Hi, we are the Section of Imaging and Neurobiology of Psychosis (SINaPs) academic research team, based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN), King's College London and led by Professor Paola Dazzan. Our team, which includes graduate and undergraduate students, clinicians, psychologists and neuroimagers, passionately studies the brain and mental health. In particular, we investigate and try to understand how experiences such as early life stress can have an impact on brain development and mental health, particularly in young people and during important periods of life such as in pregnancy. We do this so that we can help to promote mental health.

In March 2021, our team will be fundraising for The Psychiatry Research Trust (PRT), which has been supporting research in mental health and brain disorders since 1982. The PRT raises funds for research into all aspects of mental illness and brain disorders undertaken at the IoPPN and its associated Mental Health Trust, and has a special interest in developing the young researchers of tomorrow. Their aim is not just to find better treatments for sufferers but also to understand the underlying causes of mental illness and brain disease with the goal of finding means of preventions and cures for these illnesses.

We will take on a team activity challenge, with a goal of burning 150,000 kilojoules over 4 weeks. Expect to see a myriad of exercises logged for the challenge, we will be jogging, cycling, skipping, doing squats, and trampolining! We will also embrace our inner silliness with fun weekly mini-challenges, from one minute of frantic moves, to moving our fancy feet to our favourite beat, cooking up a breakfast bonanza and cat-walking in some whacky and fancy outfits! As well as funds for the Psychiatry Research Trust, we hope our commitment to this challenge will help raise awareness of the importance of physical activity for good mental health, as well as mental health research.

We hope you will support us by donating through JustGiving, which is simple, fast, and secure. Please be assured that we will keep your personal information safe, with no unwanted emails. As a THANK YOU, donors will be sent a link to an exclusive YouTube video showcasing our efforts and expressing our thanks at the end of March 2021! All donors will also be entered into a prize draw to win 1 of 5 ‘Science Matters’ enamel pins! There will also be 1 special mystery gift and a 'Science Matters' enamel pin for 1 lucky donor! 

Please use this link to enter the prize draw and receive the exclusive YouTube video: https://forms.gle/MeDPAixwMAtGMPg39

Pretty exciting, isn’t it? So why not sponsor us – and help support research in mental health!

Follow us on social media: https://twitter.com/e_brainstudy 

All donations, less Just Giving’s processing fees  (see https://www.justgiving.com/info/fees-2019-march), will go directly to The Psychiatry Research Trust.