This Fellowship will examine factors that contribute to depression and other behavioural symptoms in people with Alzheimer's type dementia. These symptoms are common and difficult to treat so it is extremely important that we gain a better understanding of why they develop and look at ways to prevent their occurrence. The study will also test a simple, safe and novel intervention aimed at altering the biases we have in our thought processes that may underlie the development of these symptoms.
Communicating Health: Optimising Engagement And Retention Using Social Media
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$950,060.00
Summary
In order to impact on health, young people need to be engaged and retained in health interventions. The application of social media to engage, retain and promote health behaviour change in this target group has enormous potential but is poorly researched. This project will engage young people of all incomes and education from across Australia and assess their attitudes and behaviours and determine most effective social media content and delivery to optimise engagement and retention.
BRIDGET: BRain Imaging, Cognition, Dementia And Next Generation GEnomics: A Transdisciplinary Approach To Search For Risk And Protective Factors Of Neurodegenerative Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,081,489.00
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) begins many years before diagnosis and yet its aetiology is still poorly understood. The BRIDGET consortium aims to identify genetic variants that are associated with structural brain ageing, cognitive performance, and dementia risk in richly phenotyped international and Australian population-based samples. This work aims to provide crucial information on the molecular pathways leading to AD, potentially leading to improved health outcomes for our ageing population.
Preventing Anxiety, Depression And Substance Use In Adolescents.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,709,988.00
Summary
Anxiety, depressive and substance use disorders account for three quarters of the disability attributed to mental disorders. Yet we have few models of well-implemented prevention programs for these common disorders. The current proposal addresses this gap by evaluating an innovative internet-based approach to preventing mental health and substance use problems in Australian adolescents.
Ageing And Dementia In Aboriginal Australians: Promoting Vitality, Identifying Decline And Supporting Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,411.00
Summary
Dementia is a growing concern and burden on communities for Aboriginal Australians. This fellowship will develop effective, culturally appropriate, and accessible strategies to promote healthy brain ageing and prevent dementia in Aboriginal communities. It will also investigate better ways to assess memory and thinking in this population, in order to identify changes as early as possible for enhanced dementia research and treatment prospects.
Skills For Life: A Life Skills Curriculum For Indigenous Youth In Remote Communities
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,816,502.00
Summary
This project will rigorously evaluate a life skills curriculum for youth of middle school age in remote Indigenous communities of the Northern Territory. The curriculum will be delivered in the class room in weekly sessions. It is a culturally appropriate learning strategy that aims to build resilience and social-emotional skills to help young people cope, make positive life choices and avoid self-destructive behaviours. It directly targets key risk factors for youth suicide and self-harm.
N-glycan Profiling As A Risk Stratification Biomarker For Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$549,644.00
Summary
This study sets out to establish an N-glycan biomarker profile of suboptimal health in a well-established cohort of adult Australians, the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study (BHAS) and Chinese (SHS cohort) . This biomarker profile will contribute to the future development of N-glycan traits as a tool for (i) risk prediction of chronic disease onset, in particular those chronic conditions that constitute type II diabetes mellitus, and (ii) the prediction of a patient’s response to treatment.
A Multi-ethnic Cohort And Intervention Trial To Identify Early Biomarkers For Type 2 Diabetes And Customise Individualized Environments For Disease Prevention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$597,376.00
Summary
Diabetes is often called a lifestyle disease, however, large clinical studies have shown that diabetes cannot always be prevented through lifestyle modification. This collaborative study between Shanghai Institutes of Biological Science and Sydney University will identify biomarkers that predict the development of type 2 diabetes. Using this knowledge, the best interventions (including diet, exercise and medications) to improve an individual’s risk profile for type 2 diabetes will be identified.
Evidence For Suicide Prevention In Planning Transitions From Employment To Retirement In Older Age Populations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$237,188.00
Summary
This study will investigate the impact of changes in employment status in older aged Australians on subsequent risk of suicidal behaviour, and the extent to which this risk is modified by referral pathways within mental health services and the role of other social supports.