A Temporal Profile Of Signaling Via Phosphorylation During Myocardial Ischemia - Reperfusion Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$369,641.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major cause of death in Australians and sequelae post-myocardial ischemia - reperfusion (I-R) are responsible for the greatest proportion of CVD-related mortality. Despite this burden, there is little known of the molecular events that mediate I-R. This project will utilize cutting-edge technology to elucidate the molecular signaling events that lead to I-R injury, as well as determine the basis for protection afforded by clinical pre- and post-conditioning.
A Randomised Trial Of Core Cooling Versus Surface Cooling In Comatose Survivors Of Prehospital Cardiac Arrest
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$309,000.00
Summary
Pre-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a major public health problem that is estimated to cause around one death per thousand adults per year. The aetiology of SCA is usually ischaemic heart disease causing ventricular fibrillation (VF). The current medical response to this condition involves a Chain of Survival, including early call to 000, bystander CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced cardiac life support. Following successful cardiac resuscitation, patients are transported to ho ....Pre-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a major public health problem that is estimated to cause around one death per thousand adults per year. The aetiology of SCA is usually ischaemic heart disease causing ventricular fibrillation (VF). The current medical response to this condition involves a Chain of Survival, including early call to 000, bystander CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced cardiac life support. Following successful cardiac resuscitation, patients are transported to hospital for further care. Despite this approach and recent improvements such as decreased ambulance response times, outcome remains poor and there are very few survivors who make a good recovery. This proposal is for funding to conduct a randomised, controlled trial, which compares two different techniques of induction of hypothermia in patients who are resuscitated from pre-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. Recently available data suggests that the outcome from SCA is significantly improved if moderate hypothermia is used as a treatment of neurological injury. However, the technique of induction of hypothermia requires further research. This study compares core-cooling using large-volume ice-cold intravenous fluid with the current technique of using ice packs for surface cooling, initiated in the field by ambulance paramedics and continued in hospital for a total of 12 hours. This study has the potential to demonstrate a significant improvement in outcome in a common clinical condition, which currently carries a very high mortality rate. This will be the first trial internationally which assess core versus surface cooling initiated pre-hospital, in SCA patients. It is highly likely that with the successful results from this trial that induced hypothermia in SCA patients will become standard care. The use of induced hypothermia could lead to over 500 lives saved per year accross Australia.Read moreRead less
Examining The Metabolic And Cognitive Deficits Caused By Insulin Resistance In The Ventral Striatum
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,372.00
Summary
Brain insulin resistance is thought to cause metabolic and cognitive deficits, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive. This project addresses this gap in our knowledge by examining how brain insulin resistance disrupts the metabolic regulation of food intake and the cognitive control of actions. The outcomes will provide new insights in disorders characterised by brain insulin resistance such as obesity and dementia.
Schizophrenia is a serious and debilitating psychotic illness often characterized by delusions: fixed, false beliefs that preoccupy the patient and affect behaviour, and which are resistant to current drug treatments. This project investigates dysfunctions in belief mechanisms that allow delusions to form and be maintained. This will help clinicians design more effective programs of cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis by allowing more focussed interventions to reduce delusions.
Neuroprotection Against Parkinson’s Disease With Remote Photobiomodulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,818.00
Summary
Treating the head of rodents with low-intensity 670nm light protects against Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the large size of the human skull and brain precludes clinical translation of this treatment. We have discovered that the brain is also protected when light is targeted at peripheral tissues (e.g. a limb), overcoming problems of delivery. This project aims to optimise this treatment and better understand how it works, to lay the scientific basis for a clinical trial.
Disorders Of Action Control And Learning-related Plasticity In The Basal Ganglia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,874.00
Summary
Disorders of the basal ganglia have long been known to produce severe cognitive symptoms including a deficit in the control of voluntary action. This project will assess the learning processes through which humans and other animals acquire such actions. We will systematically investigate changes in cellular plasticity associated with the acquisition of new actions to establish the role that it plays in action control under normal and pathological conditions.