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Advancing Life Participation Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) By Improving Communication Skills: From The Bedside To The Barbeque
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$782,370.00
Summary
Brain injury is the leading cause of disability in young Australians with sudden and devastating life consequences. One of the most common problems arising from the injury itself is communication difficulties, which leads to relationship breakdowns, unemployability, and crippling social isolation. This Fellowship will deliver pioneering communication treatments using socially innovative eHealth solutions to achieve real improvements for people with brain injury, their families and the community
Associate Professor Bourne’s research will involve learning how the infant brain has an enhanced capacity to repair its own neocortex following an injury and to translate these findings into the development of brain regenerative therapies.
I am a speech pathologist working with patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury or stroke. Brain injury is the leading cause of disability in young Australians with devastating life consequences. A common problem is communication difficulties, which leads to relationship breakdowns, unemployability, and social isolation. This Fellowship will deliver innovative communication treatments to improve the social outcomes of people with brain injury, their families and the community.
Neurobiological ‘risk’ And ‘resilience’ Biomarkers Of Severe Mental Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$926,980.00
Summary
Mental disorders of childhood (schizotypal disorder, autism spectrum disorders) and adolescence (psychoses, schizophrenia) represent a major burden of disease. We will use sophisticated neuroimaging to examine trajectories of brain growth from childhood to adulthood and identify factors (stress, drugs, inflammation, genes) relevant to risk and resilience to developing these disorders. This will lead to novel early interventions to reduce or ameliorate these conditions.
Outcome Prediction, Stratification And Novel Treatments In Individuals At Ultra High Risk Of Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,540.00
Summary
The Ultra High Risk (UHR) criteria have been developed to identify people at high risk of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia so that treatments can be provided early to reduce risk and disability. However the some UHR people are at risk of other difficulties and disorders and others are not at risk of all. We need to improve our ability to distinguish between these groups so that treatment can be tailored according to risk, and develop new treatments that target underlying problems.
Molecular Mediators, Epigenetic Modulators And Therapeutic Targets For Cognitive Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$763,845.00
Summary
Brain disorders constitute an enormous, and growing, burden. My research investigates how genes and environment combine to cause disorders of cognition, including dementia, schizophrenia and autism. The research will provide new insights into these disorders, at the level of molecules, cells and behaviour. I will explore how genetic and environmental factors interact, with a focus on mental activity, physical exercise and stress, which affect a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Maps, Models And Modifiers Of Brain Changes In Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$715,210.00
Summary
Psychosis fundamentally alters one’s relationship with reality. Brain scans can map which parts of the brain are affected by psychosis, but they cannot identify the cellular processes that cause these changes. My fellowship aims to address this gap by integrating brain imaging with genetics and mathematical modelling to identify the brain circuits and molecules that impact risk for psychosis, and to develop targeted therapies to modify these dysfunctional circuits.
Development Of Ultrahigh Resolution Brain Imaging For Investigating Neurological And Neurodegenerative Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$880,454.00
Summary
Understanding the structural and functional organisation of the human brain is the focus of enormous research effort. Neuroimaging is an extraordinarily important basic and clinical neuroscience discipline, and is unique in being able to provide direct in vivo measurements of the human brain, and crucially in individuals with brain and mind diseases. This research project will develop and utilise ultra-high resolution brain scanning to understand the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.
Gene-environment Interactions, Experience-dependent Plasticity And Pathogenic Mechanisms In Mouse Models Of Cognitive And Affective Disorders. Mental And Physical Activity As Modulators Of Brain And Behaviour In Healthy And Diseased States.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,805.00
Summary
Our aim is to understand how genes and environment combine to affect susceptibility to various brain disorders. We are using specific models involving human gene mutations associated with diseases, and manipulating environmental factors such as mental and physical activity. We are focused on neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Huntington’s disease, depression and schizophrenia. These efforts to understand brain diseases will facilitate development of therapeutic approaches.
Using Genomics To Understand Psychiatric Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$772,490.00
Summary
The last five years have seen unprecedented discovery of DNA risk factors for psychiatric disorders. In my Fellowship I will combine analyses of genomic data with development of new statistical methodologies to contribute to my vision that application of genomics methods in psychiatry will continue to catalyze more discoveries of the causes of these complex genetic disorders.