Personal Identity, Consciousness and Agency. If I lose my memory, am I the same person I used to be? If much of my body or brain is replaced, do I remain the same person? What if my beliefs and attitudes are altered: does this affect who I am? These are questions of personal identity, and they have enormous bearing on questions of public ethics, especially in the light of biomedical changes. Our inter-disciplinary solutions will add both nuance and insight to the difficult decisions the communit ....Personal Identity, Consciousness and Agency. If I lose my memory, am I the same person I used to be? If much of my body or brain is replaced, do I remain the same person? What if my beliefs and attitudes are altered: does this affect who I am? These are questions of personal identity, and they have enormous bearing on questions of public ethics, especially in the light of biomedical changes. Our inter-disciplinary solutions will add both nuance and insight to the difficult decisions the community will face in this area. The project brings to Australia two leading young researchers from the United States, thus substantially enhancing Australia's skill base and international profile.Read moreRead less
Genetic Variations And Dopaminergic Contributions To Prefrontal Cognitive Systems In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$169,904.00
Summary
Depression and cognitive change associated with menopause frequently occur, but are poorly understood. This research will allow for a greater understanding of the nature of the relationship between menopause, depression and cognitive impairment. The exploration of the efficacy of hormonal and antidepressant treatment on both mood and cognition will contribute to a better understanding to allow for improved treatment options.
A Randomised Clinical Trial Of Cognitive Activity For Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$490,127.00
Summary
Australia’s population is ageing rapidly and so is the frequency of age-related disorders. Dementia is one of the most frequent mental health disorders of older people and one of the leading causes of years of life lost due to disability in Australia. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in old age is considered an important clinical state potentially predictive of future cognitive decline. There is increasing evidence that the onset of dementia can be delayed with targeting potentially modifiable ri ....Australia’s population is ageing rapidly and so is the frequency of age-related disorders. Dementia is one of the most frequent mental health disorders of older people and one of the leading causes of years of life lost due to disability in Australia. Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in old age is considered an important clinical state potentially predictive of future cognitive decline. There is increasing evidence that the onset of dementia can be delayed with targeting potentially modifiable risk factors. In older adults, frequent participation in mentally stimulating leisure activities has been associated with stronger cognitive (abilities such as memory) performances and reduced risk of dementia. Further, the rate of cognitive and functional decline can be influenced by cognitive intervention strategies, though few randomised control studies have explored these findings with individuals who have a diagnosis of MCI. The primary focus of this research is to determine whether a structured program of cognitive activity (CA) can delay progression of cognitive decline amongst older adults with MCI. 160 older adults will be randomised (by chance, like the flip of a coin) to either a 10 week CA intervention with a focus on cognitive training and rehabilitation techniques or a 10 week control educational intervention providing information on aging and retirement. Their cognitive performance, quality of life and functional level will be monitored during follow-up. The proposed study will improve the understanding of possible modifying factors of cognition and highlight the potential of intervention in an older age population. The obtained results will have implications for policy recommendations regarding health care resources and facilitate changes in the approach and management of individuals with MCI.Read moreRead less
The High-Level Structure of Consciousness. The study of consciousness is often regarded as the last great frontier for science. Work in this area has flowered recently, but it has focused on low-level aspects of consciousness, such as visual perception of color and shape. We aim to discover the high-level structure of consciousness, which involves attention, self-consciousness, and the unity of consciousness, among other things. The project involves international collaboration in a three-way int ....The High-Level Structure of Consciousness. The study of consciousness is often regarded as the last great frontier for science. Work in this area has flowered recently, but it has focused on low-level aspects of consciousness, such as visual perception of color and shape. We aim to discover the high-level structure of consciousness, which involves attention, self-consciousness, and the unity of consciousness, among other things. The project involves international collaboration in a three-way interaction between philosophy, cognitive science, and phenomenology. This work has potential social benefits, for example in understanding attention in distracted drivers, and potential medical benefits, in understanding breakdowns of the unity of consciousness in patients with mental illnessRead moreRead less
A model of the mind which explains the role of emotions in normal cognition and affective disorder. Depression is recognised as one of the most burdensome diseases in Australia. Though we of course make no claims, as philosophers, to cure depression our contribution is to engage philosophy productively with a vital national area of empirical research. The other area of national benefit is to consolidate Australia's developing reputation as a site for the involvement of philosophy in interdiscipl ....A model of the mind which explains the role of emotions in normal cognition and affective disorder. Depression is recognised as one of the most burdensome diseases in Australia. Though we of course make no claims, as philosophers, to cure depression our contribution is to engage philosophy productively with a vital national area of empirical research. The other area of national benefit is to consolidate Australia's developing reputation as a site for the involvement of philosophy in interdisciplinary projects which link the humanities to the sciences. Furthermore, with the project's anchoring in the humanities, there is hope that a focus on, and increased understanding of, depression will have flow-on effects in the Australian community that will help ease the stigmatisation that is still felt by many of its sufferers.Read moreRead less
Determinants of Audio-Visual effects in degraded and non-degraded speech. Seeing a speaker's face can affect the perception of their speech in a number of ways. This project proposes a detailed comparison of factors that affect Audio-Visual (AV) facilitation of degraded speech detection and identification. Detection-based tasks should be more sensitive to signal based correlations whereas identification-based effects more sensitive to complementary information. The significance of the current pr ....Determinants of Audio-Visual effects in degraded and non-degraded speech. Seeing a speaker's face can affect the perception of their speech in a number of ways. This project proposes a detailed comparison of factors that affect Audio-Visual (AV) facilitation of degraded speech detection and identification. Detection-based tasks should be more sensitive to signal based correlations whereas identification-based effects more sensitive to complementary information. The significance of the current proposal is that it offers both a strategy and a connected series of experiments for determining key behavioural constraints on AV speech integration. Understanding AV interactions will build links between neurophysiological processes and coherent perception and have important implications for AV application.Read moreRead less
Philosophy and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry: Delusions as a case study for an integrative neurocomputational theory of rationality. A cognitive model relevant to evaluating the complementary roles of cognitive behavioural therapy and pharmacological intervention in treatment of psychiatric disorders.