall prevalence of psychotic disorders is approximately three percent. The majority of patients will respond well to antipsychotic medication in combination with other treatment measures. However, some will not experience sufficient effect and/or may suffer from unpleasant side effects of existing treatment options.

Network and Collaboration

Projects

Projects
  • The Norwegian Prednisolone in Early Psychosis Study (NorPEPS): A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled add-on effectiveness study of prednisolone in early psychosis.
     
  • The Neuroinflammation in Adolescents with Psychosis Project (NAPP): An observational cohort-study of young people with psychosis. 
     
  • The Non-Pharmacological treatment of Psychosis study (NonPharm): An observational cohort study following individuals with psychosis seeking treatment without the use of antipsychotic drugs.
     
  • The Placebo-controlled Trial in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis with Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Europe (PURPOSE): A randomized placebo-controlled study of omega-3 fatty acids in ultra-high risk for psychosis to prevent transition to psychosis.
     
  • Stems cells in schizophrenia project: Using stem cells to model antipsychotic drug response (Personalised medicine in psychosis treatment).
     
  • The interventional, multi-center, randomized, double blinded, placebocontrolled study to investigate semaglutide add-on treatment for metabolic control in antipsychotic-using patients (STABIL-nor). Please find more information here: Cristin, Current research information system in Norway
     
  • The Exercise Therapy in Mental Disorders-study (CVD-MENT): Collaborative and Knowledge-building project preventing multimorbidity in severe mental disorders with a multidisciplinary approach. An open label, two-arm, parallel group, randomised trial, to compare standard and short HIT during 26 weeks of supervised exercise.
     
  • The European Long‐acting Antipsychotics in Schizophrenia Trial‐II (EULAST-II): A multicenter, multinational long‐term follow‐up cohort study including patients who participated in the previously conducted EULAST.
     
  • Prediction of antipsychotic drug response; a precision medicine approach in schizophrenia study (Predict AP). The project aims to develop a tool to identify patients who will not respond to standard antipsychotic treatment.
     
  • Norwegian Research in Mental Illness (NORSMI) General research biobank. A broad- consent based collection biological material from patients with mental disorders. Data can be used in future research projects based on ethical approval.
     
  • The Bergen Psychosis project 2/ Bergen-Stavanger-Innsbruck-Trondheim (BP2/ BeSt InTro) study consist of an observational cohort and a head-to-head, pragmatic, rater-blind, randomized trial with a 1-year follow-up comparing the first-line antipsychotic drugs AMISULPRIDE, ARIPIPRAZOLE and OLANZAPINE in patients with psychosis.
     
  • The key to integrated trauma treatment in psychosis (KIT) trial: A multicenter, pragmatic, randomized, controlled effectiveness trial of trauma focused therapy in psychosis.
Past projects
  • The Psychiatric Acute Department (PAM) COVID-19 study (PAMCOV) was a population-based age-stratified seroepidemiological investigation for COVID-19 virus infections in the catchment area of Haukeland University hospital.
     
  • The Bergen Psychosis Project 1 study (BP1) was a pragmatic, randomized trial comparing second generation antipsychotics in the treatment of psychosis.

People

Group manager

Erik Johnsen Professor and Research group leader

Assisting group leaders

Else Marie Løberg Assisting group leader

Rune S. Kroken Assisting group leader

Staff Leaders

Trude M. Ramberg Section leader

Lin Lilleskare Clinical coordinator

Lena Stabell Database coordinator

Farivar Fathian Research administrative coordinator

Rolf Gjestad Biostatistikk coordinator

User representants with lived experience of psychosis (PEK)

Anne Blindheim Leader

Oda Djupevåg Assisting leader

Biostatisticians

Rolf Gjestad Associate Professor, 50%

Christoffer Bartz-Johannessen Senior Engineer

Research Nurses, Health Workers, PhDs, Postdocs and Researchers

Lin Lilleskare Research nurse

Linn Marie Åberg Adviser

Anne Synnøve Thomassen Research nurse

Egil Anders Haugen Explorer

Torkild Hjelmtveit Research nurse

Renata Alisauskiene Ph.d.-kandidat

Gunnhild Eldhuset Hoprekstad PhD candidate

Kristian Varden Gjerde PhD candidate

Lena Stabell PhD candidate

Novin Balafkan Postdoc

Sadaf Ghorbani Postdoc

Henning Olberg Postdoc

Farivar Fathian Postdoc

Eirik Kjelby Postdoc

Maria Fagerbakke Strømme Postdoc

Nina Mørkved Postdoc

Gyrid Nygård Postdoc

Petros Doros Postdoc

Hanne Wrengler Velure Postdoc

Ole Kristian Sindland Researcher

Ieva Ratke Researcher

Torhild Smith Wiker Researcher

Helene Krakhella Researcher

Stian Gjørøy Researcher

Contact

Emails
erik.johnsen@uib.no