Project 467135

Schizophrenia is associated with an increased risk of suicide, with 10% of schizophrenia patients dying of suicide. Suicide attempts are challenging to predict because current standards of diagnosis require self-report of suicidal thoughts through surveys or questionnaires. Accurate biological markers that can reliably predict suicidal ideation are necessary to prevent suicide. Post-mortem brains of people who have completed suicide have unique methylation patterns. New evidence shows that methylation of stress-related pathways changes in association with stressful life events and stressful life events are known to have an association with suicide attempts. However, no study has attempted to monitor dynamic changes in genome-wide methylation status in response to stressful stimuli. We hypothesize that changes in genome-wide methylation patterns will be present in patients with increased suicidal ideation over one year. 100 patients with schizophrenia will be recruited from the CAMH in Toronto. Study entry and 1-year follow-up measures will be taken for suicidal ideation, stress exposure, and a genome-wide methylation analysis will be conducted. We will measure suicidal ideation using the CSSRS and recent stress exposure using the SRRS. Methylation data will be determined from collected white blood cell samples and a regression model will be created to compare changes in suicidal ideation to genome wide methylation patterns. This study will be the first to analyze changes in genome-wide methylation patterns over 1-year in schizophrenic patients experiencing suicidal ideation. This study can identify critical markers of suicidal intention and better diagnostic mechanisms for suicide prevention.