Sensorimotor Control Of Foot Function: Adapting The Mechanical Function Of The Foot To Optimise Balance And Gait Performance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Walking and running places immense load on our feet, with 20% of adults suffering from foot pain. Recent research has highlighted the important role of the muscles within the foot in facilitating our ability to withstand excessive load and maintain balance. But it remains unknown how the nervous system controls this function. This research will explore how the brain and spinal cord control these muscles, providing a comprehensive understanding of the role of the foot in balance and gait.
Understanding And Preventing Physical And Cognitive Decline And Falls In Older People With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,626.00
Summary
Falls are common in people with dementia and are more likely to result in injury, death and institutionalisation. There is limited evidence that falls can be prevented in this group. Strategies aimed at maintaining independence and preventing decline and falls are urgently needed. This research will a) further our understanding of fall risk and functional decline and b) explore novel fall and decline prevention programs, including the use of technology in older people with dementia.
Investigation Of The Clinical Utility Of The Nintendo Wii_ Gaming System For Assessment And Rehabilitation Of Balance Post-stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$75,660.00
Summary
The assessment and treatment of balance problems following stroke is a primary focus for physiotherapists working in this field. The Nintendo Wii_, a commercially available active gaming system, is a potentially useful tool for stroke rehabilitation. This research will investigate the effectiveness of this system to improve balance following stroke as well as examine the clinical utility of the Wii Balance Board_, with custom-designed software, for assessment of balance in stroke patients.
Physiological, Biological And Genetic Abnormalitities Associated With The Postural Tachycardia Syndrome
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,290.00
Summary
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the development of excessive tachycardia (heart rate increases by 30 beats or more per min) when the upright position is assumed. The condition is accompanied by weakness, dizziness, presyncope or fainting. POTS has only recently come to international medical attention as the number of patients with the condition is steadily rising. The symptoms and ongoing disability in POTS appear to primarily result from ....Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by the development of excessive tachycardia (heart rate increases by 30 beats or more per min) when the upright position is assumed. The condition is accompanied by weakness, dizziness, presyncope or fainting. POTS has only recently come to international medical attention as the number of patients with the condition is steadily rising. The symptoms and ongoing disability in POTS appear to primarily result from a supernormal reflex sympathetic activation on standing, in ways which are readily apparent for some symptoms, such as tachycardia, but obscure for others, such as postural syncope in the absence of postural hypotension. Poorly defined diagnostic criteria and the likelihood of multiple causes have made it difficult to clarify the underlying pathophysiology of POTS. In this project I will investigate the sympathetic nervous system response to head-up tilt in patients with POTS as well as possible genetic and epigenetic mechanisms which might underpin the syndrome. Preliminary results are encouraging and merit to be taken further.Read moreRead less
Physiology And Pathophysiology Of Trunk Control Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$168,958.00
Summary
The overall aim of this series of experiments is to understand how the spine is controlled and how this changes in disease. Altered control has been identified in people with low back pain, yet we still know very little about the normal mechanisms for protection and support of the spine. Back pain is a common affliction that affects about 5% of Australians each year and is the most common and expensive work-related injury in western society. An understanding of normal control and the mechanism o ....The overall aim of this series of experiments is to understand how the spine is controlled and how this changes in disease. Altered control has been identified in people with low back pain, yet we still know very little about the normal mechanisms for protection and support of the spine. Back pain is a common affliction that affects about 5% of Australians each year and is the most common and expensive work-related injury in western society. An understanding of normal control and the mechanism of dysfunction is critical for identification of risk factors and development of strategies for rehabilitation and prevention. The experiments are divided into two series. The first series addresses normal spinal control. The questions to be asked deal with how the brain copes with the challenge of using trunk muscles for breathing and spinal control at the same time, how the activity of the trunk muscles is affected by input from sensory receptors in the joints, ligaments and muscles of the spine, and whether intra-abdominal pressure can support the trunk. The second series deals with clinical populations. The first aim is to identify whether people with respiratory diseases use trunk muscles for spinal control and breathing at the same time. If they cannot, we predict that they will be more prone to low back pain. We will test this in a large study of incidence of low back pain in people with and without respiratory disease. The second study will investigate the pelvic floor muscles which are important for continence and assist with spinal control. We will investigate whether people with incontinence have poor spinal control and whether this leads to back pain. The final experiment will identify whether people with low back pain interpret sensory information from the spine differently. By answering these questions we hope to intervene in the enormous personal, social and economic consequences of LBP which affects between 60-90% of the population at some stage in their life.Read moreRead less
Noradrenaline Transporter Dysfunction In Neural Circulatory Disorders: Clinical, Molecular And Therapeutic Implications
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$510,870.00
Summary
We will investigate the clinical relevance of noradrenaline transporter (NET) dysfunction and its molecular and genetic regulation in (1) essential hypertension, (2) postural tachycardia syndrome where the heart rate increases abnormally when the patient assumes an upright position and (3) syncope where subjects experience recurrent blackouts. In a therapeutic approach, we will explore whether NET inhibition can reduce the number of episodes and alleviate the symptoms associated with syncope.
Spinosyns As Endectocides For Blocking Transmission Of Malaria And Other Mosquito-borne Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$758,299.00
Summary
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and kills 400,000 people annually. To prevent malaria we must stop transmission. We have discovered a natural substance that, if ingested, makes an animal's blood lethal to at least one type of mosquito. It also kills the parasite. We aim to determine if it kills other key mosquito types and how it kills the parasite. We expect this study will lead to a pill that stops transmission of malaria and other tropical diseases.