Emerging Severe Mental Illness In Young People: Clinical Staging, Neurobiology, Prediction & Intervention From Vulnerabi
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,229,421.00
Summary
Mental disorders, such as psychotic and severe mood disorders, are the largest cause of disability in Australia. However, there is still little known about illness onset, relapse and progression. We have developed a clinical staging model with transition points from symptomfree to subthreshold status, to threshold disorder to chronic disability. We will investigate neurobiological and psychosocial factors which increase the risk of progression through these stages and use this model as a basis f ....Mental disorders, such as psychotic and severe mood disorders, are the largest cause of disability in Australia. However, there is still little known about illness onset, relapse and progression. We have developed a clinical staging model with transition points from symptomfree to subthreshold status, to threshold disorder to chronic disability. We will investigate neurobiological and psychosocial factors which increase the risk of progression through these stages and use this model as a basis for examining the effectiveness of interventions, for example to prevent, delay or ameliorate onset and relapse, and promote vocational recovery. Thus major clinical and public health benefits and an understanding of factors that contribute to the onset and progression of illness will result.Read moreRead less
Predictors And Correlates Of Developmental Language Problems: A Longitudinal Study From Infancy To Pre-school Age
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$537,750.00
Summary
Language impairment is a disabling condition, thought to affect between 7% and 15% of 4 year old children. It has serious and lasting implications for social and emotional development, cognition, behaviour and literacy. A link has been demonstrated between language impairment and later psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Given the potential of enhancing the language development of young children, it is critical that effective prevention and early intervention programs are availab ....Language impairment is a disabling condition, thought to affect between 7% and 15% of 4 year old children. It has serious and lasting implications for social and emotional development, cognition, behaviour and literacy. A link has been demonstrated between language impairment and later psychiatric disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Given the potential of enhancing the language development of young children, it is critical that effective prevention and early intervention programs are available. However, current knowledge is liminted in that there are no entirely satisfactory methods for detecting children who at much younger ages, 8 months, 12 months, 2 years and 3 years, are at risk of later impairment. In this study we aim to: examine the risk factors (many are thought to exist) that contribute to language impairment learn more about the natural history of this disabling disorder in children between 8 months and 4 years of age Ultimately, we aim to identify early signs that might warn health professionals and parents of language impairment so that such problems can be detected much earlier. Early identification will mean that help is available at an earlier age to children who currently go on to have persisting and extremely disabling language impairment.Read moreRead less
Understanding How Language And Reading Problems Develop: A Population-based Longitudinal Study From Infancy To Age 7
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$667,507.00
Summary
Early language and reading problems are common and therefore significant public health problems. They are disabling and have life-long implications for oral and written communication skills, social and emotional well-being, cognition, behaviour, academic achievement and employment. This study will address the following three problems: 1. To date no study has documented how language and reading problems develop from infancy (8 months) through to school age (7 years). 2. Little is known about risk ....Early language and reading problems are common and therefore significant public health problems. They are disabling and have life-long implications for oral and written communication skills, social and emotional well-being, cognition, behaviour, academic achievement and employment. This study will address the following three problems: 1. To date no study has documented how language and reading problems develop from infancy (8 months) through to school age (7 years). 2. Little is known about risk factors, identified early in infancy and childhood, that can be reliably used to predict language and reading problems later in childhood. 3. The relationships between language difficulties and reading problems are poorly understood. Therefore, we currently have no satisfactory methods for reliably detecting which children at much younger ages are at risk of later language disorders or reading problems. Without this information it is impossible to develop effective prevention and early intervention programs. These programs are critical if we are to: a) Prevent language and reading problems from occurring, thereby reducing the prevalence of the problem b) Intervene early in childhood, thereby reducing in the longer term the burden and cost associated with language and reading problems. The proposed study builds on an existing substantial investment by the NHMRC in the Early Language in Victoria Study (ELVS). It will provide a world-first description of the evolution of language difficulties and reading problems from infancy through to school age within a single population cohort.Read moreRead less
AusDiab 3: Emerging Risk Factors For And Long-term Incidence Of Cardio-metabolic Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,616,397.00
Summary
This study will track 11,000 Australian adults over 12 years to determine how many develop diabetes, obesity, kidney and heart disease. The study will develop ways to best predict those who are going to develop these conditions before they have arisen, and will explore a range of novel risk factors to better understand these conditions.
Novel Assessment And Intervention For Dementia: An Inter-disciplinary Translational Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,021.00
Summary
This program of research focuses on i) a highly novel internationally competitive program of work focusing on the neural network correlates of sleep in dementia, sleep as a risk factor and the efficacy of sleep-wake interventions in reducing cognitive decline; ii) Innovative technologies for widespread screening of preclinical dementia and early intervention and iii) clinical trials focused on the testing of a of novel, highly translatable dementia risk reduction interventions.
Clinical Genetic Phenotyping Of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$582,114.00
Summary
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulty with communication, social interaction and intellectual disability. The cause is generally not known although most cases have a genetic basis involving multiple genes and possibly environmental factors. We will study families of children with ASD and carefully characterize features related to ASD in family members. This will help us to understand how ASD is inherited and serve as the basis for the discovery of autism genes.
Improving Health Outcomes In Atrial Fibrillation Via Optimal Management
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Atrial fibrillation (AF; the most common irregular heart beat seen in medical practice) is becoming increasingly more common, costly and deadly in Australia and worldwide, particularly due to population ageing. The goal of this research is to develop 3 patient assessment tools focussing specifically on AF and improving a patient’s ability to care for themself. Overall, the goal is to make patient care more AF focussed and individual and more likely to result in better long-term health benefits.
Cognitive Outcome And Therapeutic Interventions For Coronary Artery Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,104.00
Summary
Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may incre ....Dementia is recognized as an increasingly important factor affecting quality of life as people age. Deaths from heart disease are declining, in part due to improved surgical techniques and to the use of less invasive methods to keep arteries open such as coronary stenting. It is now well known that 20 to 60% of patients experience some degree of impairment in thinking ability (cognitive impairment) after cardiac surgery, that this will persist in some of these individuals for years and may increase the risk of long-term problems. Cognitive impairment affects people in many ways. While it is not yet known whether the occurrence of cognitive impairment predisposes to dementia, it is thought that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) may do so. We propose to explore the link between MCI and Post Procedural Cognitive Deficit (PPCD) in patients with coronary disease from before the first point of objective diagnosis, i.e. prior to the coronary angiogram, and over a 12-month period, through and subsequent to further treatment interventions such as stenting or cardiac surgery. Our Pilot data suggest that PPCD does indeed occur after angiography, and we propose to identify how long this lasts, whether MCI predisposes to it and whether it is better to wait until it resolves before further interventions are undertaken. In this way we hope to identify the safest treatment strategy for patients with coronary disease that will minimize the occurrence of Cognitive Deficit and possibly longer-term cognitive changes after investigation and treatment for their symptoms.Read moreRead less
Cellular Mechanisms Controlling Neural Crest Cell Migration Along The Developing Gut
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,895.00
Summary
Within the wall of the gut, there are a large number of neurons, probably more than are in the spinal cord. These enteric neurons play an essential role in controlling a number of gut functions including peristalsis (the propulsion of contents along the gut). Most of the neurons in the gut, including those in the large intestine, arise from precursors that emigrate from the hindbrain, and then migrate into and along the gastrointestinal tract during development. The colonization of the gut by ne ....Within the wall of the gut, there are a large number of neurons, probably more than are in the spinal cord. These enteric neurons play an essential role in controlling a number of gut functions including peristalsis (the propulsion of contents along the gut). Most of the neurons in the gut, including those in the large intestine, arise from precursors that emigrate from the hindbrain, and then migrate into and along the gastrointestinal tract during development. The colonization of the gut by neuron precursors takes 5 days in mice and 6 weeks in humans. Studies of the mechanisms controlling the migration of neuron precursors along the gut have provided fundamental information about cell migration in general. Genetic studies in humans and mice have identified some of the genes that are necessary for the migration of neuron precursors along the gastrointestinal tract, but for some of the key genes, their precise role is unknown. We have recently developed a method for imaging living neuron precursors migrating through explants of embryonic mouse gut. In the current proposal we will meld imaging and genetic studies to understand how mutations in particular genes lead to migration defects. In particular, how do particular mutations affect the migratory behaviour of enteric neural precursors? We have also previously shown that neuron precursors migrate along the gut in close association with axons. We will examine the nature of these interactions - in particular, who is following whom, and what happens when cell migration and axon growth are uncoupled? These studies, which will investigate a number of critical aspects of the migration of neural precursors into and along the developing gut, are central to understanding how the enteric nervous system is established along the gastrointestinal tract.Read moreRead less
Genetic And Functional Analysis Of Brain Malformations
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$105,327.00
Summary
Disorders of early brain development are recognised as a significant cause of illness and disability in children. Unfortunately, the causes of these conditions are poorly understood, and treatment options are limited. It has become apparent that many of these conditions have an underlying genetic basis. This project will identify genes that regulate brain development and aid the development of improved treatment programs for brain and mind disorders.