A Prospective Study Of Inflammatory Cytokines As Common Factors In The Aetiology Of Both Depression And Osteoporosis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$291,230.00
Summary
Both depression and osteoporosis are common, debilitating and expensive diseases and there is research to suggest that these conditions are related. This study will examine a potential common mechanism, inflammation, which may underlie both diseases. It will focus on circulating proteins which are associated with both depression and fragility fractures, and examine the role they play in both disorders.
ADHD Grown-up: Genetic And Environmental Determinants Of The Adult Outcomes Of Childhood ADHD And Comorbid Conditions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$289,542.00
Summary
ADHD remains a controversial issue especially in adulthood. There are many related behavioural problems including substance abuse, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. Australia is such a focus for twin research that many twin families have taken part in several studies of different aspects of mental health over the years. This grant allows us to link the various datasets to create a unique longitudinal genetic resource and to examine the longterm outcomes.
A Prospective Cohort Study Of Mortality, Abstinence, Criminality And Psychiatric Comorbidity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,500.00
Summary
Over 70 000 Australians are dependent on heroin. Heroin dependence is remarkably persistent and is, in many cases, a lifelong condition. Long term treatment outcome and abstinence from heroin among this group are poor. Mortality among heroin users is high, with heroin users dying at a rate 13 times that of peers. Despite the extent of the problem, the natural history of heroin users has not yet been studied in Australia. The current study will be the first Australian study of the natural history ....Over 70 000 Australians are dependent on heroin. Heroin dependence is remarkably persistent and is, in many cases, a lifelong condition. Long term treatment outcome and abstinence from heroin among this group are poor. Mortality among heroin users is high, with heroin users dying at a rate 13 times that of peers. Despite the extent of the problem, the natural history of heroin users has not yet been studied in Australia. The current study will be the first Australian study of the natural history of heroin users. The study will follow up a large cohort of heroin users over a three year period. Estimates will be obtained of mortality rates, abstinence rates, criminal careers, and psychiatric problems among heroin users. It will also examine factors that predict abstinence, mortality, criminality and levels of psychopathology, and determine the health costs associated with heroin use careers. The study will provide essential data on how heroin use progresses, and on what factors predict a better outcome for heroin users.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Pathology Of Muscarinic Receptor Deficit Schizophrenia: A Biochemically Defined Form Of The Disorder.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,804.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is a group of disorders with similar symptoms and no way of distinguishing the different disorders. In our brain collection 25% of the subjects with schizophrenia have a particular chemical deficit. Screening gene expression in people with schizophrenia, with and without this deficit will give a global picture of chemical differences between the groups. Understanding the differences between sub-groups of people with schizophrenia will aid the development of better drugs for them.
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
A Prospective Study Of The Psychiatric & Medical Characteristics Of Post-infective Fatigue & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
This project forms the central component of a larger set of studies which investigate competing psychiatric, immunological and infective models of the causes of a number of chronic fatigue syndromes, including post-infective fatigue. The study takes place in western NSW where certain viral illnesses (Glandular Fever, Ross River Virus) and a non-viral infection (QF) are common and have been associated with prolonged fatigue states. The study follows patients from laboratory-documented infections ....This project forms the central component of a larger set of studies which investigate competing psychiatric, immunological and infective models of the causes of a number of chronic fatigue syndromes, including post-infective fatigue. The study takes place in western NSW where certain viral illnesses (Glandular Fever, Ross River Virus) and a non-viral infection (QF) are common and have been associated with prolonged fatigue states. The study follows patients from laboratory-documented infections with appropriate infective, immunological and psychological measures throughout the course of their acute illness, the early recovery period and for the next 12 months. These patients are compared with people who present to their doctor with other forms of medically-unexplained fatigue. Very few previous studies have used an appropriate prospective design and followed patients with documented illness from the onset through to the development of specific forms of chronic fatigue. Further, the study is unique in terms of the range of viral and non-viral agents being investigated. It relies on the combined psychiatric, immunological and infective disease expertise of a group of researchers with an international reputation for the successful completion of such multidisciplinary projects. The initial phase of the study has demonstrated that the research team has the capacity to complete this project. Initial results have already demonstrated the potential roles of psychological and immunological factors in causing some cases of prolonged fatigue. Further, the initial results indicate that two key symptom sets (fatigue, psychological distress) can be adequately measured during the recovery phase and are predicted by differing psychological factors. The study will result in the identification of different psychiatric risk factors to chronic fatigue, assist development of clear diagnostic guidelines for post-infective fatigue and guide relevant aetiological and treatment research.Read moreRead less
Prevention, Early Detection And Effective Management Of Neurocognitive Disorders In The Elderly
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,547,975.00
Summary
The Program comprises a number of longitudinal studies of ageing individuals to develop methods of diagnosing dementia before symptoms become prominent. We are also examining factors that increase the risk of developing dementia. We wish to translate this research into early and better diagnosis, and the development of new treatments and strategies for dementia care. We expect that this research will make a major impact on health policy in Australia for cognitive disorders in the elderly.
Anti-Estrogens - A Potential Treatment For Bipolar Affective Disorder In Women?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$239,250.00
Summary
Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD) or Manic-Depressive Illness is a serious mental illness with high morbidity and mortality. The cause of the illness is still unclear and the underlying neurochemical changes are different for the manic phase compared with the depressive phase. The current treatments for BPAD are limited in scope and not biochemically well understood. There are gender differences in the presentation and outcomes for BPAD which adds to the complexity of the illness. We are proposi ....Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD) or Manic-Depressive Illness is a serious mental illness with high morbidity and mortality. The cause of the illness is still unclear and the underlying neurochemical changes are different for the manic phase compared with the depressive phase. The current treatments for BPAD are limited in scope and not biochemically well understood. There are gender differences in the presentation and outcomes for BPAD which adds to the complexity of the illness. We are proposing a study to develop a new type of treatment for the manic phase of BPAD and are exploring the use of anti-estrogens in women with mania. The background to our proposed study comes from a few case reports suggesting that anti-estrogen agents such as progesterone and tamoxifen may be useful adjuncts to treatment. We conducted a small pilot study comparing the addition of oral tamoxifen with oral progesterone and placebo in 10 women with mania and found that the women who received tamoxifen made significantly better improvements in their manic symptoms over a 28-day trial. The research study we are now proposing is a larger, three-arm, double blind, placebo controlled, 28-day adjunctive study in women with mania to expand and clarify our pilot study findings. Patients in our proposed study would receive either 40mg per day tamoxifen or 20mg per day progesterone or placebo in addition to standardised lithium medication. We will measure enzyme activity (protein kinase C) and estrogen-progesterone levels to understand more about the mechanisms of action by these new hormone treatments. BPAD is a crippling disorder and if we are successful, then tamoxifen treatment may be an important new treatment. This proposed study will also shed new light on some of the neurochemical mechanisms underlying BPAD as well as opening up the new area of hormone treatments for serious mental illness.Read moreRead less
High-Throughput Screening Of The Genome And Proteome In Postmortem CNS From Subjects With Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$553,190.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that effects ~1% of the Australia population. The underlying pathology of the illness remains unknown. This application seeks funding to use new technologies to screen approximately 60% of the expressed human genome and proteome to determine which genes are being differentially expressed in two regions thought to be important in generating the symptoms of the illness, the frontal cortex and hippocampus. This project will generate a large amount of d ....Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric illness that effects ~1% of the Australia population. The underlying pathology of the illness remains unknown. This application seeks funding to use new technologies to screen approximately 60% of the expressed human genome and proteome to determine which genes are being differentially expressed in two regions thought to be important in generating the symptoms of the illness, the frontal cortex and hippocampus. This project will generate a large amount of data, however by comparing the data from subjects with schizophrenia to that from control subjects and subjects with bipolar disorder who were psychotic and being treated with antipsychotic drugs close to death will allow us to identify changes that are specific to schizophrenia. Genes that are expressing different levels of mRNA and protein will become prime targets for future investigations as they are likely to be central to the pathology of the illness.Read moreRead less
A Double-blind Placebo Controlled Trial Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation In The Treatment Of Depression.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,775.00
Summary
Depression is a severe and often disabling illness that occurs frequently in the general population. Depression is a treatable illness and the majority of patients will respond to anti-depressant medication, a form of psychotherapy or a combination of these. However, a significant percentage of patients with depression fail to respond to these therapies and currently require electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This entails the complications and costs of multiple anaesthetics, memory impairment and ....Depression is a severe and often disabling illness that occurs frequently in the general population. Depression is a treatable illness and the majority of patients will respond to anti-depressant medication, a form of psychotherapy or a combination of these. However, a significant percentage of patients with depression fail to respond to these therapies and currently require electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This entails the complications and costs of multiple anaesthetics, memory impairment and substantial social stigma. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is being researched as a potential alternative for these patients. It is administered to patients who are awake and alert and appears to have fewer side effects. TMS uses the unique properties of a magnetic field to produce or disrupt electrical activity in superficial areas of the brain, targeted to the areas thought to be involved in the cause of depression. Our research study will compare the two most promising types of TMS with an inactive or placebo condition. This is important to establish that the effects of TMS arise from the actual stimulation and to investigate whether one of two types of TMS administered is superior. We will administer this treatment for between 2 and 4 weeks and assess the response. We anticipate that our research will contribute to the development of TMS as a treatment methodology for this important patient group. It is crucial that a new treatment be thoroughly evaluated prior to wide dissemination of it in clinical practice. We will help define the effectiveness of this treatment and the most appropriate way in which it can be administered.Read moreRead less