New Methods Of Pain Assessment In Demented Older Persons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,000.00
Summary
There are substantial risks of inadequate pain assessment and management in persons with cognitive impairment and particularly in those with communication problems. Undetected or under-treated pain can have serious adverse effects on frail older adults including poorer cognitive performance, increased levels of depression, anxiety and disruptive behaviours, a reduced quality of life and higher levels of functional disability. These adverse effects contribute to greater demands for daily nursing ....There are substantial risks of inadequate pain assessment and management in persons with cognitive impairment and particularly in those with communication problems. Undetected or under-treated pain can have serious adverse effects on frail older adults including poorer cognitive performance, increased levels of depression, anxiety and disruptive behaviours, a reduced quality of life and higher levels of functional disability. These adverse effects contribute to greater demands for daily nursing care and a corresponding increase in health care costs. The present proposal aims to develop more sensitive, reliable and valid questionnaire and non-verbal measures of pain in older adults with cognitive impairment and particularly in those with verbal communication problems. By completion, the present studies should provide much needed information on the reliability and validity of several different types of verbal and non-verbal indicators of possible pain. This research should lead to improved pain assessment and management for the growing segment of the population who suffer from pain and impaired cognitive function.Read moreRead less
Episodic Memory Dysfunction As A Basis For Auditory Hallucinations In Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$278,517.00
Summary
Auditory hallucinations (AHs) occur frequently in people who suffer from schizophrenia. This symptom usually involves hearing voices that the hallucinator firmly believes originate from other people. The voices are often intrusive, abusive and persecutory. They are a source of significant stress and may result in self harm or harm to others. Our investigations will attempt to provide experimental support for the theory that AHs represent a misremembering of voices which were heard in the past. W ....Auditory hallucinations (AHs) occur frequently in people who suffer from schizophrenia. This symptom usually involves hearing voices that the hallucinator firmly believes originate from other people. The voices are often intrusive, abusive and persecutory. They are a source of significant stress and may result in self harm or harm to others. Our investigations will attempt to provide experimental support for the theory that AHs represent a misremembering of voices which were heard in the past. We will do this by attempting to characterise specific problems that hallucinators have in identifying when they heard verbal fragments and who said them. We plan to conduct our investigations at five levels. First, we will determine how accurate hallucinators' memories are for context by the use of special neuropsychological tests. Second, we will find out if hallucinators form more false memories than comparison subjects using a test in which such incorrect recollections occur commonly. Third, we will determine if hallucinators have a tendency to reconstruct the characteristics of false verbal memories in the same way that they reconstruct the characteristics of their hallucinations. Fourth, we will attempt to suppress these false verbal memories and finally, we will characterise those brain regions which are activated during true and false memory formation by using blood flow analysis technology in order to identify networks of brain activity which preferentially malfunction in hallucinating patients. This study provides the prospect of adding substantially to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying auditory hallucinations and to lead to the development of new cognitively-based treatments for the symptom.Read moreRead less
How well people perform in everyday situations is often determined by memory function. When required to perform under stress memory performance is often affected. The effect of a psychological stress test on memory function in healthy volunteers and the ability of a dietary supplement, tyrosine, to prevent the effects will be studied. The data may suggest that depletion amino acids is responsible for the decrements in performance that are evident after an acute stressor.
The transcriptome, genome and metagenome of Acropora millepora: a model system for studying coral health and disease. Corals have an iconic significance for Australia, which has the best-preserved reef system in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is worth more than $6 billion per year to the Australian economy, and provides employment for 68000 people. The research will provide insights into the molecular bases of stress and disease in corals and the internal mechanisms by which corals attempt to ....The transcriptome, genome and metagenome of Acropora millepora: a model system for studying coral health and disease. Corals have an iconic significance for Australia, which has the best-preserved reef system in the world. The Great Barrier Reef is worth more than $6 billion per year to the Australian economy, and provides employment for 68000 people. The research will provide insights into the molecular bases of stress and disease in corals and the internal mechanisms by which corals attempt to combat them. The results will allow the design of strategies for better reef management, resulting in economic, environmental and social benefits for Australia.Read moreRead less
Ecological consequences of hydrodynamic disturbances. The Great Barrier Reef is synonymous with Australia to many people worldwide. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to our national tourism industry. As stewards of this unique ecosystem, we are responsible for ensuring its persistence under not only present, but also future climate scenarios. To do so requires the tools for predicting the ecological impacts of physical disturbance that this project will develop. Because of its global s ....Ecological consequences of hydrodynamic disturbances. The Great Barrier Reef is synonymous with Australia to many people worldwide. Consequently, it is of paramount importance to our national tourism industry. As stewards of this unique ecosystem, we are responsible for ensuring its persistence under not only present, but also future climate scenarios. To do so requires the tools for predicting the ecological impacts of physical disturbance that this project will develop. Because of its global significance, this work will continue to generate high-impact publications that will increase the international research profile of Australia. Finally, this project will generate collaborations with top researchers worldwide and will provide high quality training to postgraduate students.
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Muir Torre Syndrome: The Role Of IHC And Genotyping In Sebaceous Neoplasia To Facilitate Prevention Strategies In Colorectal And Endometrial Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$396,786.00
Summary
Sebaceous neoplasia (SN), may be an early warning sign for Lynch syndrome (LS), an inherited cancer predisposition caused by mutations in a group of genes. There are high lifetime risks of bowel and uterine cancer, for which there are effective risk management plans if the risk is known. Clinicians are challenged by the role of SN in identifying LS. At present, it is hard to differentiate. We aim to determine features to improve the diagnosis of LS carriers.