Cognitive Factors In Youth That Increase Vulnerability To Social Phobia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$313,976.00
Summary
I am a psychologist focused on identifying the patterns of thinking of young people that make them vulnerable to developing a chronic and debilitating anxiety disorder known as social phobia. To do this, I will measure a range of thinking patterns of a sample of youth over time, and see which patterns are characteristic of those individuals who do develop social phobia. By identifying these particular thinking patterns, we will be able to identify youth who need preventative interventions.
Following bereavement, 10%-15% of people suffer prolonged grief (PG) that can cause mental and physical problems for many years. This project will study community and treatment-seeking samples of bereaved people to identify trajectories of grieving, predictors of responding across time, and identify mechanisms of change in treatment of PG. This project represents a significant advance in our understanding of PG and will help reduce the burden of this condition.
Cellular And Molecular Determinants That Regulate Osteoblasts At The Endosteal Niche During HSC Mobilisation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$178,523.00
Summary
Treatments for leukaemia (e.g. chemotherapy) severely deplete immune and blood cells from patients. Transplantation of new blood forming cells (blood stem cells) into these patients is essential, but challenges are faced with isolating sufficient numbers in ways that preserve their ability to reconstitute the blood post transplant. My research aims to advance understanding of current methods used to isolate these cells and ultimately to improve the success of blood stem cell transplantation.
Investigations Into The Onset And Persistence Of Severe Health Anxiety (hypochondriasis), And The Development Of Innovative Psychological Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$313,096.00
Summary
This program of research will investigate the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural factors that are involved in the onset and persistence of severe health anxiety (hypochondriasis). It will also test the effectiveness of innovative psychological interventions for the disorder.
Association Between Sirtuin Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms And Functional Markers Of Brain Health In Ageing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$311,860.00
Summary
Sirtuins are histone deacetylases that have been reported to play a pivotal role in energy expenditure, mitochondrial function and pathogenesis of metabolic diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders and Alzheimer’s disease in particular. In this study, we will focus on the genes encoding sirtuin families, and examined the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms within genes encoding sirtuin families and functional markers for brain health.
Language Deficits And Cognitive Dysfunction In Motor Neuron Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$263,513.00
Summary
Motor neuron disease (MND) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are fatal degenerative brain diseases that overlap clinically and pathologically. Patients with either disease can develop a combination of motor and cognitive deficits (known as FTD-MND). Recent studies suggest that FTD-MND is more common in familial MND. This project will investigate language disturbance – a prominent feature of FTD – in MND patients to establish whether such impairment predicts the development of FTD-MND.
An Investigation Of The Role Of The Pre-frontal Cortex In Cognitive Ageing And Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$291,629.00
Summary
This project will investigate the role of the pre-frontal cortex in cognitive ageing and dementia. New neuroimaging techniques will be used to precisely measure this cerebral structure in a large ageing cohort The new brain measures will be used to identify risk and protective factors of cognitive ageing and dementia. This project is highly significant because it will contribute to the identification of at risk individuals and guide future intervention and clinical studies.