Plasma protein profiles in normal brain ageing and early stages of dementia. Brain changes related to ageing and dementia are associated with altered proteins that can be detected in the blood. This project will examine blood samples from a number of well-characterised ageing cohorts to discover proteins that may serve as potential markers of brain ageing and the early stages of dementia.
Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eve ....Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eventually being able to better control the anaesthetized state in human and animal subjects. By understanding general anaesthesia across multiple levels of brain function, we will at the same time be answering fundamental questions pertaining to mechanisms of perception and awareness. Read moreRead less
Mindfulness and coping in chronic illness: insights from a study of joint replacement surgery. This study investigates whether participation in a mental health enhancement program (mindfulness) will improve the recovery of patients undergoing total joint replacement. This will benefit patients by promoting psychological well-being which has direct effects on pain and physical function after surgery.
The language abilities of young offenders: Missing links in theory and practice.. Young offenders are a complex and challenging population, with high rates of comorbidity between attentional, learning, and behaviour problems. Few workers have, however, considered the underlying language processing and production skills in this population. Available evidence indicates a high level of vulnerability to language disorders in young offenders. These may contribute to poor academic performance and fail ....The language abilities of young offenders: Missing links in theory and practice.. Young offenders are a complex and challenging population, with high rates of comorbidity between attentional, learning, and behaviour problems. Few workers have, however, considered the underlying language processing and production skills in this population. Available evidence indicates a high level of vulnerability to language disorders in young offenders. These may contribute to poor academic performance and failure to develop prosocial skills. This study will explore language competencies and will describe their relationship to social skills, patterns of comorbidity, and type of offence (property Vs violent). Findings will be relevant to theories of juvenile offending and design of prevention/intervention programsRead moreRead less