Sleep-wake Disturbances And Cardio-metabolic Dysfunction In At Risk Dementia: A Novel Pathway In Neurocognitive Decline’
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,305.00
Summary
Age-related sleep and circadian disturbance and cardio-metabolic dysfunction are associated with an increased risk of dementia. This research aims to delineate the pathway in which sleep and circadian disturbances and cardio-metabolic dysfunction promote cognitive decline during the ‘at risk’ dementia phase. This will improve our understanding of key processes in cognitive ageing ultimately leading to the development of targeted intervention programs in the quest to delay the onset of dementia.
Multidimensional Assessment Of The Health Impacts Of Infrasound: Two Randomised Controlled Trials
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,943,934.00
Summary
The human health impact of infrasound that comes from wind turbines has not been well researched. We will assemble a team of researchers with a broad range of expertise to run a short term and longer term study to investigate whether exposure to infrasound causes health problems. The short term study will be lab based and run for three one week periods and the longer term study will be community based and run for six months. Sleep quality, balance, mood, cardiovascular health will be measured.
Identifying The Epigenomic Fingerprint Of Coronary Heart Disease In Chinese Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$596,663.00
Summary
Once people get diabetes, even good glucose control may be insufficient to prevent its complications. Diabetes results in molecular imprinting contributing to an increased risk of heart disease. We believe it is possible to identify this imprinted risk by a sophisticated analysis of a standard blood sample. Validating this hypothesis will lead to new biomarkers to identify individuals at increased risk of heart attacks as well as new strategies for the prevention and treatment of heart disease.
Men, Women And Ageing: Predictors Of Ageing Well In The Australian Longitudinal Study On Womens Health And The Perth He
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,935,634.00
Summary
Maintaining health and independent living are high priorities for Australia’s rapidly expanding older population. This project capitalizes on two existing large-scale studies, to increase our scientific understanding of strategies for maintaining the health and wellbeing of older people living in the community. Two separate longitudinal research projects, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health involving over 12,000 older women selected from every part of Australia, and the Health in ....Maintaining health and independent living are high priorities for Australia’s rapidly expanding older population. This project capitalizes on two existing large-scale studies, to increase our scientific understanding of strategies for maintaining the health and wellbeing of older people living in the community. Two separate longitudinal research projects, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health involving over 12,000 older women selected from every part of Australia, and the Health in Men Study involving over 12,000 older men from Perth, Western Australia, have been following older Australians in order to determine what contributes to older people’s health and quality of life. The new project will combine data from these two studies. The two projects contain a breadth of data and can address the following questions: What health-related, personal, lifestyle and social factors predict survival and healthy non-disabled life in men and women aged 70-90 years? Do changes in lifestyle in older age (eg smoking cessation) affect length and quality of life? Who makes greatest use of health services, and who least, and how does this relate to health outcomes?How are health and lifestyle factors related to social connectedness and independent living in older age? What health and lifestyle factors predict positive mental health in older age? How are older men’s and women’s lifestyles and health status different, and how are they the same? Should health promotion programs in old age target men and women separately, or not?Read moreRead less
BRIDGET: BRain Imaging, Cognition, Dementia And Next Generation GEnomics: A Transdisciplinary Approach To Search For Risk And Protective Factors Of Neurodegenerative Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,081,489.00
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begins many years before diagnosis and yet its aetiology is still poorly understood. The BRIDGET consortium aims to identify genetic variants that are associated with structural brain ageing, cognitive performance, and dementia risk in richly phenotyped international and Australian population-based samples. This work aims to provide crucial information on the molecular pathways leading to AD, potentially leading to improved health outcomes for our ageing population.
Comprehensive Risk Prediction Models And Presymptomatic Biomarkers For Dementia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,144.00
Summary
Extensive information on a large population of over 15,000 older Australians will be used to determine more precisely which factors increase or reduce the risk of developing dementia, and thus will provide valuable information on how to reduce the number of Australians with dementia. In parallel, this research will identify new ways to accurately diagnose dementia at an earlier stage, even before symptoms appear.
Systems Biology To Identify Molecular Targets For Vascular Disease Treatment (SysVasc), With A Focus On Atherosclerotic Plaque Instability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,721.00
Summary
Heart attacks are caused by rupture of atherosclerotic deposits (plaques) in vessel walls, which results in clot formation ultimately causing vessel occlusion. In collaboration with strong European collaborators, we will use modern high-throughput technologies in a large patient cohort as well as in a newly generated mouse model to discover the causative proteins, genes and their regulators. This will allow identifying individuals at risk and developing novel therapies to prevent heart attacks.
Improving Mental Health And Social Participation Outcomes In Older Adults With Depression And Anxiety
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$791,581.00
Summary
This study will evaluate a comprehensive treatment program for older adults who are suffering depression and anxiety. We expect that this new treatment program will be more powerful than standard cognitive behavioural therapy. Through this treatment we will increase social participation and quality of life and reduce depression and anxiety in older Australians.
Vascular Contributions To Dementia: Prevention In Those At High-risk
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$718,105.00
Summary
10,000 older adults undergo surgeries on their heart every year. These adults are at high risk for dementia, as the factors that bring them to cardiovascular surgery are the same as those that associate with dementia: hypertension, type II diabetes, etc. This population is in fact not only at increased risk of dementia due to vascular ill-health, but also because of undergoing the surgery itself. This project aims to prevent dementia in this vulnerable group.
Protective Mechanisms Of MAP Kinase Phosphatase 5 In Adipose Tissue Fibrosis, Hepatic Steatosis And Atherosclerosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$352,729.00
Summary
Obesity and associated complications such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis are a serious health burden. Recently, we found that MKP5, a molecule that restricts intracellular signaling, plays a central role in preventing these diseases. This collaborative project will elucidate how precisely MKP5 acts and explore how this molecule can be targeted for the development of novel therapeutic strategies in prevention and treatment of human metabolic diseases.