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Functional And Structural Imaging Of Auditory Infomation Processing Deficits In Recent-onset And Chronic Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$376,000.00
Summary
Abnormalities in the auditory system have long been suspected to be present among people who suffer from schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, due in part to the high prevalence of auditory hallucinations amongst these patients. Over the last decade, a group of Australian researchers have identified an index of auditory information processing, recorded from scalp electrodes, that is abnormal in patients with schizophrenia, and their biological relatives. The present project will examine t ....Abnormalities in the auditory system have long been suspected to be present among people who suffer from schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, due in part to the high prevalence of auditory hallucinations amongst these patients. Over the last decade, a group of Australian researchers have identified an index of auditory information processing, recorded from scalp electrodes, that is abnormal in patients with schizophrenia, and their biological relatives. The present project will examine the relationship between these electrophysiological findings, and a new non-invasive technique of functional brain imaging, looking at changes in blood flow, that can identify the specific brain regions that are active during auditory information processing, and link these to the sources of the scalp recorded measures. Both of these functional measures will be examined in relation to the volumes of brain tissue, measured from magnetic resonance imaging scans using new analysis tools, that enable the identification of subtle changes in brain anatomy. By examining patients who have recently developed schizophrenia, those who have suffered from the illness for longer periods of time, and their close relatives, this study will provide the opportunity to identify biological markers of increased vulnerability for the development of schizophrenia.Read moreRead less
Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in high income countries including Australia. This proposal aims to address youth mental illness through four initiatives 1. Improving the understanding of causes of mental illness in youth 2. Reducing traditional and cyber bullying in schools 3, Investigating immune abnormalities in patients with early psychosis. 4. Conducting clinical trials of novel agents in youth with early psychosis
Randomised Controlled Trial Of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy To Prevent Psychosis Among People With At-risk Mental States.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$619,604.00
Summary
Recent advances in the accurate identification of individuals at high risk of developing a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia, have inspired the development of interventions designed to delay, ameliorate or even prevent the onset of such disorders. To date, the results of only three randomised controlled trials of such interventions have been published. Although these results have shown that interventions are able to delay the onset of psychosis, and may even prevent psychosis in some cas ....Recent advances in the accurate identification of individuals at high risk of developing a psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia, have inspired the development of interventions designed to delay, ameliorate or even prevent the onset of such disorders. To date, the results of only three randomised controlled trials of such interventions have been published. Although these results have shown that interventions are able to delay the onset of psychosis, and may even prevent psychosis in some cases, it is unclear which treatment should be preferred for this population because the three trials have assessed, respectively, a combination of anti-psychotic medication and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), CBT alone, and anti-psychotic medication alone. Since the trial of CBT alone produced results that were at least as favourable as the two other trials, and since ethical and clinical objections have been raised concerning the use of anti-psychotic medications with young people who may never develop a psychotic disorder, CBT may be the preferred treatment. Far from posing unnecessary risks, CBT has the potential to provide important therapeutic benefits even to those not destined to develop a psychosis. The current study is significant in that it proposes a controlled trial of a form of CBT which has been specially adapted for preventing transition to psychosis among young high-risk individuals, to test whether the previous favourable results for CBT can be independently replicated. It will be compared with a control treatment. Since cannabis abuse is common among young people who are at risk, and is a known risk factor for psychosis, CBT will include elements of treatment for cannabis abuse. The trial will be run in both Newcastle and Orange, NSW, enabling us to compare the effectiveness of CBT in urban and rural settings. This study has the potential to have large impacts on the quality of life of young people at risk of psychosis.Read moreRead less
Connecting The Dots: Novel Social Media Technologies For Long-term Functional Recovery In First Episode Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,528.00
Summary
The aim of this program of research is to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative online social media and mobile-based interventions purposely designed to improve long-term recovery in youth mental health (i.e., early psychosis and youth depression). These pioneering interventions have been designed by a large multidisciplinary team through the integration of cutting-edge social media technologies, new psychological models and strong consumer-youth participation.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment Of Auditory Hallucinations In Psychotic Disorders: A Clinical And Neurobiological Investigation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
This research will investigate a novel treatment, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment, for auditory hallucinations of psychosis (e.g. schizophrenia). This work is novel as it will utilise an innovative and sophisticated method to optimise treatment at the individual level. Additionally, by identifying features of patients that predict response to treatment, this research will make major contributions to personalised treatment selection guidelines.
Studies On The Expression Of Muscarinic Receptors: Implications For The Pathology Of Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$498,791.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population. This project will help define changes in the molecules in the brain of subjects with schizophrenia which are likely to be involved in two symptoms of the disorder, the psychoses and cognitive deficits. Understanding the cause of the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia is a high priority because they are the most disabilitating symptom of the disorder and do not respond to current drug treatments.
Enabling Personalised Risk Assessment For Colorectal Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,000.00
Summary
Bowel cancer screening will be most effective in disease prevention if it is applied proportionately to individual person's risk. Risk-based screening requires a risk calculator to assess personal risk. By utilising existing large, international datasets, I will identify the risk factors specific for different bowel cancer types and incorporate them to upgrade the prediction model that I have developed. This will achieve more accurate risk prediction to enable personalised risk-based screening.