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Department of Clinical Medicine

Bergen Psychosis Research Group (BPRG)

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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.

Projects

Current 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. Please fine more information here: Prosjektside i Cristin (Current research information system in Norway)
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.

Members

Leadership:

Research group leader Erik Johnsen

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Kristen Sjøwall

Erik Johnsen is professor I in psychiatry at Department of Clinical Medicine, K1, University of Bergen, and is Head Psychiatrist at Division of Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital. He is in addition, the leader of Mohn Research Centre for Psychosis (MRCP) since March 1, 2024, and chairman of the board for Norwegian Network for Severe Mental Illnesses (NORSMI). He has previously been one of the core researchers in centre of Excellence NORMENT.

The research fields include independent pharmacological studies and identification of molecular mechanisms for psychosis, effects and side-effects of antipsychotics, aiming at more personalised treatment. He has conducted several national and international research projects focusing on schizophrenia spectrum disorders, such as; Bergen Psychosis project (BP) 1 og BP2 /BeSt InTro, Norwegian Prednisolon in Early Psychosis Study (NorPEPS), Non Pharmacological psychosis treatment (NonPharm) and Personalised medicine in psychosis treatment. He has also contributed in international multi-center studies including EULAST- I and II. PURPOSE.

Mer informasjon om forskningsarbeidet og publikasjoner finnes her:

Erik Johnsen | Universitetet i Bergen (uib.no)
Cristin: Prof. Erik Johnsen
Kvifor har menneske med alvorlege psykiske lidingar 15-20 år kortare levetid og betydeleg lågare livskvalitet enn folk flest? - Helse Bergen HF (helse-bergen.no)

Assisting group leader Rune A. Kroken

Coming soon.

Assisting group leader Else-Marie Løberg

Coming soon.

Leader staff:

Section leader Trude M. Ramberg

Coming soon.

Clinical coordinator Lin Lilleskare

Coming soon.

Database coordinator Lena Stabell

Coming soon.

Biostatistikk coordinator Rolf Gjestad

Coming soon.

Research administrative coordinator Farivar Fathian

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Hans Jørgen Brun

Farivar Fathian is specialist in psychiatry (2010). She has PhD with focusing at schizophrenia, inflammation and effects of antipsychotics. Fathian has been working as senior consultant psychiatrist since 2010 with experience from, psychosis- affective and gerontopsychiatric departments. She has also been research administrative coordinator for BPRG since 2020. She is continuing her research activity as postdoc for the current CVD-MENT study and is employed as centre coordinator for MRCP. See PubMed for publications.

User representants with lived experience of psychosis (PEK):

Leader Anne Blindheim

Assisting leader Oda Djupevåg

Biostatisticians:

Rolf Gjestad

Christoffer Bartz-Johannessen

Research nurses and other health workers:

Lin Lilleskare

Linn Marie Åberg

Anne Synnøve Thomassen

Egil Anders Haugen

Torkild Hjelmtveit

PhD students:

Renata Alisauskiene

Gunnhild Eldhuset Hoprekstad

Kristian Varden Gjerde

Lena Stabell

Postdocs:

Novin Balafkan

Sadaf Ghorbani

Henning Olberg

Farivar Fathian

Senior reserchers:

Farivar Fathian

Eirik Kjelby

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Kristen Sjøwall

Eirik Kjelby (born 1978) is a medical doctor (University of Bergen, Norway, 2003), specialist in psychiatry (2011) and PhD (2020). Since 2011 he has worked as senior consultant at the Department of Old Age Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway. Research interests are depressive illness and suicidality within psychotic disorders, antipsychotics, mortality and morbidity within psychiatric illness and old age psychiatry. See Cristin for publications.

Igne Sinkeviciute

Maria Fagerbakke Strømme

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Group

Maria Fagerbakke Strømme (MD, PhD) works as a researcher (postdoc) in Helse Bergen. In 2022, she defended her PhD thesis titled “Use and non-use of antipsychotics and other psychotropic drugs in schizophrenia”. See Cristin for publications.