The Wellcome Trust Sleep Study: CHIP-D

Professor Sukhi Shergill has brought together a world leading multi-disciplinary team for this project, part of the recent Wellcome Mental Health Award call out on integrating sleep and circadian science into our understanding and treatment of anxiety, depression and psychosis. This research project, CHIP-D (Circadian Health In Psychosis and Depression) aims to improve our understanding of the dynamic relationship between circadian biomarkers, sleep, cognition, and mental health.

Circadian rhythms regulate and reflect many biological processes within our bodies, including the internal rhythms that control cycles such as sleep and wakefulness, body temperature and hormone secretion. Through a greater understanding of this process the research team hope to develop treatments that will meet the outstanding challenge of normalising sleep / circadian rhythm related behaviour in the early stages of psychotic and depressive illness. Addressing an unmet challenge of the role of sleep and circadian health in potentially triggering and prolonging adverse mental health outcomes in healthy and clinical populations.