Psychiatric Disorders, Psychotropic Agents And Bone Health: From Benchtop To Bedside.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,744.00
Summary
Just under half of all people with a psychiatric disorder have a chronic physical illness. One common and neglected comorbidity is osteoporosis. Dr Williams has brought together a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and clinicians that are gathering laboratory through to clinical evidence regarding the interplay between psychiatric disorders, the medication used to treat these disorders and bone health with the aim of informing clinical practice and guiding clinical choice.
Imaging The Human Brain Connectome And Its Application To Psychiatric Disorders.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
The human brain has long been conceptualized as a complex neural network. The connections of this network are yet to be characterized in full detail. Only recent technological advances in imaging have made possible to visualize the network architecture of the living brain. My fellowship will focus on using MRI techniques to map the interconnected network of the brain also called as the “connectome” and apply this knowledge to advance the understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Understanding The Etiology Of Psychiatric Disorders Through Whole Genome Analyses
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$470,144.00
Summary
Psychiatric disorders exert a huge social and economic burden on society. In recent years, large genetic studies have led to important new insights into these disorders. Major new human genomics resources will soon become available. My research will take advantage of these datasets to investigate the genetic basis of key epidemiological features of psychiatric disorders, including risk due to parental age and sex-biased prevalence, and to identify novel risk genes for schizophrenia and autism.
Developing Better Models Of Outcome For Psychotic Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,695.00
Summary
Research on psychosis has been focused on developing treatments for hallucinations and delusions. However, ‘outcome’ is multifaceted and must embrace functioning, and quality of life. A/Prof Cotton will develop models will comprehensively capture ‘whole person’ outcomes for people who have experienced psychosis. Understanding how the disease impacts on the individual will enable better service planning, and refinement and development of treatments for patients with psychosis.
Fighting Mental Disorders: Using Mental Imagery To Disarm Symptoms And Enhance Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$415,218.00
Summary
This proposal will conduct the first pre-clinical and clinical research utilising mental imagery to disarm symptoms and enhance treatment of multiple mental disorders by controlling the strength of mental imagery. This fellowship represents the first attempt to alleviate symptoms by developing a cognitive-neuroscience method to control the strength of traumatic imagery and to show a causative means of enhancing imagery strength to boost the success rate of cognitive therapy involving imagery.