When you hear the word botox, you probably think of celebrities, the cosmetics industry and frozen foreheads, but botox is also used to treat a wide range of movement disorders. Continue reading
Don’t let botox go to your head…or should we?
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Author Archives: Ben Bravery
NeuRA Super Prof George Paxinos AO
NeuRA Super Prof George Paxinos has become a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens. The presentation was made in the ceremonial hall of the Academy, next to the University of Athens. Prof Paxinos is the second living Australian to receive the distinction, the first being the former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Continue reading
The NeuRA Magazine
The NeuRA Magazine is one of the key methods we use to communicate our research progress and keep people informed about NeuRA.
You can subscribe to the NeuRA Magazine here…..but be quick because the summer issue is being printed and will be distributed soon! Continue reading
Mapping the brain’s map of the hand
No two strokes are the same. How a person is affected by a stroke is dependent on a range of factors such as the type of stroke, the part of the brain damaged, and their health before the stroke.
Many stroke survivors have trouble manipulating and holding objects, and the way people hold and manipulate objects is something NeuRA’s Dr Ingvars Birznieks is an expert in. Dr Birznieks studies tactile receptors (features in our skin that respond to touch) in the fingers and the way the brain controls our hands. Continue reading
Cover material
NeuRA’s Dr Sharpley Hsieh was invited to author an article for Australasian Science on her PhD work on dementia, musical cognition and emotional processing. Australasian Science were so happy with the article they made it their cover story for the November issue! Continue reading
Public neuroscience
Neuroscience is nearly everywhere, and in places where it isn’t, it should be.
NeuRA is committed to communicating its research findings and the implications of these findings to a broad audience. We all have a brain and a nervous system collecting sensory input, controlling our breathing, beating our heart, coordinating our muscles, telling our face when to smile. Continue reading
How does having dementia affect everyday activities?
A NeuRA study recently investigated how different types of dementia affect the ability to perform everyday tasks. The focus was on progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA) and logopenic nonfluent aphasia (LPA) – two dementias that lead to similar problems in language (at least to the untrained ear, not so according to specific language tests). Under the microscope these dementias look very different: PNFA dementia is more closely linked to frontotemporal dementia, and LPA is more closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading
Researchers and the media
NeuRA’s Dr Bill Brooks was recently interviewed by Triple J’s Hack for a story on early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. I sat down with him after the program aired to discuss his experience, and science communication more broadly. Continue reading
Musical cognition: the demise of ‘left-brain right-brain’?
When looking at a human face we take it for granted that we can distinguish a happy face from a sad face and a scary face from a relaxed face. People with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias often exhibit deficits in this area, and while this is interesting from a cognitive perspective, it has real world implications for the families of people with these diseases. Continue reading
It’s time to blog
Blogs have become very popular mechanisms for the quick dissemination of information. A blog is a way for researchers to connect with the wider community – a community not reached by publishing in journals. The web has made informal communication a key resource. Continue reading