Cognitive Function And Fatigue In Cancer Patients After Chemotherapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$246,412.00
Summary
Many patients complain of tiredness after chemotherapy and some experience problems with memory, concentration, thinking and other aspects of mental function. Studies have confirmed that some women with breast cancer suffer these effects after chemotherapy and that they can last a long time. Although generally subtle they can affect quality of life and ability to function. Little is known about the causes of these side-effects. Possible causes include blood clotting in small vessels of the brain ....Many patients complain of tiredness after chemotherapy and some experience problems with memory, concentration, thinking and other aspects of mental function. Studies have confirmed that some women with breast cancer suffer these effects after chemotherapy and that they can last a long time. Although generally subtle they can affect quality of life and ability to function. Little is known about the causes of these side-effects. Possible causes include blood clotting in small vessels of the brain and release of molecules called cytokines, as a result of chemotherapy. Hormonal changes and induced menopause might also contribute to these effects in women. Here we propose to evaluate men and women who either receive chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of colorectal cancer, or who are followed without such treatment after surgery. Patients will complete a questionnaire that assesses their level of fatigue and participate in tests of mental functioning, before, during and at intervals after treatment. Possible causes of fatigue and cognitive problems will be studied by measuring products in the blod that indicate blood clotting, levels of cytokine molecules that might cause these symptoms and levels of sex hormones in both men and women. This may lead to further studies to help reduce the burden of fatigue and cognitive impairment from chemotherapy. The goals of our study are to provide comphrehensive information about important side-effects of cancer treatment and to examine the mechanisms that may cause them. This information is important for supporting people living with cancer and for subsequent research to develop interventions that will promote healthy lifestyles during and after treatment for cancer.Read moreRead less
The ability to monitor one's cognitive performance deteriorates with normal ageing, and is particularly affected in a range of clinical conditions of older age, such as Parkinson's Disease, where it is a predictor of a poor prognostic outcome. This project aims to clarify the effects of age on cognitive and neural processes underlying performance monitoring, as an important first step to improving interventions for age-related impairments, including those accompanying neurodegenerative diseases.
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.
Health-Related Quality Of Life In Intractable Paediatric Epilepsy: Using A New Measure To Improve Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$252,940.00
Summary
Until recently there was no adequate measure to assess the quality of life of children with epilepsy. Our Australian centre was the first to develop, validate and publish such an instrument; the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). We now aim to collect more data using the QOLCE to gain further understanding of the effects of epilepsy and its treatment on the quality of life of children. We will determine if surgery in children stops seizures and improves quality of life. ....Until recently there was no adequate measure to assess the quality of life of children with epilepsy. Our Australian centre was the first to develop, validate and publish such an instrument; the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE). We now aim to collect more data using the QOLCE to gain further understanding of the effects of epilepsy and its treatment on the quality of life of children. We will determine if surgery in children stops seizures and improves quality of life. We also aim to find out if children with different types of epilepsies have unique quality of life issues. Finally, we aim to determine if the quality of a child's life depends on how well they are thinking and learning or how often they are having seizures. We will conduct this study in children with difficult epilepsy recruited from three major children's hospitals (Sydney Children's Hospital, the Children's Hospital, Westmead, Miami Children's Hospital, Florida USA) using a well designed methodology. Each child will have their particular type of epilepsy characterised using video and brain wave analysis. Each parent and older child will receive a quality of life package including the QOLCE to assess life function. In addition, all children will have an assessment of their thinking and learning by a child psychologist. At the completion of this project we will have established whether surgical treatment in children with epilepsy stops seizures and improves quality of life. This will allow clinicians and parents to better understand the effects of surgical treatment in this population. In addition, we will determine if problems in quality of life are associated with specific types of epilepsy. This information can be used to counsel families and tailor interventions and treatments. Finally, we will know whether a child's quality of life is determined by problems with thinking and learning and-or seizures.Read moreRead less
Memory, Synaptic Plasticity And Gene Networks In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,142,138.00
Summary
Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population. Its typical progression over a lifetime leads to long-term impairment of cognition, reality distortion, and an impoverished quality of life. Most likely, multiple genes, interacting together or with environmental factors, are involved. Using a novel approach to its partition, WA researchers aim to unravel complex networks of genes affecting memory and brain function in a cognitive deficit subtype of schizophrenia they have identified recently.
Neurocognitive Studies Of Reward Sensitivity In Opiate Addiction And Its Influence On Addiction-related Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,275.00
Summary
Drug abuse is the greatest single preventable risk factor for physical illness and death in Australians . Our understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the transition from drug use to addiction is not yet complete. The current proposal investigates cognitive control dysfunction, most notably the impulsivity for reward seen in drug addiction that is known to predict the transition from drug use to addiction and relapse during treatment.
Genetic And Physiological Mechanisms Of Executive Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$577,226.00
Summary
The question of how genetic variation contributes to individual differences in cognitive ability has fascinated scientists for decades. Arguably, executive control processes mediated by the frontal cortex are critical to our uniquely human ability for voluntary action, decision and will. Using a variety of novel innovations, this project will provide fundamental knowledge by developing a unique link between genetic, behavioural and neural indices of executive control.
The human brain has many subdivisions (�areas�) that are dedicated to vision, but in many cases their functions remain unclear. This project will study an area located deep in the brain, about which very little is known, and which appears to be affected from early stages in conditions such as Alzheimer�s disease. By understanding the patterns of electrical activity of cells in this region, and their connections with other brain areas, we hope to decipher their contribution to sensory cognition.
In the areas of the brain where visual information is processed, cells respond to the presentation of visual stimuli by changing their pattern of electrical activity. At the first level of analysis, the primary visual cortex (V1), individual cells become active only if line segments or borders of a particular orientation are present in their field of detection, which encompasses a small part of the visual scene. Cells in other visual cortical areas (the extrastriate cortex) perform more complex ....In the areas of the brain where visual information is processed, cells respond to the presentation of visual stimuli by changing their pattern of electrical activity. At the first level of analysis, the primary visual cortex (V1), individual cells become active only if line segments or borders of a particular orientation are present in their field of detection, which encompasses a small part of the visual scene. Cells in other visual cortical areas (the extrastriate cortex) perform more complex detection tasks in comparison with those in V1, which demand integration of information coming from much larger portions of the visual scene. One example of these more complex properties is the phenomenon of long-range contour integration, where our visual system groups individual line segments having similar orientations, so that they are perceived as part of the same contour. This property is reflected in the electrical responses of cells in the dorsomedial visual area (DM). How are properties such as orientation specificity and long-range contour integration created? To begin addressing this question, we will investigate correlations between the physiological properties of identified cells, the spatial distribution of their information collecting regions (dendrites), and the anatomical pathways by which they receive information from other parts of the brain. This is a basic science study aimed at determining the extent to which the anatomical structure of the brain helps define the function of individual cells and brain areas. Its primary benefit will be to increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying all sensory processing in the brain. The knowledge obtained may also lead to developments in areas of applied research including medicine and cognitive science (for example, understanding how the brain learns to interpret visual information in early life, and how visual processing degrades with ageing).Read moreRead less