Abstract

Rapid environmental change, including climate extremes, pollution, biodiversity loss, accelerating urbanisation and widening social inequalities, profoundly affects brain and mental health across the lifespan. The Horizon Europe–funded environMENTAL project investigates how large-scale environmental adversity shapes neurobiological mechanisms underlying depression, anxiety, stress and substance misuse. Building on our work in IMAGEN and related cohorts, where we identified quantitative neurobiological phenotypes, predictive models, stratification markers, 3T/7T imaging augmentation and a digital twin brain model, environMENTAL leverages federated data from over one million European citizens combined with deep behavioural and neuroimaging phenotyping. This enables modelling of how real-world exposures—such as living in cities—interact with genetic and psychosocial factors to influence brain networks, stress biology and cognitive–emotional function. Complementing this scientific programme, the Nature ‘Earth–Brain–Health Commission’ (EBHC) provides a systems framework linking environmental, biological and social determinants of mental health. It promotes interoperable infrastructures integrating satellite-based environmental data, climate models, digital health assessments and harmonised cohort information at a global level through data harmonisation, federated learning and explainable AI. Together, environMENTAL and EBHC aim to develop mechanistic, transdiagnostic models of environmental influence, identify molecular targets for prevention, and early interventions at the individual and population level.

Host: Prof Jeff Dalley

This talk will be recorded and uploaded to the Zangwill Club Youtube channel in due course.