Improving Arm Function After Stroke Using Task Specific Training
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$832,597.00
Summary
85% of the 15 million people in the world annually who have a stroke cannot use their arm for basic tasks like eating and toileting. With usual health care services, 60% of stroke survivors still have non-functional arms 6 months after stroke. More effective treatments are needed. Task-specific training may improve arm and hand function more than usual care. We will conduct a multicentre randomised controlled trial to test whether task-specific training is more effective than usual care.
Multimodel Phenotyping To Predict Oral Appliance Treatment Outcome In Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,777.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common sleep-related breathing disorder. Oral appliances worn during sleep to gently hold the lower jaw in a forward position are a novel treatment modality often appealing to patients. Currently use is limited as there is no means to determine if patients will be treated successfully. There is a need for simple, clinical methods to predict which patients are best suited to this new treatment approach and this project will address this by developing such a method.
The Role Of Lung Volume In The Pathogenesis And Treatment Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,691.00
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder of repetitive upper airway collapse during sleep. Reducing the volume of air in the lungs increases airway collapsibility. Lung volume is therefore likely important in OSA but has not been investigated thoroughly. Also, whether raising lung volume during sleep can be used to treat OSA is unknown. The aim of this grant is therefore to investigate the role, and therapeutic potential, of lung volume in OSA.
Novel Therapeutic Phenotyping For Sleep Apnoea - A Paradoxical Role For Sedatives
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$639,168.00
Summary
Sleeping pill (sedative) use has risen dramatically. Sedatives may worsen a common breathing condition called obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Accordingly, their use has been discouraged in OSA. However, recent studies indicate that certain sedatives may actually reduce OSA severity in some patients. By studying the effects of common sedatives on OSA and breathing, this proposal aims to explain these apparent paradoxical responses and ultimately provide a new treatment approach for OSA.
Birth defects can have devastating consequences for individuals and their families, and improving our ability to diagnose and screen for these disorders has implications for treatment and reproductive options. We are using the mouse as a model to discover genes important in a new class of birth defects caused by dysfunction of a hair-like cellular projection known as the cilium.
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Phenotypes And Treatment In Quadriplegia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$599,635.00
Summary
Losing function in your arms and legs after an injury (quadriplegia) is a catastrophic event. Quadriplegia also results in obstructive sleep apnoea; a condition where the throat closes repeatedly while asleep causing sleepiness, poor concentration and cardiovascular diseases like stroke. Despite most people with quadriplegia having this disease, the cause is unknown. This project will thoroughly investigate obstructive sleep apnoea causes in people with quadriplegia and test a possible treatment
Clarifying The Pathogenic Role Of Arousal-hyperventilation In Obstructive And Central Sleep Apnoea: Testing Fundamental Pathophysiological Mechanisms And A Strategic New Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$414,717.00
Summary
This project is designed to understand the mechanisms underpinning much more stable breathing during deep sleep in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). A newly developed analytical technique will be used to examine breathing effort changes across sleep, and interactions with respiratory-induced awakenings in OSA patients. In addition, a new treatment designed to stabilise breathing will be tested and refined towards a new treatment option for OSA and for central sleep apnoea.
Innovative Use Of Hydrogel Technology To Recapitulate And Investigate Cardiac Pathology.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$716,162.00
Summary
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden death in the young. No treatment exists that can reverse or prevent it, primarily because the underlying mechanisms of the disease have not been fully elucidated. I will use innovative hydrogel technology to simulate the disease state. I will use this as a tool to identify the mechanisms involved with development of the disease. This will enable identification of potential therapeutic targets for prevention of the disease.
The Role Of Dynamin In Spermatogenesis, Sperm Maturation And Sperm-oocyte Interactions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,950.00
Summary
Male infertility is an extremely common condition affecting 1 in 20 Australian men. One of the major reasons for this pathology is that the spermatozoa have lost their ability to interact with the egg and penetrate its outer vestments. In this project we shall investigate the role of dynamin in the regulation of these events. This research will provide new and powerful insights into the causes of male infertility, with practical implications for diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
In Vivo Analysis Of The Molecular And Neural Mechanism That Underly An Association Of MiRNAs With Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$593,778.00
Summary
Genetic studies on autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression suggest that these disorders affect the formation and maintenance of connections between neurons. A group of brain-specific microRNAs, which are regulatory molecules, are predicted to regulate connectivity. Levels of these molecules are found to be abnormal in brains of patients with schizophrenia. This proposal aims to elucidate the function of these microRNAs in the number of neuronal connections, and early motor b ....Genetic studies on autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression suggest that these disorders affect the formation and maintenance of connections between neurons. A group of brain-specific microRNAs, which are regulatory molecules, are predicted to regulate connectivity. Levels of these molecules are found to be abnormal in brains of patients with schizophrenia. This proposal aims to elucidate the function of these microRNAs in the number of neuronal connections, and early motor behavior in transgenic zebrafish.Read moreRead less