Download Movement Disorders and Ageing Theme

Movement Disorders and Ageing Theme
Theme Leader: Nellie Georgiou‐Karistianis
Theme Members: Julie Stout, Daniel O'Connor, Phyllis Chua, Audrey McKinlay, Matt Mundy, Joanne Fielding, Kim Cornish, Izelle Labuschagne, John Bradshaw, Tanya Davison
Problem
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Millions world‐wide suffer from debilitating movement disorders; not withstanding the fact that our population is getting older. •
People with movement disorders suffer significant motor, cognitive and psychiatric deficits. Many lose autonomy and self‐worth and are often housed in nursing homes.
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Significant burden on carers, some of whom are young teenage children of a parent with a chronic movement disorder with an onset in mid life. •
Some movement disorders are inherited whereas others strike at unpredictable times during the life cycle. •
Although support exists it needs to be informed by rigorous clinical and experimental research outcomes if we are to increase the quality of life. What do we do?
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Strengths in neurology, psychiatry, genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and experimental neuropsychology to characterize brain‐behaviour relationships
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Huntington’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Friedreich ataxia
FXTAS (Fragile X‐associated tremor/ataxia syndrome)
Alzheimer’s disease and other associated dementias
Healthy Ageing
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Cutting‐edge clinical and experimental approaches to explore linkages between brain mechanisms and cognitive/motor signatures in these movement disorders •
We study mental health in older people in nursing homes; non‐pharmacological treatments of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and brain stimulation therapies
Our Approaches
• State‐of‐the‐art neuroimaging technologies (e.g., MRI, EEG, TMS); neuromotor (e.g., eye‐tracker, gait‐
mat) and neurocognitive assessments, including driving simulation; genetic analysis to study variability of disease onset and progression; epidemiological surveys and clinical trials.
Our Mission
• To bridge the gap between neurogenetics, brain imaging and behaviour and increase knowledge about disease; • Understand the underlying mechanisms for syndrome heterogeneity; • Discover sensitive biomarkers to be used in clinical trials; • Improve current treatments by translating research findings directly into the clinic/home for improved health outcomes.