Determining The Cognitive Sequelae Of Adolescent Cannabis Use: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$259,731.00
Summary
Adult cannabis users have problems with memory and attention, but it is not known to what extent these cognitive deficits relate to premorbid intellectual functioning or underlying personality features. Further, it is not known to what extent cannabis use during adolescence (when the brain is still developing), may lead to greater cognitive impairment. This study will directly address these questions utilising a large sample of adolescents followed since entry to high school.
Long Term Outcome From Early Childhood Brain Injury: 10 Year Follow Up
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$338,900.00
Summary
The primary aim of this project is to further improve our understanding of the long-term consequences of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). Over the past decade our research team has ascertained a sample of children sustaining TBI, and systematically followed their progress over a 5-year period. The project has an international reputation, and is unique in terms of length of follow-up, prospective design and representative, well-maintained sample. Our findings challenge the traditionally he ....The primary aim of this project is to further improve our understanding of the long-term consequences of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). Over the past decade our research team has ascertained a sample of children sustaining TBI, and systematically followed their progress over a 5-year period. The project has an international reputation, and is unique in terms of length of follow-up, prospective design and representative, well-maintained sample. Our findings challenge the traditionally held view that children are resilient and recover fully from early brain insult. Rather, we have shown that, up to 5 years post-TBI, many children experience impairments in physical, cognitive and behavioural function. These impairments result in educational, vocational, social and emotional problems, limiting the child's capacity to meet developmental expectations and achieve adequate quality of life. The implication is that these problems will lead to life-long disability, resulting in high levels of individual, family and community burden. However, with follow-up data limited to 5 years, there remains a possibility that ongoing developmental processes may support an extended recovery period in childhood TBI, in comparison to the 2-year period cited in adult models. The review of this sample, 10 years post-injury, provides an unprecedented opportunity to address this possibility and to document recovery-outcome as children move into adolescence and adulthood. Not all children experience problems post-injury. However, predicting individual outcome remains a significant challenge, with particular clinical relevance to treatment and follow-up. Thus, the second aim of the proposed study is to examine factors that contribute to recovery and outcome.Read moreRead less
This study investigates how much an individual's genes and environment account for the wide variation in brain structure and function. Using MRI we will examine in what way a twin's brain is the same or different from that of their co-twin, and carry out analysis of their DNA to identify some of the many genes influencing the structure and function of the brain. The study will provide fundamental information on genetic mechanisms influencing variation in brain structure and function.
Quantifying The Neurocognitive Impact Of Cannabis Across The Life Span: The Evolution Of Memory Deficits.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$516,572.00
Summary
Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, and its use is particularly prevalent during adolescence and young adulthood. Adolescence is also a period when the brain undergoes significant structural and functional change, and there is growing evidence that the brain may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances during this developmental stage. There is increasing evidence that long term or heavy use of cannabis impairs learning and memory. It is thought that the c ....Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance, and its use is particularly prevalent during adolescence and young adulthood. Adolescence is also a period when the brain undergoes significant structural and functional change, and there is growing evidence that the brain may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of addictive substances during this developmental stage. There is increasing evidence that long term or heavy use of cannabis impairs learning and memory. It is thought that the continued bombardment of the brain s own natural cannabis-like neurotransmitter system by the active chemicals within cannabis disrupts critical aspects of brain function. This research seeks to improve our understanding of the way that cannabis use affects memory and how these problems might develop or worsen from adolescence to adulthood. This project will investigate memory processes in cannabis users using functional brain imaging techniques. This will allow identification of regions of the brain that are not working efficiently when cannabis users attempt to memorise and recall words from a list and recognise patterns. The project will examine how different levels of cannabis use (long term vs. short term and heavy vs. light) may affect brain function during learning and memory, and determine if the observed memory problems depend upon the age at which cannabis use began and the gender of the user. The findings from this research will substantially contribute to our understanding of the ways in which cannabis use affects brain function and potentially triggers serious psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. The findings will contribute to guidelines regarding hazardous levels of cannabis use within adolescent and adult populations, and will inform debate, policy, education and treatment.Read moreRead less
Early Identification Of Degenerative Dementia Syndromes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,558.00
Summary
With the continuing ageing of the population, an increasing number of adults will experience signs of dementia. Knowledge of the clinical presentation, disease mechanisms and evolution of frontotemporal dementia, a syndrome as common as Alzheimer’s disease in the < 65 year-old group, remains suboptimal. This research project will combine clinical investigations and brain imaging to improve diagnostic accuracy of this disease. This will lead to better treatment and management interventions.
Which Treatment Works? New Approaches To Treating Emotion Perception Deficits After Brain Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,937.00
Summary
Many people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) cannot recognise emotions in others. This makes appropriate social behaviour impossible and leads to isolation and unemployment. In this project we compare training that minimises errors (errorless learning) versus training that provides strategies for recognising emotions while allowing errors to occur. Adults with severe TBI will be allocated to one of the two treatments, a social non-therapeutic group or to deferred treatment (waitlist control).
Drug addiction is a major health and societal problem in Australia. Relapse is among the most fundamental problems for addicts. This project studies the behavioural and brain mechanisms for relapse to drug seeking. It studies why relapse is more likely in some places than others; the brain mechanisms for this contextual control over relapse; and how relapse to seeking drug rewards is similar to and different from relapse to seeking non-drug rewards.
Studying The Two Hit Hypothesis Of Psychiatric Illness: Role Of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,034.00
Summary
Psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia and depression are caused by at least two major disrupting events in development: one during early brain development and one during-after puberty. We will use animal models of schizophrenia, induced by administering stressors such as maternal separation, corticosterone or cannabinoid treatment at different stages of their lives. These animal models will be used to further investigate antipsychotic treatment therapies