The Role Of Anhedonia In Recovery From Opiate Addiction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$541,022.00
Summary
There is growing evidence that changes occur within the addicted brain reducing a drug user's ability to experience everyday pleasures. In this study, we will examine how a drug user's ability to experience pleasure relates to relapse and recovery. We will conduct a series of tests on a large sample of recently abstinent heroin addicts and follow them for 12 months. This project will provide unique insights that will be of direct relevance to clinical treatment.
Action-reward Integration In The Amygdalocortical-striatal Network.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$757,495.00
Summary
This research focuses on the neural bases of decision making, a general capacity affected by normal ageing, disorders associated with neurodegeneration, major psychiatric conditions, obesity and drug addiction. This program will contribute critical new knowledge on the brain systems through which cognitive and emotional processes are integrated to control choice and decision-making and the influence of neuropathology on this integrative process.
Impaired Decision-Making And The Role Of Dopamine In Modulating Executive Function In Parkinson’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,468.00
Summary
Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) often experience significant impairments in their ability to make decisions, even in the earliest stages of the disease. This project will use a combination of psychophysics, pharmacotherapy and functional neuroimaging to examine the decision-making impairments that occur in PD, and how they are modulated by dopamine. We anticipate our findings will lead to improvements in the diagnosis and management of the syndromes of executive dysfunction seen in PD.