Improving Diagnosis And Prognosis Of Early-onset Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Frontotemporal dementia accounts for ~15% of all dementias. It is as common as Alzheimer’s disease in the < 65 year olds but understanding of this disease remains limited. Over the next 5 years, my research will work towards improving diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of pathology, using a multidisclinary approach that combines clinical, brain imaging, genetics and neuropathological investigations. This research will contribute to improving the care and quality of life of dementia patients.
The aim of this research project is to provide critical new information on the functional changes in brain circuits mediating cognitive-emotional integration during decision-making. This project will use a powerful and unique combination of behavioural, circuit-level, cellular, genetic and imagining tools to assess decision processes in healthy rodent and human subjects, and in animal models of, and humans suffering from, specific psychiatric disorders.
Neurodevelopmental Mechanisms And Early Intervention In Psychiatric Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$652,765.00
Summary
Schizophrenia and depression are devastating mental illnesses and a huge burden to society. Drug treatments can be beneficial, but many patients are either treatment-resistant or show severe side-effects. There is an urgent need for truly novel treatment strategies which should ideally prevent symptoms. The main aim of this project is to elucidate brain mechanisms involved in schizophrenia and depression development to inform clinical research about improved preventative treatment strategies.
An inability to resist a temptation or repeated failures of self-regulation can lead to 'impulsive' and 'compulsive' behaviours that relate to a host of personal and social problems (eg., excessive eating, gambling, and substance use). Despite this, very little research has studied the neural and psychological underpinnings of these behaviours. My research will take advantage of recent innovations and approaches to fill this void and have implications for diagnosis and treatment.