Find out more about the ageing brain and dementia: Video of this year's public lecture

See the video of this year's public lecture by Prof Srikanth
on dementia and the ageing brain: Youtube 58:28mins

Central Clinical School (CCS), Monash University's annual public lecture in 2022 was presented by Professor Velandai Srikanth, Director of the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, Director of Research, Peninsula Health and Professor of Medicine at CCS. 

Professor Srikanth explores why the brain ages and what causes dementia. Importantly, he asks, what can we do about it? 

The video of the presentation is now published:

Fixing Australia’s home-based aged care system

Lens article featuring Professor Velandai Srikanth, Peninsula Clinical School, Director, National Centre for Healthy Ageing

We know the system of home-based aged care isn’t working well – it lacks integration, is mostly labour-driven and susceptible to workforce challenges, and uses limited technology that could benefit older people and the staff working to help them.

See full article on the Lens site.

Sex and ageing; it's complicated!

Women and men age differently, and the

interplay of factors is complex

by Anne Crawford

It's well known that women tend to live longer than men. But how does their sex affect the way women and men age?

Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc) researchers were invited to review the evidence on this for a chapter in a recently published book about ageing produced by Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

Brains of people with diabetes have to work harder

Professor Velandai Srikanth is a clinician-
researcher based at Frankston Hospital in 
the south of Melbourne

by Anne Crawford

It was exactly the sort of investigation – and findings – that excites Professor Velandai Srikanth: Twenty-two sets of twins, all aged about sixty, controlled for factors including age, sex, genes and early shared environment. One twin in each pair had type 2 diabetes.

Comprehensive measures of brain structure and function were obtained. The twins in the study, funded by the Diabetes Australia Research Trust, showed no difference in brain volumes and ultimately performed the same in standard tests of cognitive function. But when it came to testing memory during a functional MRI, it became evident that the diabetic twin’s brain was much working harder, needing to recruit more areas to do the task.

Protecting the elderly with vaccines

The elderly are vulnerable to infection, and vaccines can help.
Image: www.newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

Monash immunologists describe the global health challenge for an ageing demographic, and how developing better vaccines might help.

The world's population is ageing, posing a significant health burden on both the developed and less well-developed nations of the world. Maintaining a healthy aging population is now a major public health priority, and vaccination is an ideal means by which to do this.

Participants sought: Research project on brain stimulation. aging and cognition

Participants are sought by the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre (MAPrc) for a research project using brain stimulation to enhance cognitive performance and neural plasticity.

You may be eligible for this study conducted at the MAPrc if you:

• are aged 56 to 80 years
• have experienced a decline in memory OR 
• have been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment