Investigating A Theoretical Model Of Cognitive Control In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Informing Our Approach To Cognitive Training.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
ADHD is the most common childhood developmental disorder, characterised by inattentive and/or hyperactive behaviours. Cognitive control has been highlighted as a potential mediator of ADHD symptoms. This program will i) delineate the relationship between cognitive control and ADHD symptoms, ii) develop a cognitive training intervention to target the underlying mechanisms identified as mediators of ADHD symptoms and iii) evaluate the program in a gold-standard clinical trial.
Understanding Autistic Spectrum Disorder Traits In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting around 5% of children. It is highly variable in how it presents, and often symptoms from other disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders, are present in ADHD. Improving diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, understanding its diversity and how it co-occurs with other disorders, requires that we re-think how we currently classify disorders, and instead move towards objective, data-driven identification of clusters of risk traits.
Imaging The Brain Connectome In Typical And Atypical Development
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
My project will investigate how connections in the brain change during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Advanced neuroimaging techniques will be used to understand how different parts of the brain are connected to one another, and how this changes over time. I will examine typically developing children, as well as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in order to understand how neuropsychiatric disorders affect brain development.
Goal-directed Behaviour In Adolescent ADHD: Neural Connectivity And It’s Significance For Clinical Translation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Impaired goal-directed decision-making leads to significant difficulties in adolescent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This research will use novel imaging techniques to study individual-level impairments in brain connectivity in decision making circuits and the effects of common ADHD medications. As these medications are currently prescribed by trial and error, identifying specific connectivity brain signatures will make major contributions to personalised treatment selection.
Developing A Pathophysiological Model For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Path To Biomarker Discovery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Despite the efficacy of stimulant medication in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we lack mechanistic accounts of the neuropathology of ADHD. A major barrier is the lack of human disease models representing clinical symptoms. The derivation of a novel, cell-based ADHD model proposed in this project will shed new light on the physiological bases of ADHD and be a rich resource for biomarker discovery
The Role Of Corticothalamic Feedback On The Response Dynamics Of Thalamic Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,852.00
Summary
A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain selectively processes sensory information to generate a reliable representation of the world. Positioned in the centre of the brain, the thalamus plays a key role in sensory processing. This project investigates how the interaction between thalamus and cortex shapes the selection and gating of sensory information. This is a fundamental question in basic neuroscience with the potential to increase our knowledge about attentional deficits.
Serotonergic Mechanisms Underlying Impulsivity And Vulnerability For Stimulant Addiction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$336,318.00
Summary
There is increasing evidence to suggest that impulsivity, a personality trait associated with an increased tendency for premature actions, may predispose individuals to stimulant addiction. The current study employs a non-invasive brain imaging technique in rats – positron emission tomography (PET) – to investigate the implicated role of serotonin (5HT) in impulsivity thereby providing potentially new insights into neural vulnerability mechanisms underlying stimulant addiction.
The Natural History Of Disruptive Behaviour Disorders: Symptom Trajectory, Outcomes, And Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
This Fellowship aims to determine why some young people with disruptive behaviour disorders (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder) have worse outcomes than others with the same disorders. This body of work will investigate how differences in symptoms and environmental factors determine their outcomes in later life. These findings will also be used to develop an intervention targeted at young at-risk Australians.