Siobhan Fitzpatrick and Jim Nuzzo are testing methods that may have the potential to improve existing connections between motor neurons within the spinal cord in people with neurological injury. People who have experienced spinal cord injury or stroke often lose the ability to activate their muscles, as a result of damage to neural pathways involved in motor control. Siobhan and […]
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Researchers are working with motorcycle riders to tackle the increasing number of injuries from crashes. As motorcycles and scooters become increasingly popular forms of transport, the number of riders injured and killed in motorcycle crashes is also increasing. Dr Julie Brown and her team are looking for ways to help reduce the pain and suffering as well as the healthcare burden associated […]
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Why is it that if you keep an active mental life by playing complicated board games or learning a language, or if you keep physically fit, you are less likely to succumb to dementia? A/Prof John Kwok is addressing this question by looking at how lifestyle can alter the function of genes related to dementia. To do this, he is engaging with […]
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The effect underage drinking has on a developing brain is a question Prof Caroline Rae is seeking to answer. An alarming 19-23% of adolescents have binge-drunk in the last week, and this proportion is increasing in young females. 13% of all deaths in young Australians are a direct result of alcohol use, with alcohol use patterns in the young becoming […]
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HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is a major neurological complication in HIV-positive persons. It impairs cognitive activity, including memory, learning, attention, problem solving and decision making. Symptoms can vary from confusion to forgetfulness, behavioural changes, nerve pain and sometimes apathy. The widespread use of combined antiretroviral treatment has reduced the incidence of the most severe form of the disorder, HIV-associated dementia, […]
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