The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of co ....The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of cognitive decline, whether hearing loss is causal, and whether the process can be altered. These findings should be applicable to all individuals with hearing loss. If cochlear implants delay cognitive decline, this would significantly affect policy, quality of life for the elderly, and the cost to society.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992409
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,996,243.00
Summary
The neural bases of decision-making. This research focuses on the neural bases of decision making, a general capacity affected by normal ageing, disorders associated with neurodegeneration including dementia, major psychiatric conditions and drug addiction. Changes in the neural systems that result in the cognitive and emotional dissociation reflected in these disorders constitute the highest health, economic and social capital attrition burden to Australia of any disease group, a burden that is ....The neural bases of decision-making. This research focuses on the neural bases of decision making, a general capacity affected by normal ageing, disorders associated with neurodegeneration including dementia, major psychiatric conditions and drug addiction. Changes in the neural systems that result in the cognitive and emotional dissociation reflected in these disorders constitute the highest health, economic and social capital attrition burden to Australia of any disease group, a burden that is only predicted to increase as the population ages. Understanding these changes in neural systems and their specific behavioural effects is, therefore, of critical importance and will ultimately provide new targets for treatment and rehabilitation.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in thei ....Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in their mental health and significant cost savings to the community.Read moreRead less
Rhombomeric Topography of Structures in the Adult Mouse: Evidence from Avian Homologies and Transgenic Mice. The brainstem of birds has been shown to be formed by a line of segments, like carriages of a train. The same arrangement exists in the embryos of mammals, but is hidden in the adult mammalian brain. We will transfer our detailed knowledge of bird brains to make a maps of the brainstem segments in adult mice. We will then test this map with special gene markers which will reveal the occul ....Rhombomeric Topography of Structures in the Adult Mouse: Evidence from Avian Homologies and Transgenic Mice. The brainstem of birds has been shown to be formed by a line of segments, like carriages of a train. The same arrangement exists in the embryos of mammals, but is hidden in the adult mammalian brain. We will transfer our detailed knowledge of bird brains to make a maps of the brainstem segments in adult mice. We will then test this map with special gene markers which will reveal the occult segmental pattern in adult mice. This work will give us a new way of understanding the organisation of brainstem centres that control breathing, cardiovascular functions and emotional states.Read moreRead less
Imaging genetics in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: shared neurocognitive endophenotypes. Combined, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder afflict approximately 506,000 Australians at any one time, and are leading causes of disability and national economic burden. This study will delineate genetic underpinnings for these conditions in association with specific neurocognitive dysfunctions that are common to both disorders. These findings have important implications for the implementation of perso ....Imaging genetics in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: shared neurocognitive endophenotypes. Combined, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder afflict approximately 506,000 Australians at any one time, and are leading causes of disability and national economic burden. This study will delineate genetic underpinnings for these conditions in association with specific neurocognitive dysfunctions that are common to both disorders. These findings have important implications for the implementation of personalised pharmaceutical treatments on the basis of genotype, and the development of therapeutic agents to target cognitive function. These results will also aid detection of premorbid psychotic illness in young individuals who may benefit from early intervention that may thwart the illness trajectory. Read moreRead less
Structural-functional connectivity in the brain. This project aims to develop magnetic resonance imaging analysis methods to non-invasively study brain connectivity. Recent advances in imaging can comprehensively describe the brain’s complex network of functional and structural connections (the brain ‘connectome’). This project will simultaneously investigate structural and functional connectivity, and characterise the dynamic properties of the connectome using graph-theoretic approaches. This p ....Structural-functional connectivity in the brain. This project aims to develop magnetic resonance imaging analysis methods to non-invasively study brain connectivity. Recent advances in imaging can comprehensively describe the brain’s complex network of functional and structural connections (the brain ‘connectome’). This project will simultaneously investigate structural and functional connectivity, and characterise the dynamic properties of the connectome using graph-theoretic approaches. This project should give neuroscientists computational tools to comprehensively map the network architecture of the human brain.Read moreRead less
Plasma protein profiles in normal brain ageing and early stages of dementia. Brain changes related to ageing and dementia are associated with altered proteins that can be detected in the blood. This project will examine blood samples from a number of well-characterised ageing cohorts to discover proteins that may serve as potential markers of brain ageing and the early stages of dementia.
Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the matu ....Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the maturational abnormalities in brain function that occur from childhood through to adulthood in this disorder. Better understanding of the normal developmental paths of this disorder will have major clinical benefits as it will allow the development of more optimal treatment plans for these children.Read moreRead less
New Imaging Instrumentation and Algorithms for the Simultaneous Measurement of Multiple Radio-labelled Probes in vivo. Medical imaging plays an increasingly important role in basic biological research and health care. This project will lead to new imaging technologies that allow the simultaneous measurement of more than one biological process at a time in living subjects, providing new insights into disabling diseases, such as cancer and mental illness. An immediate benefit will be to strengthen ....New Imaging Instrumentation and Algorithms for the Simultaneous Measurement of Multiple Radio-labelled Probes in vivo. Medical imaging plays an increasingly important role in basic biological research and health care. This project will lead to new imaging technologies that allow the simultaneous measurement of more than one biological process at a time in living subjects, providing new insights into disabling diseases, such as cancer and mental illness. An immediate benefit will be to strengthen the expertise in biomedical engineering and instrumentation development in Australia, where we have international leadership. The technologies developed will provide advanced tools for making fundamental biological discoveries and translating them into biotechnological or clinical applications.Read moreRead less
Simultaneous measurement of brain function and behaviour in fully conscious laboratory animals. MicroPET is an advanced imaging technology that measures important biochemical processes, such as enzyme activity rates and receptor binding, in the living rodent brain. However, the requirement for the animal to be anaesthetised precludes the study of behavioural changes in response to sensory or drug stimulus during the imaging study. In this research, we will develop novel motion tracking and compu ....Simultaneous measurement of brain function and behaviour in fully conscious laboratory animals. MicroPET is an advanced imaging technology that measures important biochemical processes, such as enzyme activity rates and receptor binding, in the living rodent brain. However, the requirement for the animal to be anaesthetised precludes the study of behavioural changes in response to sensory or drug stimulus during the imaging study. In this research, we will develop novel motion tracking and computational algorithms that enable microPET to non-invasively image the brains of conscious, freely moving animals while simultaneously observing their behaviour. These new technologies will, for the first time, allow neuroscientists to study the genetic, behavioural and neurochemical correlates of brain disease.Read moreRead less