Neurobiology Of Schizophrenia And Translation Into New Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
We need to discover novel pharmacological therapies that operate on pathways beyond DAD2R, that will be more effective and have fewer side effects. To identify such agents, we need a better understanding of the biological basis of schizophrenia.
Developmental Neurobiology Of Schizophrenia And Translation Into New Treatments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$611,574.00
Summary
Our ultimate goal is to expand effective treatment options for people with schizophrenia particularly ones that can prevent schizophrenia from developing. The successful completion of this project will identify novel biological pathways by which schizophrenia develops and, importantly, will yield new molecular tools to personalise treatment of schizophrenia.
Optimising Early Interventions For Young People With Emerging Mood Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,653,052.00
Summary
One of our greatest health challenges is to develop highly-personalised interventions for teenagers and young adults with emerging mood disorders, like major depression or bipolar disorder. This new Australian centre combines our national expertise and links it with research innovation and training in key European and North American centres. It tests the viability of selecting the best treatments for young people with mood disorders on the basis of novel genetic, neuropsychological, circadian, i ....One of our greatest health challenges is to develop highly-personalised interventions for teenagers and young adults with emerging mood disorders, like major depression or bipolar disorder. This new Australian centre combines our national expertise and links it with research innovation and training in key European and North American centres. It tests the viability of selecting the best treatments for young people with mood disorders on the basis of novel genetic, neuropsychological, circadian, imaging, immunological or clinical methods.Read moreRead less
Schizophrenia affects, on average, 1% of the population over a lifetime and accounts for 2.6% of the global burden of disease and disability, according to a joint study by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. It is a complex disorder involving both genetic and environmental risk factors, but the specific causation remains poorly understood. People with schizophrenia experience symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, distorted perception of reality, and progressive loss of mot ....Schizophrenia affects, on average, 1% of the population over a lifetime and accounts for 2.6% of the global burden of disease and disability, according to a joint study by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. It is a complex disorder involving both genetic and environmental risk factors, but the specific causation remains poorly understood. People with schizophrenia experience symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations, distorted perception of reality, and progressive loss of motivation, which disrupt personal development. Recent research demonstrates that underlying cognitive impairments, affecting reasoning, memory, planning ability and information processing, are at the core of the disorder and account for a high proportion of these handicaps. In a study involving 112 families with members suffering from schizophrenia, Western Australian researchers carried out detailed investigations of brain cognitive functioning, coupled with a complete genome scan. They identified, in about 50% of these families, a variety of schizophrenia characterized by multiple cognitive deficits, which turned out to be linked to a particular segment of chromosome 6. It was exactly in the chromosomal region where US investigators had previously found genetic linkage with the symptoms of schizophrenia in a large series of Irish families. In this project, the Western Australian and US teams, together with a group of Dutch researchers, will embark on a joint search for the gene (or genes) on chromosome 6, contributing to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. They will assess a further large series of patients and controls, and conduct molecular genetic studies aiming to pinpoint the specific gene defect or variant. If successful, the project will have far-reaching implications for defining novel drug targets and treatment strategies for this disabling disorder.Read moreRead less