Dengue is a viral infection that is transmitted by mosquitoes in tropical regions of the world, including in northern Australia. For doctors who treat dengue patients, a major unmet need is the ability to predict which patients will develop severe complications and need highly specialized supportive care. This proposal will seek to address this unmet need by examining whether markers of human genetic variation can be used to predict those patients at risk of severe dengue.
Imaging And Chemical Biomarkers For Assessing The Effectiveness Of Therapy In The First European Investigator-driven Clinical Trial Investigating The Benefits Of Hypothermia In Ischaemic Stroke Patients
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,048,570.00
Summary
Hypothermia, entering phase III trial in Europe, has the potential to slow brain injury after stroke. It will allow existing thrombolytic therapies which restore critical brain blood flow to be used in many more patients than currently possible. However, hypothermia will soak up valuable resources if non-selectively applied to the ~15 million patients who have a stroke each year. We aim to identify biomarkers to test which patients will benefit most and permit the best resource allocation.
Vascular Mechanisms Of Neurodegeneration: Drivers And Determinants Of Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,421,722.00
Summary
The evidence is compelling: vascular burden is the greatest determinant of late life cognition. The volume of evidence linking vascular risk and dementia is conclusive. All late-onset dementia syndromes, especially Alzheimer’s disease, are driven or exacerbated by vascular brain burden. We aim to examine how vascular burden causes dementia. Understanding the mechanisms means that we can prevent and treat the global epidemic of dementia.
Vascular Cognitive Risk Score: Quantifying The Vascular Burden In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$627,180.00
Summary
What causes dementia in a patient presenting to a clinic is often uncertain. While there are exciting potential treatments in the pipeline, we need to understand the cause of the disease in a specific patient to make correct treatment decisions. Stroke and other vascular diseases of the brain cause a significant proportion of dementia in the community. Using MRI scanning technology, this project will quantify this burden in a given patient by developing a ‘vascular cognitive risk' (VCR) score.
Rolling It Out: Targeted Translation Intervention To Improve Driving Cessation Outcomes For People With Dementia Across Metropolitan And Regional Areas
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$594,644.00
Summary
This research addresses social, emotional and practical challenges that people with dementia face in dealing with stopping driving. A resource that provides practical and emotional support and education around stopping driving is required in primary care settings to improve quality of life of people with dementia and their carers, and support health professionals who monitor driving issues. This program will translate a research-based resource into GP clinics and community services in Australia.
Choir Participation To Improve Wellbeing And Relationship Quality For Community-dwelling People With Dementia And Their Primary Care-givers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$569,698.00
Summary
An estimated 300,000 Australians live with dementia and this figure is projected to triple by 2050. Aligning with government priorities to support primary caregivers to care for loved ones at home, this project investigates the effect of choir participation and familiar music for people with dementia and their caregivers. We expect to find evidence that active music participation enhances wellbeing, quality of life, and relationship quality for people with dementia and their caregivers.
Development And Implementation Of Evidence-based Deprescribing Guidelines To Guide Person-centred Care For People With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$623,363.00
Summary
Optimising medication use in people with dementia will include both initiation of necessary medications and withdrawal of unnecessary and harmful medications. Many guidelines exist to aid doctors when prescribing medication, however, no guidelines currently exist that detail when, or how to withdraw medications. Development and implementation of such guidelines into practice may lead to improved quality of life of people with dementia and their carers.
Development And Validation Of The First Culturally Based Quality Of Life Tool For Aboriginal Australians Living With Dementia Or Cognitive Impairment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$602,435.00
Summary
Enhancing quality of life (QoL) is the central goal of care providers for clients with dementia. A QoL tool identifies areas of need, enabling strategies to be planned and evaluated accordingly. Dementia is highly prevalent in Aboriginal Australians. There is no QoL tool for Aboriginal Australians living with dementia. This project will develop and test a QoL tool with Aboriginal Australians living with dementia or other cognitive impairment. The factors affecting QoL will also be identified.
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.
Music Therapy Interventions For Dementia: Cluster Randomised Control Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,014,430.00
Summary
Music therapy interventions are increasingly used in aged care facilities across Australia, however Australian-based research that tests its effectiveness is scarce. In this study, we track the impact of group music therapy and group singing on levels of depression, cognitive function, quality of life, and other symptoms of dementia. By providing music therapy programs across sites in Victoria, NSW and Queensland, we will also evaluate the cost effectiveness of the intervention.