Aspirin For The Prevention Of Cognitive Decline In The Elderly: A Neuro-Vascular Imaging Study (ENVIS-ion) From ASPREE
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,341,232.00
Summary
The ENVIS-ion trial will examine whether Aspirin is effective in delaying the onset of worsening of thinking and memory abilities in healthy older adults. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain structure will detect markers of early worsening of thinking and memory abilities. Blood vessels in the back of the eye (retina) share many features with vessels in the brain. We will compare whether aspirin lessens changes over time of features shown with brain MRI and retinal photography.
The Diagnosis Of Depression In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,000.00
Summary
During the next 3 decades the number of persons older than 85 years will more than double, and the health care need of this burgeoning population are assuming greater importance. Among the most significant but often overlooked conditions in the elderly is depression, which is associated with marked disability, functional decline, risk of hospitalization, diminished quality of life, caregiver burden, increased service utilization, and mortality from comorbid medical conditions or suicide. The Wor ....During the next 3 decades the number of persons older than 85 years will more than double, and the health care need of this burgeoning population are assuming greater importance. Among the most significant but often overlooked conditions in the elderly is depression, which is associated with marked disability, functional decline, risk of hospitalization, diminished quality of life, caregiver burden, increased service utilization, and mortality from comorbid medical conditions or suicide. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 depression will be second only to heart disease as a cause of disability and premature death in established market economies. Depression is missed in approximately half of all elderly persons with mood disorder, and this frequency is certainly higher among individuals with dementia. The strategy to diagnose depression in dementia needs to be revised. Patients' reports are often unreliable due to memory problems and lack of full insight into their mood and behavioural changes. Caregivers may overestimate patients' symptoms of depression, especially when they themselves are depressed and overburdened, and clinicians' diagnoses are sometimes based on biased information and short observation periods. The situation in nursing homes is even worse, and there is a shortage of studies on how to diagnose depression in institutionalised patients with dementia. Using specific instruments to assess mood, behaviour and cognition we will develop valid and reliable criteria to diagnose depression in the different stages of dementia, and for patients living in different settings. This will facilitate the early recognition and adequate treatment of depression in individuals with dementia, it will greatly improve patient's quality of life, and will have a positive impact on caregivers' psychological well-being.Read moreRead less
COMBIT: Randomised Controlled Trial Of Novel Upper Neurorehabilitation For Congenital Hemiplegia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$486,588.00
Summary
Cerebral palsy is the most common disability in children - there are over one million children with the hemiplegic form in the industrialised world. Rehabilitation to improve hand use impacts on daily care, access to education and vocational aspirations, and consumes a great deal of time and money. Our team wishes to test a novel COMbined Constraint and BImanual Training study (COMBIT) in a randomized controlled trial investigating upper limb function, participation and mechanisms of action of t ....Cerebral palsy is the most common disability in children - there are over one million children with the hemiplegic form in the industrialised world. Rehabilitation to improve hand use impacts on daily care, access to education and vocational aspirations, and consumes a great deal of time and money. Our team wishes to test a novel COMbined Constraint and BImanual Training study (COMBIT) in a randomized controlled trial investigating upper limb function, participation and mechanisms of action of the intervention.Read moreRead less
Brain Adaptation Associated With Spontaneous And Training-induced Recovery Of Touch Sensation Post-stroke.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$339,950.00
Summary
Brain networks may reorganize to optimise stroke recovery. However, little is known about brain mechanisms underlying natural and training-induced recovery after stroke, particularly following loss of body sensations. Knowledge of the experiences that may facilitate brain reorganisation is a prerequisite for the development and evaluation of optimal stroke rehabilitation strategies. We aim to provide novel information on the potential benefits of specific training in facilitating reorganisation ....Brain networks may reorganize to optimise stroke recovery. However, little is known about brain mechanisms underlying natural and training-induced recovery after stroke, particularly following loss of body sensations. Knowledge of the experiences that may facilitate brain reorganisation is a prerequisite for the development and evaluation of optimal stroke rehabilitation strategies. We aim to provide novel information on the potential benefits of specific training in facilitating reorganisation of the brain after stroke. Specifically we will: (i) locate areas of brain activity associated with natural and training-induced recovery of touch sensation following stroke and (ii) investigate the relationship between brain activation, sensory recovery and intervening experience. Site and extent of brain activation associated with recovery of touch sensation will be investigated over time using serial functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a controlled sensory task and clinical measures of recovery. Thirty stroke patients with impaired touch sensation of the upper limb will be studied at 2-6 weeks and 6 months post-stroke to investigate changes in brain activation associated with natural recovery (Study 1). Ten healthy controls will also be studied over 6 months. Those patients who still have sensory loss at 6 months will then receive specific sensory training or placebo intervention to study the effect of training-induced recovery on brain activity (Study 2). The whole brain will be studied and activation sites will be interpreted relative to individual and standard brain maps. We expect that the findings will advance our knowledge of the relationship between clinical recovery, training and neural plastic changes in the brain. This information will provide direction for the development of scientifically based treatments designed to maximise recovery and help identify patients who are likely to show natural recovery and-or benefit from training.Read moreRead less
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
Neogenin: A Regulator Of Neuronal Differentiation And Migration In The Adult Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$334,053.00
Summary
Conditions such as Alzheimer�s and Huntington�s diseases, as well as stroke, represent a major burden of disease in Australia. One goal of modern neurobiology is to harness the brain's ability to make new neurons so that we can replace those damaged by disease or injury. We will investigate how an important developmental molecule, Neogenin, promotes the production of new neurons in the adult brain. A second goal is to show that Neogenin can be activated to promote the repair of the damaged brain ....Conditions such as Alzheimer�s and Huntington�s diseases, as well as stroke, represent a major burden of disease in Australia. One goal of modern neurobiology is to harness the brain's ability to make new neurons so that we can replace those damaged by disease or injury. We will investigate how an important developmental molecule, Neogenin, promotes the production of new neurons in the adult brain. A second goal is to show that Neogenin can be activated to promote the repair of the damaged brain.Read moreRead less