About
The Psychoneuroendocrinology and Stress in Psychosis (PSICPNEC) research group is composed of researchers from the Mental Health Departments at Consorci Sanitari del Maresme (Hospital de Mataró) and Parc Taulí Hospital. It has been recently recognised by AGAUR as a consolidated research group (2021 SGR 00789) and is one of the research groups of the consortium affilated to IGTP.
The main scientific interest of the group is the study of the relationship between hormones and behaviour (psychoneuroendocrinology) in patients with a psychotic disorder, or at risk of developing a psychotic disorder (at-risk mental states).
Research lines include the study of the neurobiological mechanisms of stress (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) in the pathogenesis and outcome of psychotic disorders. The group also aims to study the role of hormones in the risk of transition to psychosis in vulnerable populations and the association with a more severe phenotype (e.g., cognitive impairment) in established psychoses. Other research lines are focused on the study of the role of gender and hormones in the therapeutic response to pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and cognitive rehabilitation interventions in psychotic disorders. Recent research includes the study of stress-related biomarkers in animal models in collaboration with researchers of the Neuroscience Translational Unit at UAB-Parc Taulí.
Keywords: Psychoneuroendocrinology, stress, hormones, cortisol, psychosis.
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Group leader
- Javier Labad Arias, PhD
Javier Labad Arias, PhD
Javier Labad graduated in Medicine from Universitat Rovira i Virgili and specialised in Psychiatry and Endocrinology at Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge in Barcelona. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Barcelona, with his PhD thesis focused on gender differences and the role of female reproductive cycle in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Labad is currently the director of the Mental Health and Addictions Department at Consorci Sanitari del Maresme in Mataró and leads the Psychoneuroendocrinology and Stress in Psychosis research group.
His research is focused on stress and hormonal influences in severe mental disorders. He has led over 20 research projects and authored over 150 articles indexed in Pubmed with an H-index of 40. His research interests include the study of the role of stress and hormones on the pathogenesis and outcome of mental disorders, with a particular interest on early psychosis. He has been accredited as full professor ("catedràtic") by the AQU.
Contact: jlabad(ELIMINAR)@csdm.cat
ORCID: 0000-0003-2214-1886
Team
Researchers
Rosa Hernández Ribas, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Jesús Cobo Gómez, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Itziar Montalvo Aguirrezabala, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Juan David Barbero, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Alex Ferrer Alberti, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Paloma Fernández Corcuera, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Alexandre González-Rodríguez, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Sara Soria Pastor, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Elena Rodríguez-Cano, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Alba Toll Privat, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Paloma Varela Casal, PhD(ELIMINAR)
Eloi Giné Seven(ELIMINAR)
Esther Boix Quintana(ELIMINAR)
Sandra Cepedello Pérez(ELIMINAR)
Lara Moreno Sancho(ELIMINAR)
Marta Niubó Gurgui(ELIMINAR)
Siddarta Acebillo Baqué(ELIMINAR)
Marga Cano Vega(ELIMINAR)
Maite Castillón Espezel(ELIMINAR)
Yolanda Manzano Martín(ELIMINAR)
Miguel Ragull Puig(ELIMINAR)
Cristobal Díez-Aja(ELIMINAR)
Rebeca Hernández Antón(ELIMINAR)
Vanesa Gálvez Ojeda(ELIMINAR)
Research lines
- Biomarkers of stress and risk of developing a psychotic disorder
- Impact of hormones on the clinical expression of psychotic disorders
- Neurocognition and social cognition in early psychotic disorders: prognostic and therapeutic implications
- Psychopathological and biological consequences of abuse in adolescents and young adults
Active projects
Multidisciplinary CIBER study to optimize the treatment of schizophrenia by utilizing multi-omics data and biology of systems (SchizOMICS)
PI: Javier Labad
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: ICI21/00089
Duration: 01/01/2021 - 31/12/2025
El papel de los parámetros del líquido cefalorraquídeo y las firmas proteómicas en el resultado a largo plazo del primer episodio psicótico: estudio de seguimiento a 5 años
PI: Javier Labad
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: ICI21/00089
Duration: 01/01/2023 – 31/12/2025
Estudio piloto de implementación de una herramienta de cribado para la prevención, diagnóstico y tratamiento de pacientes con un trastorno psiquiátrico del neurodesarrollo: utilización del síndrome deleción 22q11.2 (22q11.2DS) como modelo
PI: Elisabet Vilella. Collaborators: Javier Labad, Paloma Valera
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PMP22/00088
Duration: 2023 - 2025
Estudio de las diferencias en los niveles de prolactina y efectos secundarios sexuales entre risperidona ISM y paliperidona palmitato
PI: Rosa Hernández Ribas. Collaborators: Javier Labad, Marta Niubó, Rosa Gabernet, Yolanda Manzano
Funding agency: Laboratorios Rovi (I Concurso becas de investigación de Laboratorios Farmaceuticos ROVI SA)
Duration: 2025 – 2027
Past projects
Genomic, epigenetic and proteomic biomarkers in psychosis: a translational approach including high-risk individuals, patients with schizophrenia and animal models (GEPI-BIOPSY)
PI: Javier Labad
Funding agency: EU (ERA-NET Biomarkers)
Agency code: AC19/00129
Duration: 01/6/2020 - 31/5/2023
Estrés y experiencias psicóticas en población adolescente: una aproximación epidemiológica, clínica y experimental
PI: Javier Labad (Co-IP: Itziar Montalvo)
Funding agency: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)
Agency code: PI18/01843
Duration: 01/01/2019 - 30/06/2022
Scientific publications
Highlighted publications
Giné-Servén E, Boix-Quintana E, Ballesteros A, Daví-Loscos E, Guanyabens N, Casado V, Martínez-Ramírez M, Crespo-Facorro B, Cuesta MJ, Labad J. Bioenergetic markers in cerebrospinal fluid in first-episode psychosis: Are they predictors of early antipsychotic response and 1-year outcomes? Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 2;138:111336. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111336.
Armario A, Nadal R, Fuentes S, Visa J, Belda X, Serrano S, Labad J. Prenatal immune activation in rats and adult exposure to inescapable shocks reveal sex-dependent effects on fear conditioning that might be relevant for schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Dec;342:116219. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116219.
Campana M, Yakimov V, Moussiopoulou J, Maurus I, Löhrs L, Raabe F, Jäger I, Mortazavi M, Benros ME, Jeppesen R, Meyer Zu Hörste G, Heming M, Giné-Servén E, Labad J, Boix E, Lennox B, Yeeles K, Steiner J, Meyer-Lotz G, Dobrowolny H, Malchow B, Hansen N, Falkai P, Siafis S, Leucht S, Halstead S, Warren N, Siskind D, Strube W, Hasan A, Wagner E. Association of symptom severity and cerebrospinal fluid alterations in recent onset psychosis in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders - An individual patient data meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2024 Jul;119:353-362. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.04.011.
Llorens M, Barba M, Torralbas-Ortega J, Nadal R, Armario A, Gagliano H, Urraca L, Pujol S, Montalvo I, Gracia R, Polo D, González-Riesco L, Matalí JL, Palao D, Pàmias M, Labad J. Relationship between hair cortisol concentrations and cognitive functioning in adolescents with ADHD. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2023;14(2):2281752. DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2281752.
Tost M, González-Rodríguez A, Aguayo R, Álvarez A, Montalvo I, Barbero JD, Gabernet R, Izquierdo E, Merodio I, Monreal JA, Palao D, Labad J. Switching from risperidone to paliperidone palmitate in schizophrenia: Changes in social functioning and cognitive performance. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2023 Jan 10;120:110619. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110619.
Additional information
Doctoral theses
Title: Influència dels biomarcadors d'estrès en el rendiment cognitiu d'adolescents amb trastorn per dèficit d'atenció i hiperactivitat
Author: Marta Llorens Capdevila
Supervisor: Javier Labad
University: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)
Date of defence: 17/6/2024
Contact
(+34) 93 741 77 00 Extn. 1500