Local Sleep In The Awake Brain: An Underlying Cause Of Neurobehavioural Deficits In Sleep Apnea?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,330.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder which significantly impacts daytime functioning leading to excessive sleepiness, and problems with attention and thinking. Currently, the causes for cognitive impairment in OSA (including attentional lapses and performance deficits) are poorly understood. In the awake state, groups of neurons can briefly go “offline” as they do in sleep. These periods of “local sleep” may explain impaired task performance in OSA.
Transdermal Testosterone Therapy: A Potential Treatment For Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)-associated Sexual Dysfunction In Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,351.00
Summary
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SS ....Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SSRI therapy.Read moreRead less
Improving Ways Of Thinking And Ways Of Doing Aboriginal And Cross-cultural Health In General Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$948,465.00
Summary
Aboriginal community controlled health services and private general practice need to work together to close the gap. This practice-based cultural respect program and toolkit establishes a care partnership, with Aboriginal cultural mentors, to support strategies to embed cultural respect in general practices on an ongoing basis. Success indicators include a cultural quotient measure, performance of Aboriginal health checks and management of risk factors. The program may also benefit cross-cultura ....Aboriginal community controlled health services and private general practice need to work together to close the gap. This practice-based cultural respect program and toolkit establishes a care partnership, with Aboriginal cultural mentors, to support strategies to embed cultural respect in general practices on an ongoing basis. Success indicators include a cultural quotient measure, performance of Aboriginal health checks and management of risk factors. The program may also benefit cross-cultural health generally.Read moreRead less
A Nurse Led Psychosocial Intervention With Peer Support To Reduce Needs In Women Being Treated With Radiotherapy For Gynaecological Cancer: A RCT
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,184,630.00
Summary
This study is to test the effectiveness of a nurse-led psychosocial intervention with peer support to reduce psychological distress, psychosocial needs, psychosexual difficulties and symptom distress and to improve quality of life and preparation for treatment of women receiving radiotherapy with curative intent for gynaecological cancer (GC) using a randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Centre For Translational Neuroscience: A Modular Platform For Translating Discovery Into Health Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,623,735.00
Summary
Clinical Centre of Research Excellence in Translational Neuroscience will provide people, pathways and resources to create a novel platform to take the outputs of Neuroscience Discovery programs though to improved patient outcomes for common brain diseases. A critical role will be to train and equip the best and brightest of the next generation of researchers to undertake internationally competitive translational neuroscience research that makes a difference to the health of our community.
Gene-environment Interaction In Healthy Brain Ageing And Age Related Neurodegeneration
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,162,805.00
Summary
Healthy ageing is characterised by low level of disability, high cognitive and functional capacity, and an active engagement in life. The most important ingredient of healthy ageing is a healthy brain, bereft of age-related diseases and dysfunction. Brain ageing and brain diseases are determined by multiple genetic factors that interact with environmental influences. The genes are multiple, the majority of which have a small influence. This study is an attempt to identify some of these genes and ....Healthy ageing is characterised by low level of disability, high cognitive and functional capacity, and an active engagement in life. The most important ingredient of healthy ageing is a healthy brain, bereft of age-related diseases and dysfunction. Brain ageing and brain diseases are determined by multiple genetic factors that interact with environmental influences. The genes are multiple, the majority of which have a small influence. This study is an attempt to identify some of these genes and investigate their interactions with environmental factors. It will use a unique resource, the NHMRC Australian Twin Registry (ATR) to identify elderly twins, and will also include the siblings of these twins so as to increase the ability to identify the important factors. The participants, who are listed on the ATR and recruited from NSW, Queensland and Victoria, will receive detailed neurological, psychiatric and cognitive assessments, and will undergo brain MRI scans. Their blood samples will be used to measure key chemicals that may affect brain ageing and to extract DNA for genetic tests. They will be followed-up every two years thereafter, and changes in their brain structure and cognitive functioning will be examined. Available statistical models will be used to examine gene-environment interactions and specific genes will be explored for their contribution to the additive genetic effects. This study will yield an important resource for national and international collaborations and has the potential to discover new genes.Read moreRead less
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.
A Study Of The Impact Of Treating Electrographic Seizures In Term Or Near-term Infants With Neonatal Encephalopathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,365,184.00
Summary
Seizures in the newborn infant are common and may be harmful to the developing brain. They are not always recognised. This study investigates whether or not treating all seizures detected using a bedside brain activity monitor improves developmental outcome, compared to just treating seizures that doctors recognise.
A Trial Of A Multidisciplinary, Group Based Intervention To Meet The Needs Of Men With Prostate Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,285.00
Summary
This study will test an innovative approach to meeting the physical and psychosocial needs of men with early stage prostate cancer using a randomised controlled trial. This novel approach involves a combination of individual and group-based consultations which encourages peer-to-peer support, promotes self-care and enhances appropriate multidisciplinary referrals and communication. It provides a new model of care for patients with chronic diseases that can be translated into clinical practice.
Why Does Early Life Stress Aggravate Limbic Epileptogenesis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,116.00
Summary
High rates of anxiety and depression occur in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the most common form of focal epilepsy in adults. Rats that have experienced early life stress show increased anxiety, decreased seizure thresholds and accelerated epilepsy as adults. We have important leads to mechanisms. The proposed study will better understand the mechanisms connecting early life stress and psychiatric disease to adult TLE, and to test interventions that may counteract these effects.