Neurocognitive substrates of naming facilitation in aphasia. This research directly addresses the national research priority goal of ageing well, ageing productively, by providing foundational knowledge for improved outcomes in the growing population of individuals in Australia with language impairments from age-related disease. Outcomes of the proposed research will include (1) development of a new theory of word production which can improve treatment of language impairment, (2) an enhanced und ....Neurocognitive substrates of naming facilitation in aphasia. This research directly addresses the national research priority goal of ageing well, ageing productively, by providing foundational knowledge for improved outcomes in the growing population of individuals in Australia with language impairments from age-related disease. Outcomes of the proposed research will include (1) development of a new theory of word production which can improve treatment of language impairment, (2) an enhanced understanding of the cognitive and brain mechanisms involved in word production and its treatment after stroke, and (3) postgraduate training in state-of-the-art cognitive neuroimaging and language neuroscience research. Read moreRead less
Effective Management Of Acute Whiplash Injuries Requires A Pragmatic Approach: An RCT With Stratified Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$382,550.00
Summary
Whiplash injuries from a motor vehicle crash continue to incur substantial personal and financial costs to the community and the insurance industry. The current approaches to an acute whiplash injury in Australia and internationally have failed to lessen the rate of how many people develop chronic neck pain. Between 40 and 60% still have pain 6 months after injury. Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld) figures indicate that 20% of patients with chronic whiplash account for 60% of the costs. ....Whiplash injuries from a motor vehicle crash continue to incur substantial personal and financial costs to the community and the insurance industry. The current approaches to an acute whiplash injury in Australia and internationally have failed to lessen the rate of how many people develop chronic neck pain. Between 40 and 60% still have pain 6 months after injury. Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Qld) figures indicate that 20% of patients with chronic whiplash account for 60% of the costs. Transition from an acute to a chronic condition must be prevented. A new direction in management in the acute stage is urgently required as once the pain has become chronic, it is difficult to help. This research will conduct a novel randomised controlled trial for acute whiplash. It will test individually prescribed multi-professional management against usual care with the aim to lessen the numbers who go on to develop chronic pain. It will be the first clinical trial that acknowledges from the outset that the whiplash injuries and affects people in different ways. Our previous research with acute whiplash patients has documented the variations in presentation from physical, physiological and psychological perspectives. In this trial, management will be prescribed as directed by measurable pain, muscle and psychological impairments in the individual, rather than regard all patients as the same as in other trials. This trial will offer individualised treatments; medical, physiotherapy and-or psychological using an empirically derived treatment algorithm. Cost-effectiveness of the program will be evaluated against that incurred during usual care. It is predicted that early multi-professional management will be less expensive in the long term than existing approaches. This RCT stands to extend knowledge in the management of whiplash associated disorders (WAD).Read moreRead less
Determinants of successful community transition for individuals with acquired brain injury and their families. Transition home following acquired brain injury (ABI) is a critical phase in which individuals and families are vulnerable. Unsuccessful transitions are characterised by events such as financial crisis, family breakdown, loss of work, social isolation, and institutionalisation. ABI does not discriminate, but there is a higher rate in Indigenous, rural and remote communities and amongst ....Determinants of successful community transition for individuals with acquired brain injury and their families. Transition home following acquired brain injury (ABI) is a critical phase in which individuals and families are vulnerable. Unsuccessful transitions are characterised by events such as financial crisis, family breakdown, loss of work, social isolation, and institutionalisation. ABI does not discriminate, but there is a higher rate in Indigenous, rural and remote communities and amongst younger people. The societal impact of ABI includes loss of income and livelihood, health and welfare dependence, and long-term accommodation support. Research into the determinants of successful transition will alleviate the personal, social and economic burden of ABI and inform policy and program priorities for appropriate Australian Government bodies.Read moreRead less
Children's Changing Speech Error Patterns: Articulating, Listening, and Thinking. When children are learning to talk, they make many errors of pronunciation. Between speech onset and five years of age, their pronunciations change, gradually approaching adult pronunciations of words. Most children share the same error patterns, although 6% have difficulty acquiring intelligible speech, that affects their academic and social development. The investigation will examine factors that contribute to ....Children's Changing Speech Error Patterns: Articulating, Listening, and Thinking. When children are learning to talk, they make many errors of pronunciation. Between speech onset and five years of age, their pronunciations change, gradually approaching adult pronunciations of words. Most children share the same error patterns, although 6% have difficulty acquiring intelligible speech, that affects their academic and social development. The investigation will examine factors that contribute to the acquisition of speech in normally developing and speech-disordered populations: oro-motor skills, auditory and cognitive processing. Experiments will determine the importance of each domain for speech development. The efficacy of a novel intervention programme for children with speech disorders will be evaluated.Read moreRead less
Bilateral Cochlear Implants for Children: Does a Second Implant Improve Language, Psychosocial and Other Outcomes? Severe-profound congenital hearing loss engenders significant costs to society. In 2005, specialised education cost -- on average $25,000 per child, loss of productivity cost -- $6.7 billion, and social security benefits were paid to approximately 129,000 individuals who were unemployed due to hearing loss. If bilateral cochlear implantation results in improved language, social dev ....Bilateral Cochlear Implants for Children: Does a Second Implant Improve Language, Psychosocial and Other Outcomes? Severe-profound congenital hearing loss engenders significant costs to society. In 2005, specialised education cost -- on average $25,000 per child, loss of productivity cost -- $6.7 billion, and social security benefits were paid to approximately 129,000 individuals who were unemployed due to hearing loss. If bilateral cochlear implantation results in improved language, social development, and academic outcomes, the community benefits arising will be greatly improved quality of life for these individuals and significant savings to society. In partnership with Cochlear Ltd, this study will provide some of the first data worldwide comparing the effects of an additional implant on language, social and educational outcomes.Read moreRead less
The development of chronicity following whiplash injury: the fear-avoidance model versus a neurobiological stress model. The economic burden of musculoskeletal conditions is second only to cardiovascular disease and Whiplash Associated Disorders are one of most economically costly musculoskeletal conditions. This project brings together leading Australian multiprofessional spinal pain researchers to investigate physiological and psychological processes involved in the development of chronic pain ....The development of chronicity following whiplash injury: the fear-avoidance model versus a neurobiological stress model. The economic burden of musculoskeletal conditions is second only to cardiovascular disease and Whiplash Associated Disorders are one of most economically costly musculoskeletal conditions. This project brings together leading Australian multiprofessional spinal pain researchers to investigate physiological and psychological processes involved in the development of chronic pain after whiplash injury. The results will improve the understanding of the processes and inter-relationships between these processes in the development of chronic whiplash pain thus leading to the development of improved early intervention strategies in order to prevent the transition to chronicity. Read moreRead less
Optimising how the brain processes language in healthy and neurological populations. This research will examine how the ability of the brain to process language can be modified by behavioural experiences, certain drugs and direct brain stimulation. The findings have the potential to reveal new ways to treat language disorders after brain injury or disease.
Prediction of outcome following whiplash injury: a multicentre international prospective study. The main aim of this study is to validate a set of biological and psychological prognostic indicators of outcome following whiplash injury that we have previously identified in a single centre prospective cohort. Validation will be in the context of a large multicentre international cohort. This will allow stakeholders involved in whiplash such as health care and insurance providers to predict with co ....Prediction of outcome following whiplash injury: a multicentre international prospective study. The main aim of this study is to validate a set of biological and psychological prognostic indicators of outcome following whiplash injury that we have previously identified in a single centre prospective cohort. Validation will be in the context of a large multicentre international cohort. This will allow stakeholders involved in whiplash such as health care and insurance providers to predict with confidence both those persons at risk of developing chronic symptoms as well as those with a good chance of full recovery. Furthermore the validation of the predictive capacity of these indicators will, for the first time, provide predictive markers that are amenable to specific early multiprofessional treatment interventions.Read moreRead less
Development of new interventions and treatment for schistosomiasis morbidity control. Australia has played a lead role in Parasitology research. It is vital to remain at the forefront in combating the human and livestock diseases that parasites cause. Vaccine assessment and the large scale analysis of patient tissues are vital to the biotechnology, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries with outcomes leading to innovative strategies for control. Politically there is value as it is altruistic ....Development of new interventions and treatment for schistosomiasis morbidity control. Australia has played a lead role in Parasitology research. It is vital to remain at the forefront in combating the human and livestock diseases that parasites cause. Vaccine assessment and the large scale analysis of patient tissues are vital to the biotechnology, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries with outcomes leading to innovative strategies for control. Politically there is value as it is altruistic to develop new tools, technologies and treatments for the Asia/Pacific region. Economically, Australia will have first pass at developing the intellectual property arising. As well, the therapies would be developed locally to the benefit of Australia's human therapeutics industry and bio-reagent manufacturers.Read moreRead less
Dissecting the shared genetic architecture of psychiatric and psychological traits with application to prediction of genetic risk. Identification of the early phase of psychiatric disorders is considered critical for early intervention which is the essence of prevention. At present, the main obstacle to targeted early intervention strategies in psychiatric disorders is the non-specific nature of early stage symptoms. Many psychiatric disorders present with symptoms of depressed mood and anxiety ....Dissecting the shared genetic architecture of psychiatric and psychological traits with application to prediction of genetic risk. Identification of the early phase of psychiatric disorders is considered critical for early intervention which is the essence of prevention. At present, the main obstacle to targeted early intervention strategies in psychiatric disorders is the non-specific nature of early stage symptoms. Many psychiatric disorders present with symptoms of depressed mood and anxiety in the early stages, yet best intervention treatments are dependent on the final (unknown) diagnosed disorder. Prediction of genetic risk is likely to make an important contribution for identification of individuals at risk of specific psychiatric disorders so that the best early intervention treatment can be administered. Read moreRead less