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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Dr Justine Gatt is an NHMRC Research Fellow who has recently joined the NeuRA team. Her research focuses on understanding the flipside of mental illness: why some people are more resilient to stress than others. It is hoped that these characteristics can be promoted in people who may be less resilient. In Australia, nearly half of the population experience a […]
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As part of a new National Health and Medical Research Council Program Grant on motor impairment, Prof Rob Herbert aims to advance the transfer of new understanding of physiology and pathophysiology in motor impairment toward the clinical outcome of improved motor function. Motor impairment is a common consequence of a number of illnesses and injuries. One type of motor impairment […]
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Dr Nic Dzamko and Prof Glenda Halliday have put together an international team dedicated to researching the causes of Parkinson’s disease. They will be the first in the world to use valuable early clinical samples to identify the genetic and molecular underpinnings of this brain illness. Parkinson’s disease is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder with no current cure. It is estimated […]
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An early career researcher is an interesting creature – focussed, driven and often self-critical. Outgoing Chair of the Early Career Committee (ECC) at NeuRA, Kirsten Coupland, explains what it is like being a young scientist and the role the committee plays in supporting careers. Early career researchers are those working in science who have completed their PhD less than six […]
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Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, which affects around 330,000 Australians. In 2009 – 2010, the healthcare cost of dementia was over 4.9 billion dollars in Australia. Both of these figures are on the rise, given that our life expectancy is increasing. People living with Alzheimer’s disease experience a range of symptoms that include social withdrawal and […]
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Dr Dipesh Joshi received this year’s Leslie Kiloh paper award for his work into the understanding of schizophrenia. Since then, he has published new work linking problematic neurons to a genetic abnormality associated with schizophrenia. He explains how his work has created a greater understanding of this disease. Genes are a precious gift that every generation passes on to the […]
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How about becoming a healthy volunteer for research and helping us Discover ~ Conquer ~ Cure? Do you have spare time and want to make a difference to people’s lives? Perhaps you’re willing to give up your time and participate in studies right here in Randwick? I’m Connie Severino and my job at NeuRA is to maintain our healthy volunteer […]
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Exactly how does educating patients about pain lead to better outcomes? PhD student at NeuRA, Hopin Lee, is seeking to answer that question. Most of us know, through personal experience or having heard about someone else’s experience, that back pain can be troublesome. For many it’s just a niggle that can be kept under control with simple analgesics and a […]
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Dr Muireann Irish uncovers the part of the brain that underpins social cognitive deficits in semantic dementia, further unraveling mysteries behind the disease. It may sound like the subject matter of a science fiction movie, but mind-reading is a process in which we regularly engage. On a daily basis, whenever we interact in social scenarios, we go beyond our own […]
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