Motor Passivity Symptoms In Schizophrenia And Mental Representations Of The Body
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$220,180.00
Summary
Individuals with schizophrenia who report passivity symptoms feel that they are no longer in control of their movements and believe that their actions may be willed by some other power. This research aims to examine a set of mental processes which determine how the body is 'represented' in the brain and which, if disrupted, can lead to disorders of body experiences. The outcome of the study will lead to a greater understanding of passivity symptoms and can be used to plan interventions.
Improving Quality Of Life In High-risk Cancer Populations: A Randomised Trial Of A Structured Intervention For Head And Neck Cancer Survivors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,220.00
Summary
Patients treated for head and neck cancer commonly experience pain, disfigurement, eating difficulties, depression and fatigue, undermining confidence and quality of life. This study aims to help patients self-manage their ongoing health problems following completion of treatment. This will be achieved through a randomised trial in which patients will be assisted by a trained oncology nurse to develop a tailored survivorship care plan focusing on the patient’s specific medical and emotional conc ....Patients treated for head and neck cancer commonly experience pain, disfigurement, eating difficulties, depression and fatigue, undermining confidence and quality of life. This study aims to help patients self-manage their ongoing health problems following completion of treatment. This will be achieved through a randomised trial in which patients will be assisted by a trained oncology nurse to develop a tailored survivorship care plan focusing on the patient’s specific medical and emotional concerns.Read moreRead less
A Novel Intervention Targeting Insomnia To Prevent Major Depressive Disorder In The Community
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,258,316.00
Summary
In this project we want to see if we can prevent depression by improving insomnia. We will invite people with elevated depression symptoms to undertake a novel self help program to reduce insomnia, and then see if their risk for developing clinical depression is reduced 9 and 18 months later. As far as we know, this approach has not previously been tried. The merit of the project is that we have tangible symptoms (sleep problems) with which to engage individuals in a prevention strategy.
Footwear For Self-managing Knee Osteoarthritis Symptoms: The Footstep Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$590,532.00
Summary
Self-management of symptoms is an important part of treatment for people with knee osteoarthritis. Footwear influences forces across the knee joint and it is unclear which types of shoes are best to minimise arthritis symptoms. This study will compare the effects of flat flexible shoes to stable supportive shoe styles on pain and physical function over 6 months in people with painful knee osteoarthritis.
Improving Cardiovascular Health And Quality Of Life In People With Severe Mental Illness: A Randomised Trial Of A ‘partners In Health’ Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$960,320.00
Summary
People with severe mental illness die 13-30 years earlier than other people, mostly from physical illnesses especially cardiovascular disease. Physical health care services are poor for these patients and need urgent improvement. Our team has developed a process to deliver good physical health care using the Flinders Program and recovery framework. This project evaluates the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the process, and shows how health services can deliver physical health care.
Rapid Plasticity In Sensory Systems - Linking Neuronal Adaptation And Perception
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,810.00
Summary
The activity of individual sensory neurons in the brain is surprisingly variable and continuously changing. It is unclear how reliable perception of the world can be generated from the activity of “noisy” neurons, and it remains unclear why neuronal sensitivity should change in the first place! This project will give insights into how groups of sensory neurons collectively overcome their intrinsic variability to support reliable visual perception.
Context Is Everything – Understanding How Spatial, Temporal And Behavioural Context Affect Sensory Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,382.00
Summary
A possum in a tree is cute to see on a bushwalk, but scary to hear when we are trying to sleep. This illustrates that how we perceive a “target” is affected by “modulators” that are close in space or time to the target, or by the task at hand. Deficits in contextual modulation are apparent in many neurological conditions. This project will investigate the neural circuitry that mediates spatial, temporal and task-related contextual modulation.
Efficacy Of Prism Adaptation For Recovery Of Brain Function In Unilateral Spatial Neglect
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,690.00
Summary
Damage to the brain’s attention network causes profound impairments of visual and sensory perception. These deficits are frequently long-lasting, and are a major factor in preventing patients from regaining functional independence. This project will use a combination of behavioural and brain imaging techniques to determine whether a promising new treatment involving visual retraining can improve function and reduce perceptual impairments after unilateral brain lesions.
Cortical Excitation In Migraine: Using Vision To Understand And Track Brain Excitability
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$521,628.00
Summary
Migraine is a common neurological condition affecting approximately 15% of adults. Therapies are most effective if used early, yet many people are unable to predict their migraines or to recognize early signs. In addition to headache, key symptoms include abnormal visual and auditory experience. We propose that aspects of vision and hearing will vary systematically according to the current brain status. Our translational goal is to develop tests that allow individuals to better manage migraine.
Neural Circuits For Active Vision In The Primate Cerebral Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,938.00
Summary
This project will try to understand how we use visual information to identify objects by their shape and motion, in natural situations in which the eyes are moving all the time. This will be accomplished by recording the electrical activity of brain cells while a trained animal is performing different types of tasks, such as tracking a moving object or exploring a scene with its eyes.