Fatigue, Attention And Sleep Disturbance After Traumatic Brain Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,050.00
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability in young people. A major obstacle to the rehabilitation of these young people and their return to work or study is their susceptibility to fatigue post-injury. Sleep disturbance is also often reported following TBI and this may accentuate fatigue. Suprisingly, little research has been conducted on the nature, causes or progression of fatigue and sleep disorders following TBI and their possible interrelationships. This study aims to inve ....Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability in young people. A major obstacle to the rehabilitation of these young people and their return to work or study is their susceptibility to fatigue post-injury. Sleep disturbance is also often reported following TBI and this may accentuate fatigue. Suprisingly, little research has been conducted on the nature, causes or progression of fatigue and sleep disorders following TBI and their possible interrelationships. This study aims to investigate the incidence and extent of fatigue in a large group of people who have experienced a TBI compared to a control group, how fatigue changes over time and its impact on daily life. The study will also address whether higher fatigue levels are associated with decreased attention and speed of information processing. Changes in sleep patterns will also be investigated using both subjective measures, such as sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, and objective physiological measures, such as the time of dim light melatonin onset and polysomnography, comparing the head injured group with controls. The interrelationships between fatigue and sleep changes will then be examined and also their association with injury severity, the location of the brain injury, the time since the injury, age, the presence of any cognitive impairments and the incidence of depression. The project has the potential to provide valuable information to healthcare professionals on the diagnosis of fatigue and sleep disorders in head injury patients. The investigation of the nature, causes and impact of fatigue and sleep disorders could also provide a basis for therapy. For example, fatigue and problems with attention and slowed information processing can be minimized by restructuring lifestyle demands and simple and effective treatments are available for many sleep disturbances, such as bright light therapy and-or exogenous melatonin.Read moreRead less
Cognitive Outcome And Therapeutic Interventions For Coronary Artery Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,104.00
Summary
Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may incre ....Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may increase the risk of long-term problems. Cognitive impairment affects people in many ways. While it is not yet known whether the occurrence of cognitive impairment predisposes to dementia, it is thought that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may do so. We propose to explore the link between MCI and Post Procedural Cognitive Deficit (PPCD) in patients with coronary disease from before the first point of objective diagnosis, i.e. prior to the coronary angiogram, and over a 12-month period, through and subsequent to further treatment interventions such as stenting or cardiac surgery. Our Pilot data suggest that PPCD does indeed occur after angiography, and we propose to identify how long this lasts, whether MCI predisposes to it and whether it is better to wait until it resolves before further interventions are undertaken. In this way we hope to identify the safest treatment strategy for patients with coronary disease that will minimize the occurrence of Cognitive Deficit and possibly longer-term cognitive changes after investigation and treatment for their symptoms.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Dendritic MRNA Decay In Synaptic Plasticity & Cognition
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$417,193.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is characterized by abnormal contacts between brain cells, known as synapses. Maintenance of synapses requires the translation of gene products, termed mRNA, into protein. Schizophrenia has been associated with genes involved in the degradation of mRNA, which buffers translation and thus protein levels. My research therefore seeks to study the role of mRNA decay in synaptic structure, synaptic function and cognition.
Sleep, Plasticity And Neurodegeneration: Targeting Sleep To Improve Cognition In Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$525,116.00
Summary
Older individuals with mild cognitive impairment commonly experience disturbed sleep and about 50% will convert to dementia. It is unclear whether sleep disturbance mediates cognitive decline and progression to dementia. Optimising sleep presents a novel strategy to slow disease progression. This new research program explores links between sleep and dementia to identify new biomarkers of disease progression and new targeted therapeutic approaches to improve quality of life for older Australians.
Predicting Perioperative Cognitive Disorders In The Elderly Based On Cardiovascular Risk, AD Risk And New Biomarkers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$471,826.00
Summary
Anaesthesia and surgery are common in the elderly and are known to lead to memory and thinking problems. Why this happens is unclear. I plan to study confusion, memory and thinking problems before and after surgery and to determine if blood or cerebrospinal fluid tests or modifying cardiovascular disease can predict this happening. This work will lead to early identification of people who are at risk of cognitive problems following anaesthesia and surgery, and ways to prevent this happening.
We need to think laterally to find effective treatments for people with dementia. Using relevant animal models and cutting-edge technology, my research investigates gene-environment interactions. In particular, my group is studying the pathophysiology of Huntington’s disease, a devastating progressive disorder with no current cure. By integrating my unique wide-ranging expertise and my extensive network of collaborators, I aim to explore mechanisms and to discover novel therapeutic strategies.