Brain & Mental Health

Ischaemic stroke, caused by blood clot blocking an artery to the brain, is a leading cause of death and disability. In around 10% of patients the stroke enlarges in the first 24-48 h (stroke-in-progression). Typically, these are people who arrive with mild or rapidly improving stroke symptoms, but most end up with long-term disability. There is no effective treatment, in part because for the last few decades we have been wrong about the cause for stroke progression, so have been trying to treat the wrong mechanism.

The 470,000 Australians living with stroke are at high risk of developing cognitive deficits and vascular dementia. There are currently no generally accepted therapeutic interventions for improving cognition post-stroke.

To support an Early Career Research Fellowship for 5 years, inclusive of a Research Support Grant, for an affiliated researcher of HMRI in the research area of stroke and intracranial pressure within the HMRI Research Program "Brain & Mental Health".

Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is clinically defined as a self-limiting neurological event with full functional recovery within 24 hours. However, new evidence indicates that as many as 68% of TIA sufferers show subtle, sustained cognitive impairment that can have direct consequences for daily living. Patient-reported symptoms, such as mental fatigue, anxiety/depression, and difficulty returning to work, point to specific impairment of cognitive control. 

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common non-traumatic neurological disorder that affects young adults.  MS is a chronic, life-long, disease which has no cure. A recent study from Newcastle describes a doubling of the incidence and prevalence of MS in the last 15 years. In patients with MS, the protective layer that coats the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord (called myelin) is damaged by the body’s own immune system. This damage hinders the ability of the nerve cells to transmit signals. MS is progressive, unpredictable and varies extensively between individuals, resulting in a broad spectrum of symptoms including physical, mental, and psychiatric problems depending on which areas of the brain or spinal cord are affected.

Family carers of people with dementia take on many complex, often physically and emotionally challenging tasks to support their family member with dementia. These can lead to significant levels of anxiety, depression and stress.

Stroke patients often find it difficult to do basic thinking, recall memories and solve life’s daily problem. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a touchscreen based assessment to objectively measure cognitive function.

"Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects learning, social participation and daily function across the lifespan. Approximately 35,000 school-aged Australian children live with ASD; 95% of these experience educational restrictions. ASD has no known cure, and its causes are poorly understood due to the variability in how the disorder emerges and presents. Further, available treatments are only moderately successful and are not effective for all children with ASD. Knowledge about what (intervention) is likely to work for whom is missing from the field.

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental illness that is debilitating to the individual and ranks among the top 10 causes of disability in developed countries worldwide.

The spinal cord is a key area in pain research as it is the first point in the central nervous system to receive pain signals and is also thought to be a key site for the establishment of chronic pain. In this region, there are many different types of nerve cells that receive pain signals. 

Sitting for long periods of time each day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Stroke survivors living at home spend 75% of their waking hours sitting down, which is much higher than healthy people of a similar age, making them at particularly high risk.

Neuropathic pain is a complex, chronic and debilitating pain that often accompanies diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, peripheral nerve injury and stroke. Our understanding of neuropathic pain is poor and as such is difficult to treat.

Dementia and cogitive decline are major concerns for our ageing population. Cholesterol is a promminent risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease. If a person has a particular form of the cholesterol carrying protein Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) their chances of developing Alzheimer's Disease rise 15 fold.

Cancer is an invasive, adaptive process that interacts and adapts to the microenvironment, subjugating the normal tissue around it to optimise growth and survival.

The Greaves Family Early Career Support grant will ensure Dr Andrew Gardner from the Brain and Mental Health can continue to grow his research program in Sports Concusion continue to propel him forward as a nationally and internationally recognised concussion researcher.

Myopia (short-sightedness) is at epidemic levels across the world: in parts of Asia over 90% of young people are afflicted and in Australia and the USA the prevalence has doubled in recent years1.

​There are currently more than 342,000 people living with dementia in Australia, and an estimated 1.2 million people caring for them.

It has recently been recognised that many stroke patients can experience what is known as ‘chronic phase decline” associated with gradual, but very significant, declines in both motor and cognitive function.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common non-traumatic neurological disorder that affects young adults.

The proposed travel will include both a visit to an institution and attendance at a conference. 

Funding will be used to conduct preliminary studies of the effects of increased brain pressure (intracranial pressure) on blood flow after stroke.

Ischaemic stroke, caused by blood clot blocking an artery to the brain, is a leading cause of death and disability.

This project aims to confirm or refute the predicted targets of the deregulated miRNA and determine the functional impact this has on cellular behaviour in the MS brain.

Short sightedness in children is rapidly rising as children spend more time doing “near work” activities such as mobile devices and less time outside.

With more than 1,700 new cases in Australia each week, Alzheimer’s Disease continues to be a huge burden on society, families and carers.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorder in Australia affecting up to 11% of children and adolescents according to the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being.

To our understanding this will be the first dedicated project assessing the levels of chronic stress using a reliable biometric procedure ever undertaken.

Ischaemic stroke, caused by blood clot blocking an artery to the brain, is a leading cause of death and disability. In around 10% of patients the stroke enlarges in the first 24-48 h (stroke-in-progression).

Pablo specialises in a cutting edge research field known as "Personalised Information Based Medicine".

Making use of gaming technologies to help young people suffering from depression and binge drinking

Mapping networks in the brain

Stroke is common in Australia and the number of people experiencing stroke will increase with the ageing population.

Myopic (short-sighted) eyes are too long for their optical power because of excessive growth.

Persistent exposure to stressful events can produce serious and lasting disturbances in cognitive function and mood state. 

The environmental enrichment project, ‘Altering the Rehabilitation Environment to Improve Stroke Survivor Activity (AREISSA): A Phase II Trial’

This funding was provided to fund the vanguard phase of two clinical trials in stroke: