Modelling Traumatic Brain Injury Using Neuropsychological, Neurosurgical, Neurochemical, And Neuroradiological Measures
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,370.00
Summary
Post mortem and brain imaging studies of patients who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) indicate that they sustain both focal damage and widespread diffuse damage. This diffuse damage is more difficult to detect but has been found to occur even after mild injuries and in the absence of focal brain damage. Moreover, diffuse damage is thought to contribute both to changes in a patient's level of consciousness at the time of injury and to the long-term problems experienced by patients after a ....Post mortem and brain imaging studies of patients who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) indicate that they sustain both focal damage and widespread diffuse damage. This diffuse damage is more difficult to detect but has been found to occur even after mild injuries and in the absence of focal brain damage. Moreover, diffuse damage is thought to contribute both to changes in a patient's level of consciousness at the time of injury and to the long-term problems experienced by patients after a TBI, suggesting that diffuse damage may provide a valuable index of the amount of brain damage that has been sustained as a result of an injury. While clinicians presently assess many cognitive abilities, they do not target the cognitive problems that are thought to arise from diffuse damage. This is largely due to an absence of validated measures and a limited understanding of the effects of diffuse damage on cognitive functioning. Consequently, we do not have a clear understanding of the extent to which diffuse damage contributes to patient outcome after a TBI. The present study is designed to provide a model of the effects of TBI that will include neuropsychological, neurosurgical, neurochemical and neuroradiological variables. The cognitive effects of diffuse damage will be assessed and related to neurochemical and brain imaging indices of diffuse damage in order to examine the relationship between brain structure and function. This study will improve our understanding of the effects of diffuse damage on cognitive functioning and will lead to the development of measures that can be used to assess the consequences of diffuse damage. In doing so, this study will improve the accuracy with which we are able to diagnose the cognitive problems of patients who have suffered a TBI. This will, in turn, reduce the public health, insurance and litigation costs associated with this type of injury.Read moreRead less
I am a rheumatologist and epidemiologist who concentrates on epidemiological studies understanding the causes and treatment of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
GENETIC FACTORS AND REGIONAL BRAIN ATROPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF DEMENTIA WITH LEWY BODIES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,151.00
Summary
The number of people with dementia is increasing in Australia as people live longer. Dementia sometimes has a genetic basis and identification of such cases has improved our understanding of the events leading to the destruction of the brain tissue. In the vast majority of people, the degenerative changes were previously thought to be as a result of Alzheimer's disease. However, our recent research, funded by the NHMRC, confirms international findings showing more than 25% of people with dementi ....The number of people with dementia is increasing in Australia as people live longer. Dementia sometimes has a genetic basis and identification of such cases has improved our understanding of the events leading to the destruction of the brain tissue. In the vast majority of people, the degenerative changes were previously thought to be as a result of Alzheimer's disease. However, our recent research, funded by the NHMRC, confirms international findings showing more than 25% of people with dementia have a different disease called Dementia with Lewy bodies or DLB. Of course identifying these patients occurs at death when the cells in the brain can be examined for Lewy bodies. We now know that the brain degeneration differs significantly in patients with this disease. However, it is still not possible to identify DLB in life with any certainty. This project aims to develop objective methods to clinically differentiate dementia patients. We will seek out families in which genetic influences may underly the disease and determine whether these factors differ from those found in other dementing illnesses. Also, our preliminary studies have observed volume loss in a particular brain region in pathologically confirmed DLB patients. We wish to do further measurements to determine if tissue loss in this region can clinically differentiate DLB patients. In addition, we will determine the reasons for the tissue loss by careful pathological studies.Read moreRead less
Structural And Diffusion Tensor Neuroimaging In Twins Concordant And Discordant For Psychosis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,375.00
Summary
Measures from specialised brain scans i.e. MRI's (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have suggested that several areas in the brain are different in those individuals who suffer from psychosis compared to those who don't. Evaluations of these brain differences have helped us better understand the nature of these illnesses. For example, frontal lobe dysfunction has been linked with the loss of ability to plan and organize information, seen in those who have schizophrenia. These measures may also help cl ....Measures from specialised brain scans i.e. MRI's (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) have suggested that several areas in the brain are different in those individuals who suffer from psychosis compared to those who don't. Evaluations of these brain differences have helped us better understand the nature of these illnesses. For example, frontal lobe dysfunction has been linked with the loss of ability to plan and organize information, seen in those who have schizophrenia. These measures may also help clarify the relationship between the genetic and environmental factors contributing to the development of these disorders. One of the best ways to investigate this relationship is the use of a twin study design. The Australian study of twins with psychosis will recruit dizygotic (DZ) and monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs in which at least one twin is affected by a psychotic disorder, plus control twin pairs matched for age, sex and zygosity. Measures derived from MRI scans will be collected in an attempt to further define specific brain regions reported to be different in psychosis. In addition Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) will be used to visualize white matter tracts in the brain. The twin study design will allow us to differentiate genetic and environmental factors associated with these brain measures and help evaluate the potential for these measures to genetically define sub-groups of individuals with psychotic disorders. The identification of these subgroups would facilitate the search for susceptibility genes. Additionally, this study will help clarify the possible clinical overlap between affective (i.e. bipolar affective disorder) and non-affective (i.e. schizophrenia) psychotic disorders. The information obtained from this study has the potential to greatly improve our understanding of caustive factors in psychosis, which may also lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving prognosis.Read moreRead less
A Controlled Longitudinal Study Of Knee Cartilage Volume If The Offspring Of Subjects With Osteoarthritis Of The Knee.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$144,392.00
Summary
Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of musculoskeletal disability and cost in Australia. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated as causes of this disease. As yet, however, there are no proven strategies for prevention of this very common condition and treatment of established disease is unsatisfactory. Part of the reason for this is the fact that there is no sensitive and accurate measure of early disease. In this study, we plan to evaluate knee cartilage volume assessed ....Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of musculoskeletal disability and cost in Australia. Both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated as causes of this disease. As yet, however, there are no proven strategies for prevention of this very common condition and treatment of established disease is unsatisfactory. Part of the reason for this is the fact that there is no sensitive and accurate measure of early disease. In this study, we plan to evaluate knee cartilage volume assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. This is a promising new candidate which is both accurate and sensitive. We will be measuring knee volume both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in the offspring of patients who have had knee replacement for osteoarthritis and comparing them to randomly selected controls to see if knee volume can be utilised as a marker of early or asymptomatic disease particularly in identifying which treatments may be effective at preventing osteoarthritis in later life.Read moreRead less