Category Archives: medical research

Unravelling the link between chronic pain and mental health disorders

Chronic pain is a significant problem worldwide that results in enormous suffering and costs to affected individuals, their loved ones, and society. The experience of chronic pain is so much more than a sensation. Chronic pain impacts our emotions, cognition and social life. In Australia, an alarming 20 per cent of people with chronic pain have considered suicide.   NeuRA’s […]

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‘Silence’ helps the brain encode information

Neuroscientists at NeuRA and UNSW Sydney have shown that the brain may ignore input known as ‘chatter’ and instead use periods of silence to register information about its environment. The scientists have challenged the conventional wisdom that neural activity is the main driver of human perception.   Dr Ingvars Birznieks and Dr Richard Vickery have developed a novel method of […]

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New issue of NeuRA Magazine out now

The new issue of the NeuRA Magazine (#18) will arrive in people’s letterboxes this week, but if you haven’t yet signed up for it, or would prefer to read the digital version, you can go here. The issue explores in further detail the new study from Assoc Prof Olivier Piguet’s group, which has confirmed what many anecdotal stories had previously […]

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Like father… like son

Prof Rhoshel Lenroot is part of a large, multi-disciplinary team which seeks to improve the current treatments for children with conduct problems such as aggressive behaviours. Childhood conduct problems are the greatest risk factor for antisocial behaviour and violence, as well as later adult mental health issues. One of the most effective ways to treat early conduct problems is through […]

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Progressive research is offering new hope across all ages

The most important investment in our country, from both a social and economic perspective, is in the well-being of its citizens through health and medical research. Tackling the growing impact of mental illness is imperative, and given our ageing population, the neurodegenerative conditions mean that over 350,000 Australians are living with dementia. This requires a sustained and comprehensive commitment from […]

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Dementia prevalence in Indigenous Australians

Prof Tony Broe and Dr Kylie Radford talk about their research into dementia prevalence in Australia’s indigenous population. One of our recent studies has shown that dementia prevalence in Indigenous Australians, aged over 60, is three times higher than the overall Australian population. What is it that helps one person age successfully and cause another to develop age-related diseases like […]

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Anxiety and depression: protection through resilience

Dr Justine Gatt is a Group Leader at NeuRA. She runs a research program in risk and resilience in mental health. Her research focuses on understanding the predictors of anxiety and depression risk, as well as the factors that promote resilience and wellbeing. It is hoped that these characteristics can be promoted in people who may be less resilient. In […]

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Creating resilience protects the future mental health of our children

Improving resilience and how children feel about themselves and others may have an important knock-on effect for their future mental health, especially if they experience psychotic-like symptoms. In the first study of its kind, our group of researchers are investigating how schematic beliefs – that is, beliefs formed early in life and shaped by childhood experience – may be associated […]

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World Autism Awareness Day

The United Nations World Autism Awareness Day is 2ndApril. This year, the agenda is “Inclusion and Neurodiversity”, chosen to highlight the need to make sure individuals with autism are fully included in society, and recognized as members of the great diversity of humankind, with their own unique and important contributions. The notion of diversity brings up the question of how […]

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