Building a detailed picture of Friedreich Ataxia through global collaboration

The Monash led ENIGMA-Ataxia working group is collecting
and analysing data worldwide on Friedreich Ataxia

Friedreich Ataxia (FRDA) is a rare inherited disease affecting between 500-800 Australians. It is a neurological disorder causing damage in areas of the nervous system responsible for movement and sensation. It shows initially with abnormal, uncoordinated movements, and over time as the disease progresses, a whole constellation of problems emerges. 

Early diagnosis can help with managing the symptoms, allowing improved quality of life for people with the illness, but there is no cure.

FightMND grant for detection of waste build-up in the brain

A/Prof David Wright using Monash's preclinical MRI scanner
at the Alfred site

Congratulations to Associate Professor David Wright on his FightMND grant, "The Glymphatic System: A novel biomarker of disease severity in MND". The project will receive $249,502 over a two year period.

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) affects around 1 in 300 people. It has a rapid progression: one third of people with MND die within a year of diagnosis, and over half die within two years.

Imaging of brain tumours (gliomas) research supported by The Aftershock

Prof Meng Law (right) with a colleague. Image: The Aftershock

In 2019, The Aftershock committed to support research within the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University (CCS, Alfred Hospital) led by Professor Meng Law, Dr Jarrel Seah, Dr Andrew Dixon and Dr Jennifer Tang. 

The research aims to show the potential of using information from MRIs of patients with brain tumours (gliomas) for the prediction of characteristics and future growth with artificial intelligence. The current project aims to collect a large dataset of brain tumours on MRI with associated pathology results, and apply unsupervised deep learning techniques to improve the diagnosis and classification of gliomas and other brain tumours.

See The Aftershock full update.

Brain injury from concussion in young football players causes long-term damage

Study shows subtle abnormalities in young AFL football players' brains
six months after concussion injury.

Monash Neuroscience Trauma Group researchers have published the first study to report long-term physical damage to the brains of young adult Australian rules players, even six months after their most recent concussion, raising concerns about the long term neurological health of these players. 

See:

• Monash Medicine news story
• Cerebral Cortex paper 
• Monash Trauma Group
  

Powerful magnetic resonance imaging provides markers to assess MS damage

Dr Scott Kolbe, senior author on the paper analysing
the association between nerve damage and gait
impairment in MS patients.

Findings published in the journal, Brain Communications, have revealed that patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who had gait and lower limb motor control impairments also had corresponding axonal (parts of nerve cells) loss in major tracts in the brain which control sensing and movement response. 

Damage that occurs in MS (e.g. inflammation, demyelination and injury and loss of axons) results in upper and lower motor impairments in the majority of patients with symptoms including problems with balance and walking, muscle weakness and spasticity. These impairments have a considerable impact on their daily living and quality of life, in particular on their employment and study. 

Beating mouse heart captured by new 9.4T MRI

Cardiac cine acquired with the CCS's new state-of-the-art  9.4T MRI showing the four chambers of a live mouse heart as it beats. Cine such as these will be used in a new collaboration investigating cardiac disease headed by A/Prof Julie McMullen from the Cardiac Hypertrophy Laboratory at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. This CINE was acquired by Dr David Wright, Head of Preclinical Imaging in the Department of Neuroscience, and Dr Daniel Donner from the Preclinical Cardiology Microsurgery and Imaging Centre at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

How higher resolution images can pinpoint problems

Professor Meng Law

Healthcare providers around the world can unlock the power of precision medicine for better care and lower cost. Harvard Business Review Analytics Services (HBR) published a new whitepaper for executives and leaders in healthcare on how to expand precision medicine and scale it up to an organizational level. The paper profiles Professor Meng Law, who has recently joined the Department of Neuroscience.

Professor Law has been able to diagnose and treat people effectively using scans from a 7T MRI (The "T" stands for Tesla, a unit of measure for magnetic fields. Standard MRIs are either 1.5 or 3T.)

Reference: Expanding Precision Medicine: The path to higher-value care

How does MRI work? Neuroscientist Jerome Maller explains

Jerome Maller is a neuroscientist based at Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre, whose special area is using Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for brain imaging. In this video, he explains the physics and why the imaging technique is particularly useful for neuroscience.

Analyzing structural brain MRI scans - not easy but here's how

If you have spent hours going through long software manuals and endless forums trying to work out how to analyze structural MRI scans, you will appreciate a recently published ebook by Dr Jerome Maller, MAPrc. The ebook provides step-by-step instructions on how to use your data to achieve the output you require. The focus of the handbook is T1-weighted and Diffusion data acquisition and analysis.  See:

http://jeromemallershandbookofstructuralbrainmrianalysis.yolasite.com/