A$140,000 donation kicks off research for Visual Snow

Back row (L - R): Dr Ben Sinclair, Paige Foletta, Dr Scott Kolbe,
Front row (L - R): Dr Meaghan Clough, Professor Owen White,
Associate Professor Joanne Fielding, Emma Solly.

Thanks to a donation from the US-based non-profit Visual Snow Initiative (VSI), Monash University Department of Neuroscience researchers, Associate Professor Joanne Fielding and Professor  Owen White, will conduct Australia’s first  exploration of an emerging neurological syndrome called Visual Snow.

Many young people are affected by the hallmark symptom of constant and dynamic “snow” in the entire field of vision.  One minute you see the world clearly and in an instant, without warning, a life is changed forever. It can be a 24/7 battle because it never goes away with the eyes opened or closed. Others are born with the condition, and many don’t realize how abnormal their vision really is. A new dilemma can occur for those seeking a diagnosis or treatment. Eye tests almost always come back normal because Visual Snow is not an eye disorder but a brain malfunction.  Because Visual Snow manifests itself in the eyes, it often leaves both patients and physicians in limbo, uncertain of where to go next for a diagnosis. This also makes it difficult to estimate how many people are affected.

Symposium: Toward better detection and management of sports concussion

This symposium will discuss major results from an NHMRC funded project to determine whether current practice with regard to concussion detection and management in Australian Football would be augmented by the use of instrumented accelerometers. It's an opportunity to better detect and manage sports concussion, particularly at the junior and amateur level.

Speakers include Professor Biswadev Mitra, Professor Jeffery Rosenfeld, Dr Michael Makdissi, Professor Andrew McIntosh and Dr David Hughes.

Click here for event flyer.

When: Wednesday 13th February 2019, 12:30pm - 4:30pm
Where: A+ Lecture Theatre (formerly AMREP), 80 Commercial Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004
RSVP: annie.carter@monash.edu

Funding success for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Dr Caroline Gurvich

Dr Caroline Gurvich has been awarded $100,000 over two years from the Rebecca Cooper Foundation, a philanthropic body focussed on medical research in Australia.

Dr Gurvich, Deputy Director of the Women’s Mental Health Division and Head of the Cognitive Neurosciences Unit at MAPrc (Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre), will investigate how sex and stress hormones contribute to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Whilst cognitive impairment is common in schizophrenia patients, the symptoms are yet to be targeted by pharmacotherapy, mostly due to the lack of research. The study will investigate a novel approach to understanding and treating cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

Study sheds light on reason why children fare worse after brain injury

by Anne Crawford

Dr Bridgette Semple (standing) and Research Assistant
Larissa Dill

Growing research suggests that children may be more vulnerable to developing long-term cognitive and social behaviour problems after traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared to adults but the reasons why are unclear.

A study by Department of Neuroscience scientist Dr Bridgette Semple and colleagues has probed this under-researched area and points to biological mechanisms that might be responsible. The study, published in the Journal of Comparative Neurology, also suggests a potential treatment strategy.

The imperative to act on obesity

Source: OECD 2015. How we compare: Australia's obesity levels
The 10 OECD nations with the most overweight and obese people 

by Paul Zimmet
Dana McCauley makes a very important contribution with her analysis of the failure the Federal and State governments to act decisively on obesity ("While politicians refuse to act, Australia becomes more overweight", The Age,18/12/2019) despite numerous reports and strategies produced over the last few decades.

Concerted action is long overdue - the time to start for a positive impact on Australia’s current health was 20 years ago. In 2009, the Preventative Health Task Force of which I was a member, produced the report “Australia: The Healthiest Country by 2020”.

Photo of the week: CCLabs group

CCLabs group. Back row: Andrew Doherty (Electronics Engineer); Aquiles da Silva (Full Stack Web Developer); Chaminda Galagedara (Finance and Operations Manager); Amitesh Gaurav (Embedded Engineer).
Front row: Dr Chew Ling Linda Lau (Chief Scientific Officer/Laboratory Head); Dr Hon Weng Chong (CEO); Andy Kitchen (Head of AI (Artificial Intelligence)); Michela Benedetti (Software Engineer)

We welcome Dr Hon Weng Chong and his team from the start up Victoria biotechnology company, CCLabs, who have been embedded with our Department of Neuroscience from 8 October 2018 for an initial period of six months. CCLabs are developing innovative neuroinformatics technology (Biocomputing) based on neuronal cultures. The work that CClabs is doing is closely aligned with research developing in our Department of Neuroscience using electrophysiology of iPS derived neuronal stem cells and neuronal cultures and to better understand epileptogenic brain networks, and to screen for novel therapies. As the researchers from CClabs will be alongside our research groups, we anticipate mutual advantage from research, collaboration and infrastructure leverage opportunities that this will provide.

Please welcome Hong and his team to our Department and School. 

What's on at CCS 17-20 Dec 2018

Have a good holiday

This is the final week of Central Clinical School (CCS) operation before University close down on Friday 21 December 2018. So the main event for this week is that for University staff, the School is closed on Friday.

We wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year break. First day back from the close down is Wednesday 2 January 2019.