Early Detection Of Infants And Young Children With Autism
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$268,250.00
Summary
Autism is a severely handicapping condition adversely affecting social interaction, communication, behaviour, interests, and activities. Autism requires treatment at an early age (before 4 years). Despite finding that parents notice problems with their child's development within the first 2 years, on average diagnoses are made around 6 years of age. Treatment for autism should begin as early as possible to improve outcome. Diagnosis requires specialist assessment and these services are limited. ....Autism is a severely handicapping condition adversely affecting social interaction, communication, behaviour, interests, and activities. Autism requires treatment at an early age (before 4 years). Despite finding that parents notice problems with their child's development within the first 2 years, on average diagnoses are made around 6 years of age. Treatment for autism should begin as early as possible to improve outcome. Diagnosis requires specialist assessment and these services are limited. Therefore it is not possible to undertake such assessments with all children who have developmental problems. This project therefore proposes to evaluate a method for screening large populations of children for autism, thus enabling timely and more appropriate referral to assessment services. Previous work by the investigators has developed a potential screening tool (DBC Early Screen) for autism in young children under 4 years with developmental delay that has high levels of accuracy in identifying those infants and children who are at risk of autism and require specialist assessment. This project proposes to undertake a community field trial to assess the accuracy and reliability of this early screen and to establish its suitability for wide use as a population screening tool. The preliminary testing of DBC Early Screen demonstrated that a community field trial was feasible. The results of this study will facilitate the referral of infants and young children to specialist autism assessment services, thus enabling the commencement of appropriate early intervention for children and their families from an early age.Read moreRead less
Social Behaviour In Rats Developmentally Deficient In Vitamin D: Modelling The Negative Symptoms Of Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,927.00
Summary
We are exploring low maternal vitamin D as a biological explanation for a 7-10% increase in the incidence of patients born with schizophrenia in the colder months of the year world wide. Developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficiency in rats leads to long term changes in brain development and behaviour. The aim of this research is to examine social behaviour in DVD deficient rats as a model of negative symptoms of schizophrenia and establish the neurochemical basis for this altered behaviour
Adult Consequences Of Childhood Exposure To Psychological Trauma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$292,530.00
Summary
The importance of childhood experience to adult adjustment (DOES THIS MAKE SENSE) is an issue of general public health interest. In particular, in the area of personality development, there are a number of theories concerning the importance of childhood experience and developmental stresses on later personality, development, psychological functioning and physical health. More recently there has been debate on the accuracy with which adults areable to remember traumatic experiences in childhood. ....The importance of childhood experience to adult adjustment (DOES THIS MAKE SENSE) is an issue of general public health interest. In particular, in the area of personality development, there are a number of theories concerning the importance of childhood experience and developmental stresses on later personality, development, psychological functioning and physical health. More recently there has been debate on the accuracy with which adults areable to remember traumatic experiences in childhood. This study will follow a group of 808 primary school children who were exposed to the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in SOuth Australia. They were involved in a study which examined them two months, eight months and twenty six months after the disaster. This rich descriptive set of information about these children and their families forms an objective data base against which their adult recall of the experience can be judged. The symptoms of these children were also documented at the time as was their disaster exposure. The impact of this one event, in the context of the other developmental influences will be examined as determinants of their adjustment in adult life. Finally, there has been an increasing interest in the way that previous traumatic exposure influences the nature of the hormonal response to stress. Using a test of functioning of the cortisol system, the stress response of this population will be compared with a control population who were also studied at the time of the original disaster.Read moreRead less
Ocular Motility In Autism And Asperger S Disorder: Dissociation Of Motor Deficits.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$131,235.00
Summary
We will use ocular motor technology to investigate motor dysfunction in autism and Asperger's disorder, to advance our understanding of the neurobiological bases of these disorders. This will help clarify whether neural networks are differentially disrupted in these disorders, as our previous clinical research suggests. This dissociation and the subsequent development of an ocular motor clincal screen may improve diagnosis, and potentially treatment, of these devastating conditions.
Schizophrenia is a group of brain disorders that affects approximately 1 in 100 people. The symptoms can include delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (e.g., hearing voices), blunted emotions, poor planning ability and reduced motivation. Because these disorders often start in early adulthood, and can be chronic, schizophrenia contributes substantially to the burden of disease across the globe. The causes of schizophrenia are poorly understood, but it is clear that both genetic factors and e ....Schizophrenia is a group of brain disorders that affects approximately 1 in 100 people. The symptoms can include delusions (false beliefs), hallucinations (e.g., hearing voices), blunted emotions, poor planning ability and reduced motivation. Because these disorders often start in early adulthood, and can be chronic, schizophrenia contributes substantially to the burden of disease across the globe. The causes of schizophrenia are poorly understood, but it is clear that both genetic factors and environmental factors can contribute to the risk of developing schizophrenia. As part of an integrated program of research searching for novel environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, this application examines the impact of low prenatal vitamin D on brain development. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone mostly derived from the action of bright sunshine on the skin. Our past research (based on population studies, cell culture studies and animal experiments) have provided tantalizing clues about the impact of low prenatal vitamin D on brain development. This project will explore two important areas. We will explore mechanims by which LOW vitamin D may cause LESS programmed cell death (apoptosis). Programmed cell death is a crucial feature in brain development, and any alteration to the orderly sequence of brain development may leave the person vulnerable to adult-onset brain disorders like schizophrenia. Secondly, we will compare the behaviour and brain markers of adult rats born of mothers depleted of vitamin D versus normal mothers. Finally, we will examine the impact of vitamin D on neural tissue cultures obtained from nasal biopsy. If low prenatal vitamin D is a risk factor for schizophrenia, then it may be possible to reduce the incidence of schizophrenia by providing pregnant women with a safe and cheap vitamin tablet (similar to how folate supplements have reduced the incidence of spina bifida) .Read moreRead less
Children Of Parents With Mental Illness: A Population-based Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,715.00
Summary
Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression account for about 16% of the global burden of disease, according to estimates by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. These disorders tend to run a chronic or recurrent course, with devastating impact on sufferers and their families. We know today that part of their causes are genetic and may be transmitted to the next generation. However, another part of the causation is likely to be environmental, involving maternal pregnancy co ....Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression account for about 16% of the global burden of disease, according to estimates by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. These disorders tend to run a chronic or recurrent course, with devastating impact on sufferers and their families. We know today that part of their causes are genetic and may be transmitted to the next generation. However, another part of the causation is likely to be environmental, involving maternal pregnancy complications, as well as psychosocial adversity and stressful events impacting children who happen to carry a genetic susceptibility to such disorders. To disentangle and understand better such effects, our research is focusing on families where genetic risk to the offspring is present, due to a mother suffering from one of these disorders. By linking data available on population databases in WA, we aim to follow up the childhood development and young adult health outcomes of all children born to women with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression. Few studies of this kind have been done worldwide, and we expect that the WA study will answer many unresolved questions, leading to preventative and treatment interventions that would reduce adverse outcomes and improve the quality of life of families at risk.Read moreRead less