Stimulant laxatives are widely used and usually very effective in the short term, but how they work is very poorly understood. Our recent work has shown that they selectively excite sensory pathways from the colon which then trigger defaecation. This points to an undiscovered mechanism that potently affects colonic sensation and motility. This is likely to be a target for new treatments for other colonic disorders such as Irritable bowel syndrome and faecal incontinence.
Targeting RCAN1 To Treat Type 2 Diabetes And Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$814,468.00
Summary
Obesity and impaired insulin secretion are significant contributors to Type 2 diabetes. In this project we demonstrate that a protein called RCAN1 contributes to both fat mass and insulin secretion and that this contribution is exacerbated in obesity and in Type 2 diabetes. We will identify how RCAN1 controls these major metabolic pathways with outcomes including the development of new therapeutics for obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
Looking Forward - Moving Forward Project: Transforming Systems To Improve Mental Health And Drug And Alcohol Outcomes For Aboriginal Peoples
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,304,508.00
Summary
Despite the clear need for support, Aboriginal people do not access mental health and drug and alcohol services at a level that corresponds with their need. We need to know how services can respond appropriately to this high-risk group of people. This project brings together Perth-based services, researchers and local Aboriginal Elders to implement and evaluate a framework for organisational change that will transform the way in which services respond to Aboriginal people.
Development And Evaluation Of Novel Anti-inflammatory Products Derived From An Indigenous Medicinal Plant
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$276,598.00
Summary
This collaborative project between researchers at the University of South Australia and Indigenous traditional owners from Northern Kaanju homelands (Cape York Peninsula, Qld) will develop and evaluate products derived from the Northern Kaanju medicinal plant Dodonaea polyandra. Extracts of the plant and novel compounds isolated from it have anti-inflammatory activity. These have the potential to be used in inflammatory diseases such as dermatitis, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
The emotional construction of self representation. This project develops and defends the novel idea that self representation is an artefact of emotional processing. The account will involve case studies of psychiatric disorder characterised by developmental or acquired problems of self representation such as depersonalisation disorder and personality disorders.
Predicting Renal, Ophthalmic And Heart Events In The Aboriginal Community: The PROPHECY Diabetes Multi-Omics Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,955,505.00
Summary
Diabetes is at epidemic levels in Indigenous Australians, impairing quality of life, and contributing to poor health. This is a result of rapid development of kidney, heart and eye complications. We have established a large long-term population study among Aboriginal communities within South Australia and will explore the burden, natural history and the social, psychological, environmental, clinical and genomic predictors of diabetes and its complications.
The ownership of minds. This project aims to research the awareness of a conscious state as the subject's own. This is at the heart of a perennial debate about consciousness: whether we are aware of our conscious states as our own, or are merely aware of their occurrence. The project will collaborate internationally and across disciplines and institutions to develop a conceptual distinction between two components of consciousness. It will also provide an analysis of the nature of three mental di ....The ownership of minds. This project aims to research the awareness of a conscious state as the subject's own. This is at the heart of a perennial debate about consciousness: whether we are aware of our conscious states as our own, or are merely aware of their occurrence. The project will collaborate internationally and across disciplines and institutions to develop a conceptual distinction between two components of consciousness. It will also provide an analysis of the nature of three mental disorders in which the two components seem to come apart. These outcomes are expected to constitute a significant innovation in the study of consciousness and, more generally, in the philosophy of mind.Read moreRead less
The truth about false memory. This project is aimed at determining whether reports of long-forgotten episodes of sexual abuse arising during psychotherapy should be regarded as memories or not. This issue hinges on a number of conceptual questions about memory. The project will illuminate the debate on recovered memories of sexual abuse by addressing those questions.
Bitter Taste As A Mediator Of Food Intake And Postprandial Glycaemia In Health And Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$735,430.00
Summary
The gut “tastes” contents passing through it in a similar manner to the tongue. Recent evidence suggests that bitter substances in the gut can reduce appetite and slow the emptying of meals from the stomach, by stimulating gastrointestinal hormone release. We propose studies to understand how this system functions in health and type 2 diabetes, and whether it can be targeted to provide new diabetes treatments