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Infrared Thermal Imaging: An Innovative Technique To Assess Peripheral Body Temperature.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$192,710.00
Summary
Insomnia is a significant health issue, with 10-12% of the general population reporting sleeping difficulties requiring treatment. Pharmacological treatment with hypnotics-sedatives remain the main treatment strategy for most insomnias, despite the adverse side-effects. A better understanding of the physiological triggers for sleep will make it possible to develop more specific treatments for insomnia. Sleep onset is reported to be associated with changes in body temperature. Broadly speaking, s ....Insomnia is a significant health issue, with 10-12% of the general population reporting sleeping difficulties requiring treatment. Pharmacological treatment with hypnotics-sedatives remain the main treatment strategy for most insomnias, despite the adverse side-effects. A better understanding of the physiological triggers for sleep will make it possible to develop more specific treatments for insomnia. Sleep onset is reported to be associated with changes in body temperature. Broadly speaking, sleep onset has been linked with a rapid reduction in core temperature through increased peripheral heat loss. It has been suggested from this that sleep onset insomnia may result from the failure to efficiently lose heat at the periphery and thus, reduce core temperature. To date, the analysis of peripheral temperature physiology has been limited to single temperature thermistors attached to discrete body areas. This technique typically provides very limited information about the dynamic temperature changes. Recently, low cost, high resolution thermal imaging systems have become available, enabling the measurement of real-time changes in peripheral temperature across the whole body simultaneously. This development will help to significantly improve our understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in both sleep onset and insomnia. The aim of this project then, is to determine whether an impaired capacity to lose heat at the periphery contributes to sleep onset insomnia in both young and older adults. The results of this project will provide insight into whether a reduced capacity to dissipate heat results in an extended sleep onset latency, greatly enhancing our knowledge of the physiology of sleep onset and sleep onset insomnia. In turn, treatments may be developed that directly manipulate the physiological triggers for sleep, minimising the dependence on sedative-hypnotics and the associated adverse effects of these agents.Read moreRead less
The brain regulates body temperature by a series of mechanisms, including the control of how much blood flows to the skin to lose or retain heat. The project aims to locate the brain temperature receptors and brain pathways that do this, using an animal model, the rat. At present they are not known.
Improving Weight Loss Outcomes By Minimizing Adaptive Responses To Energy Restriction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$621,458.00
Summary
While losing excess weight reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, current weight loss strategies are ineffective for most, in part because the body mounts a ‘famine reaction’ that increases hunger, decreases metabolic rate and may also cause loss of muscle and bone mass. This research aims to determine the effects of the famine reaction on body composition, as well as to identify new ways to block the famine reaction with food, thereby enabling more people to attain and maintai ....While losing excess weight reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, current weight loss strategies are ineffective for most, in part because the body mounts a ‘famine reaction’ that increases hunger, decreases metabolic rate and may also cause loss of muscle and bone mass. This research aims to determine the effects of the famine reaction on body composition, as well as to identify new ways to block the famine reaction with food, thereby enabling more people to attain and maintain a healthy body weight and composition.Read moreRead less
I am a neurophysiologist interested in brain regulation of homeostatic and autonomic functions in health and disease. I am endeavouring to discover the brain pathways for these vital functions, and to translate my findings from animal research to humans.
Therapeutic Thermal Regulation In Critical Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$189,384.00
Summary
Patients who are admitted to intensive care units often develop abnormalities of their body temperature as part of their illness. Common illnesses include infections and injuries to the brain from trauma or strokes. Clinicians are unsure of how to react to these changes in temperature. My research is designed to provide high quality evidence on body temperature and the use of treatments, so that clinicians can improve patient outcomes.
Neural Basis Of The Thermal Instability That Leads To Menopausal Hot Flushes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,535.00
Summary
Hot flushes and night sweats affect 80-90% of women during the menopause transition. In 20% of women these symptoms are severe. The mechanisms are not well understood, and non-hormonal treatments are urgently needed. We can investigate the basic brain mechanisms in an animal model, the sheep. The findings will elucidate the mechanisms that disrupt normal temperature regulation and thus lead the way to better therapies for this common, and often debilitating, condition. .
Unravelling The Impact Of An Energy-rich Environment On Susceptibility And Resistance To Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,754.00
Summary
Obesity in Australia is at a crisis point. It is clear that energy-rich environments and an individual’s genes leads to excessive weight gain, but what we don’t understand is why some individuals are more prone to this than others. Comprehending this biological regulation is imperative if we are to develop more effective drug or dietary treatments to abate this disease. Thus it is the aim of this grant to dissect the biological/genetic/possible epigenetic perturbations leading to common obesity.
Heart failure is a severely debilitating condition with a poor prognosis. It is characterized by retention of fluid and high nervous activity especially to the kidneys and the heart. Even with the best current treatment available, patients with heart failure still suffer from abnormally high nerve activity to the further detriment of this condition. The successful completion of this project will provide considerable insight into the role of the brain in the elevated nerve activity in heart failu ....Heart failure is a severely debilitating condition with a poor prognosis. It is characterized by retention of fluid and high nervous activity especially to the kidneys and the heart. Even with the best current treatment available, patients with heart failure still suffer from abnormally high nerve activity to the further detriment of this condition. The successful completion of this project will provide considerable insight into the role of the brain in the elevated nerve activity in heart failure. It will also provide us with a significant understanding of the role in reflex sympathetic nerve regulation of an important brain region known as the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Our findings will help us understand the nature of the neurotransmitters contributing to the reflex nerve regulation and the specific neurons within the PVN involved. This knowledge could help us to identify novel potential therapeutic targets within the brain to alleviate the problems observed in heart failure.Read moreRead less
Several natural chemicals in the brain and gut that regulate food intake and body weight have been identified. Their actions in regulating these processes are achieved through a complex yet little understood interaction with various molecules and receptors which leads to a cascade of reactions in the central nervous system. The aim if this PhD project is to elucidate the mechanisms of these interacting molecules to develop novel and effective leads for the prevention and treatment of obesity.