Burden Of Disease: Costing An Effective Package Of Care For Mental Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$272,735.00
Summary
The Global Burden of Disease project, a WHO-World Bank-Harvard collaboration, presented an unprecedented picture of global health across the developed and developing world, providing much-needed information for planning health services. Health was measured at the population level, and combined the number of life years lost due to death and disablement to give a total amount of life lost per disorder. One surprise of the project was the importance of mental disorders, accounting for 43% of life y ....The Global Burden of Disease project, a WHO-World Bank-Harvard collaboration, presented an unprecedented picture of global health across the developed and developing world, providing much-needed information for planning health services. Health was measured at the population level, and combined the number of life years lost due to death and disablement to give a total amount of life lost per disorder. One surprise of the project was the importance of mental disorders, accounting for 43% of life years lost due to disability in countries like Australia. Service planning to reduce this burden requires knowledge of cost-effective treatments.This project will trial a method used for combining burden and cost-effectiveness data to design an essential package of services to address the treatment shortfall in mental disorders. This research will assist in our understanding of why burden due to mental disorders persists, and the extent to which current treatment knowledge is able to address this burden within existing budgetary constraints. This will be achieved by: 1) detailing the costs and population outcome of current services in Australia for mental disorders, to determine which disorders are currently adequately treated and which disorders require further intervention, 2) calculating the costs and outcome of best practice interventions from clinical practice guidelines, to understand the extent to which current treatment knowledge can reduce burden due to mental disorders, 3) examining the equity consequences of such a package of ideal interventions, with the understanding that the treatment endpoint is not the same for all disorders. This is a secondary analysis, representing a method for translating existing cost and outcome data for individual treatments into their costs and consequences for health planning at the population level.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.
Examining The Contribution Of The Mirror Neuron System Toward Social Cognitive Impairment In Autism Spectrum Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$149,154.00
Summary
Despite a rapidly increasing prevalence, our neurobiological understanding of autism and Asperger's disorder remains limited. Using modern neuroscience techniques, this study investigates whether dysfunction within a specific brain cell, the mirror neuron, underlies social and language impairments in these disorders. This research provides exciting new directions for the understanding, diagnosis, and potential treatment of autism and Asperger's disorder.
Motor Functioning In Autism And Asperger's Disorder: Furthering Current Neurobehavioural And Clinical Definitions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,932.00
Summary
While it is well known that autism and Asperger's disorder are associated with social, communicative, and behavioural symptoms, it is less well known that affected individuals also have considerable movement and coordination difficulties. For example, these children often have problems with hand writing, walking, hopping, skipping, catching, and running. These skills are very important for success at school; for example, if children are unable to participate in school sports they often feel isol ....While it is well known that autism and Asperger's disorder are associated with social, communicative, and behavioural symptoms, it is less well known that affected individuals also have considerable movement and coordination difficulties. For example, these children often have problems with hand writing, walking, hopping, skipping, catching, and running. These skills are very important for success at school; for example, if children are unable to participate in school sports they often feel isolated and rejected from the peer group. Also, hand writing problems have a significant impact on children's academic performance. Our previous research has suggested that there may be particular patterns of motor problems that characterise individuals with autism and Asperger's disorder. Our proposed research aims to use the kinds of 3D motion analysis technology used in the movie industry to capture exactly how people affected by these conditions move and respond to the environment. This study will enable us to highlight particular parts of the brain-motor circuitry that are affected by these disorders and will also enable us to more clearly distinguish how autism is different from Asperger's disorder. Ultimately, it is hoped that our motor investigations will lead to improved assessment and interventions for these disorders.Read moreRead less
In Vivo Gene Transfer And Phenotype Correction Of Normal And Urea-cycle Deficient Primary Human Hepatocytes In Chimeric Mouse-human Livers: Towards Gene Therapy For Metabolic Liver Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$493,747.00
Summary
Genetic liver disease imposes a major health and economic burden. Existing medical treatments are frequently inadequate, often necessitating liver transplantation which carries its own limitations and risks. Using a gene therapy approach we have achieved life-long cure of mice with OTC-deficiency, a condition with a high risk of disability and death in affected infants. This application focuses on translating this success in mice through to human therapy.
Life Course Trajectories And Neuropsychiatric Outcomes In An E-cohort Of High Risk Children Of Mothers With Psychosis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,484.00
Summary
This study investigates how genetic and environment factors operate over the life course to increase risk of adverse outcomes for children of women with severe mental illness. We examine the clustering of neuropsychiatric outcomes in families and individuals, the role of developmental adverse life events in the risk for these outcomes, and the children's physical morbidity and offending profiles. This is an electronic cohort (e-cohort), constructed by record linkage across many databases.
Prevalence report by the Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) estimated that 1 child in every 160 children in the 6-12 year-old age group is affected by ASD. There is no cure for ASD and the causes are not understood. We propose that sex hormones may play a role in the development of these disorders. We will test this hypothesis using knockout and transgenic mouse models which have social interaction deficits and brain structure reminiscent of these disorders.
Experience-dependent Maturation And Plasticity Of The Cerebral Cortex Mediating Schizophrenia-like Endophenotypes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$384,199.00
Summary
We will use genetic mouse models of schizophrenia to understand how specific abnormal behaviours are caused, focusing on cells and molecules within the brain. We will investigate how the gene mutations disrupts communication between, and production of, brain cells (neurons), and the role of mental and physical activity. The results of this project will not only have implications for understanding schizophrenia, but also for other brain disorders involving cognitive problems, such as dementia.
Using Epidemiology To Inform Psychiatric Classification (DSM-V And ICD-11)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$631,502.00
Summary
Classification systems are vital for scientific progress. The classifications of mental disorders of the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association are both being revised and this Australian team is a principal contributor to both processes. We have access to three national epidemiological surveys (n-30,000) that will inform fundamental issues by developing models of mental disorder typology and identifying practical improvements in the classification systems.
Much of our current knowledge on development of external genitalia (ExG), the penis and clitoris, comes from 20 &70 year-old studies (1); but with significant developments in contemporary imaging and new mouse models, we have new data. The overall goal of this project is to prove the hypothesis that penile and clitoral development is estrogen- (and androgen-) dependent and, to show that the administration of exogenous endocrine disrupting chemicals that alter the balance between estrogen and and ....Much of our current knowledge on development of external genitalia (ExG), the penis and clitoris, comes from 20 &70 year-old studies (1); but with significant developments in contemporary imaging and new mouse models, we have new data. The overall goal of this project is to prove the hypothesis that penile and clitoral development is estrogen- (and androgen-) dependent and, to show that the administration of exogenous endocrine disrupting chemicals that alter the balance between estrogen and androgen will disrupt ExG development.Read moreRead less