Improving Weight Loss Outcomes By Minimizing Adaptive Responses To Energy Restriction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
While losing excess weight reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, current weight loss strategies are ineffective for most, in part because the body mounts a ‘famine reaction’ that increases hunger, decreases metabolic rate and may also cause loss of muscle and bone mass. This research aims to determine the effects of the famine reaction on body composition, as well as to identify new ways to block the famine reaction with food, thereby enabling more people to attain and maintai ....While losing excess weight reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, current weight loss strategies are ineffective for most, in part because the body mounts a ‘famine reaction’ that increases hunger, decreases metabolic rate and may also cause loss of muscle and bone mass. This research aims to determine the effects of the famine reaction on body composition, as well as to identify new ways to block the famine reaction with food, thereby enabling more people to attain and maintain a healthy body weight and composition.Read moreRead less
Unveiling The Origin Of Munc18-1 And Alpha-synuclein Co-aggregation At Nanoscale
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$620,005.00
Summary
Our recent work on Munc18-1 mutations leading to a severe form of human early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE) led us to uncover a critical role for Munc18-1 in controlling the formation of toxic protein aggregates containing ?-Synuclein. Targeting the Munc18-1 ?-Synuclein interaction may have therapeutic values not only for EIEE but also for other neurological diseases characterised by protein aggregations.
Health Coaching Intervention To Prevent Excessive Gestational Weight Gain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$98,507.00
Summary
Excessive weight gain in pregnancy places women at a greater risk for the development of overweight and obesity. This study responds to the urgent need to design effective interventions to prevent excessive weight gain in pregnancy. A health coaching intervention has been designed to address this need, and its effectiveness will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial with first time pregnant women.
A Randomised Controlled Trial To Prevent Primigravid Excessive Gestational Weight Gain And Postpartum Weight Retention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$505,412.00
Summary
Excessive weight gain in pregnancy and weight retention 12 months post birth place women at a greater risk for the development of overweight and obesity. This study responds to the urgent need to design effective interventions to prevent excessive weight gain in pregnancy and postpartum weight retention. A health coaching intervention has been designed to address this urgent need, and its effectiveness will be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial with first time pregnant women.
Long-term Metabolic Effects Of Stress And Antidepressants: A Novel Translational Animal Paradigm Of Drug-induced Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,231.00
Summary
Do antidepressants contribute to Australia's obesity epidemic? Millions of Australians are treated with antidepressants, which often causes weight gain. Our work shows that even brief exposure to antidepressants exacerbate body weight gain following exposure to chronic stress. This new knowledge represents a significant shift in the understanding of antidepressant-related weight gain. In this project we will study the mechanisms involved in long-term weight gain after exposure to stress and anti ....Do antidepressants contribute to Australia's obesity epidemic? Millions of Australians are treated with antidepressants, which often causes weight gain. Our work shows that even brief exposure to antidepressants exacerbate body weight gain following exposure to chronic stress. This new knowledge represents a significant shift in the understanding of antidepressant-related weight gain. In this project we will study the mechanisms involved in long-term weight gain after exposure to stress and antidepressants in an obesogenic environment.Read moreRead less
Heart failure is a severely debilitating condition with a poor prognosis. It is characterized by retention of fluid and high nervous activity especially to the kidneys and the heart. Even with the best current treatment available, patients with heart failure still suffer from abnormally high nerve activity to the further detriment of this condition. The successful completion of this project will provide considerable insight into the role of the brain in the elevated nerve activity in heart failu ....Heart failure is a severely debilitating condition with a poor prognosis. It is characterized by retention of fluid and high nervous activity especially to the kidneys and the heart. Even with the best current treatment available, patients with heart failure still suffer from abnormally high nerve activity to the further detriment of this condition. The successful completion of this project will provide considerable insight into the role of the brain in the elevated nerve activity in heart failure. It will also provide us with a significant understanding of the role in reflex sympathetic nerve regulation of an important brain region known as the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Our findings will help us understand the nature of the neurotransmitters contributing to the reflex nerve regulation and the specific neurons within the PVN involved. This knowledge could help us to identify novel potential therapeutic targets within the brain to alleviate the problems observed in heart failure.Read moreRead less
Anabolic Steroids: The Emergent Public Health Threat Facing Australian Boys And Men
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Steroid use is a growing public health threat with devastating health consequences for boys and men. In response, we will investigate i) how steroid use develops among high-school boys, and ii) the experience of steroid use among current steroid users. Findings will inform models of how steroid use develops, help prevention and treatment efforts, and help to change the thinness- and female-centric criteria for diagnosing eating disorders to better accommodate males and muscularity.
Several natural chemicals in the brain and gut that regulate food intake and body weight have been identified. Their actions in regulating these processes are achieved through a complex yet little understood interaction with various molecules and receptors which leads to a cascade of reactions in the central nervous system. The aim if this PhD project is to elucidate the mechanisms of these interacting molecules to develop novel and effective leads for the prevention and treatment of obesity.