The LOng-Term Follow-up TIPP project: LOFT study protocol, a 20-year
prospective study of early psychosis patients
Abstract
Introduction: Early intervention Services (EIS) in psychosis
are the gold standard to treat patients after a first episode of
psychosis (FEP). However, the understanding of the evolution and the
long-term effects of such type of intervention is limited. This study
aims to gain insight into the long-term evolution of physical and mental
health, as well as the neurobiological outcomes of the patients treated
for a FEP. Methods: The Long-term Follow-up of TIPP (LOFT) is
an up to 20-year study within a cohort of patients who completed a
three-year EI treatment at Treatment and early Intervention in Psychosis
Program (TIPP, in Lausanne, Switzerland) and went through a deep
phenotyping prospective multimodal assessment. 720 patients will be
contacted and asked to participate in LOFT. Once they are assessed they
will be allocated to a timepoint at either 5(+2), 10(±2), 15(±2), and
20(-2) years after TIPP entry. A follow-up visit will be proposed every
5 years. All participants will be evaluated on psychopathological,
functional, and physical health outcomes including metabolic
disturbances. A subsample of the patients who previously took part in a
biomarker research program (n = 168) whilst at TIPP will be invited to
undergo additional assessments (cognition, brain imaging, biofluids
collection). Both traditional group level and machine learning analyses
will be conducted. Conclusion: Ethical approval has been
obtained and recruitment started in 2024. LOFT will help reshape and
redefine current interventions for subgroups of patients at risk of
poorer long-term outcome and to understand the underlying
neurobiological mechanisms influencing psychosis evolution.