Tailoring Adjunct Glycine Therapy In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,353.00
Summary
‘Glycine’ is an amino acid that can be purchased ‘over the counter’ at health food shops in Australia. Although traditionally administered as a dietary supplement, recently there has been considerable excitement in the psychiatric community due to its ability to improve schizophrenia symptoms when administered in conjunction with mainstream medications. However, two issues need to be resolved in order for glycine to be employed as a routine therapy in schizophrenia. Firstly, this treatment is on ....‘Glycine’ is an amino acid that can be purchased ‘over the counter’ at health food shops in Australia. Although traditionally administered as a dietary supplement, recently there has been considerable excitement in the psychiatric community due to its ability to improve schizophrenia symptoms when administered in conjunction with mainstream medications. However, two issues need to be resolved in order for glycine to be employed as a routine therapy in schizophrenia. Firstly, this treatment is only effective in some patients, and we have no way of determining which patients will benefit from glycine. Secondly, there are both theoretical reasons and experimental evidence that glycine administration can cause severe impairment for some individuals. Thus although there is great potential for glycine to ease the burden of schizophrenia symptoms, these two issues need to be resolved before this possibility can be actualised. Theoretical considerations, supported by pilot research of the investigators, point to the view that schizophrenia patients’ baseline glycine level is the critical factor that determines whether a patient will benefit or be impaired by glycine therapy. This thesis offers a testable means with which to resolve the above limitations to the use of glycine. The purpose of the current research program is thus to provide the basis for rational prescription of glycine as an additional therapeutic tool in schizophrenia.Read moreRead less
Epilepsy is often poorly controlled by medication and dietary measures can be taken that reduce occurrence of epileptic seizures. Glucose control is impacted by diet and also mutations in the genes that move glucose around the body are known to cause epilepsy. Here we will be studying how the genetic and dietary control of glucose levels impacts brain function to increase seizures and to potentially reveal novel therapies.
Underlying Mechanims Of Thalamocortical Dysrhythmia In Chronic Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,817.00
Summary
Pain has a detrimental impact on ones quality of life and a significant financial impact on the community. It has recently been revealed that chronic pain is associated with altered electrical rhythms within the brain. Using human brain imaging, we aim to determine the underlying reason for this altered rhythm in humans with pain resulting from nervous system damage. Defining this mechanism will aid in the development of better treatment regimes.
Neurophysiology Of Attention Deficits After Right Hemisphere Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$611,742.00
Summary
Stroke is a common and debilitating condition affecting thousands of Australians per year. Problems of attention are common after right hemisphere stroke and arise from lesions to multiple different brain regions. This project utilises a unique multi-modal approach to understand the neurophysiology of sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric aspects of deficit after right hemisphere stroke and will map these objective signatures to discrete lesion locations.
The Neurobiology Of Auditory Hallucinations: Characterisation Of Dysfunction Within A Neural Circuitry Model.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,625.00
Summary
This is a highly innovative research proposal which is based on years of extensive research by our group. Auditory hallucinations are a prominent and potentially disabling symptom of psychosis, however it is extremely difficult to study them scientifically. Past research by our group (and other groups internationally) has indicated that an extensive network in the brain is activated whenever auditory hallucinations occur, but the source of this brain activity is unclear. It was thought that the ....This is a highly innovative research proposal which is based on years of extensive research by our group. Auditory hallucinations are a prominent and potentially disabling symptom of psychosis, however it is extremely difficult to study them scientifically. Past research by our group (and other groups internationally) has indicated that an extensive network in the brain is activated whenever auditory hallucinations occur, but the source of this brain activity is unclear. It was thought that the source may be the same brain circuits that are involved in generating inner speech or monitoring it, but our past research has ruled out these possibilities. Instead, our recent work suggests that auditory hallucinations may be associated with poorly functioning connections within central auditory processing circuits, specifically between left and right auditory association cortical regions. We conceptualise hallucinations as an abnormal and involuntary form of memory retrieval consequent to this dysfunction. Our study will pioneer methods of measuring connectivity in the brain circuits identified in our model, using a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalographic (EEG) techniques in tandem with tests of central auditory processing. We believe that sufferers may benefit from understanding the physical processes which cause hallucinations. We also believe that a better understanding of hallucinations may lead to a better understanding of schizophrenia and the psychoses, which may in turn help in the development of better ways of treating these illnesses.Read moreRead less
Effects Of Electromagnetic Radiation On Visual Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,564.00
Summary
We are increasingly surrounded by devices such as mobile phones and wireless networks. The effect of this electromagnetic radiation on human physiology is still largely unknown. Recent research has shown increases in "alpha-wave" electrical activity in the human brain after exposure to mobile phone radiation, but no effect has yet been shown on human mental processes. We plan to explore the effects of the electromagnetic environment on human visual processing, using sensitive techniques that wil ....We are increasingly surrounded by devices such as mobile phones and wireless networks. The effect of this electromagnetic radiation on human physiology is still largely unknown. Recent research has shown increases in "alpha-wave" electrical activity in the human brain after exposure to mobile phone radiation, but no effect has yet been shown on human mental processes. We plan to explore the effects of the electromagnetic environment on human visual processing, using sensitive techniques that will help reveal the underlying brain processes.Read moreRead less
Validation Of Non-invasive Finite Element Method Based Localization Of Seizure Onset Zone In Epilepsy Using EEG-MEG
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$87,191.00
Summary
Epileptic seizures in the brain are often focal. If anti-epileptic drugs are ineffective, a deep brain stimulator may be implanted to abort seizures at their onset or the seizure tissue may be removed. This project aims to locate the seizure tissue from non-invasive EEG-MEG recordings of seizure-like brain activity using a realistic computer model of the electromagnetic fields in the brain. Knowing the location more exactly will improve the outcomes of deep brain stimulation and removal surgery.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea affects 800,000 Australians and cost the country billions of dollars per year. Immediate daytime consequences of OSA are neurocognitive impairments leading to 200-700% increase in accident risks and a low quality of life. Longer-term consequences include high risk for diabetes and heart disease. There are no simple tests for assessing neurocognitive impairment in OSA. The project develops an automated test to administer neurocognitive functions.
Characterising Motor Network Connectivity To Improve Application Of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation In Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Stroke is a major health issue and leading cause of disability. Improvements to rehabilitation would be beneficial for both patients and hospital services. Brain stimulation has shown capacity to improve function after stroke. At the moment the effects are highly variable an unable to assist rehabilitation. Strength and pattern of remaining brain connections may explain variable responses to brain stimulation. Tailoring stimulation based on brain function will improve rehabilitation outcomes.