Blog: The Brain Dialogues

Cross-cultural differences, particularly in regard to older persons and their care, has produced diverse effects for dementia patients. Dr Ben Lam’s career experience abroad, particularly in Hong Kong, highlighted that cultures in which familial care of the elderly is the norm may have a positive effect on their social relationships and by extension their cognitive health. Working at CHeBA has given Dr Lam the opportunity to work alongside dementia clinicians and gain further insight into the day-to-day experience of patients affected by neurodegenerative disease.   How did you get into… Read More

Having worked with both extremes of the lifespan, childhood and old age, Min Yee highlights we are all not really that different. Although we age, human behaviours and interactions are very similar throughout our lifetimes. Deconstructing harmful terms such as ‘worried well’ and focusing on the importance of subjective cognitive complaints in predicting decline is what motivates her strong contributions to CHeBA’s CogSCAN Study.    How did you get into researching the ageing brain? I am originally from Singapore and studied a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Initially, I wanted to go into… Read More

Participants in CHeBA’s Sydney Centenarian Study represent a significant piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding successful ageing. Dr Jiyang Jiang hopes to utilise MRI imaging to account for differences in cognition found in healthy centenarians to develop early intervention targets for individuals at risk for cognitive decline. The wealth of hidden information found in MRI scans drew Dr Jiang to the field of neuroimaging.   How did you get into researching the ageing brain? Following my completion of a Bachelor of Engineering in China, I came to Australia to study a Master of… Read More

Providing individuals and policymakers with valid information regarding the impact social relationships have on successful ageing is the ultimate hope Dr Anne-Nicole Casey has for her research. There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that maintaining positive social relationships, particularly during challenging periods like the current global pandemic, can help to support cognitive and emotional well-being. According to Dr Casey it is our family and friends that sustain us; a sentiment that would resonate strongly with the community at this time and remains applicable despite physical… Read More

Dr Matt Paradise’s dual role as both clinician and researcher has developed his unique understanding of the dementia experience. More than ever, it is essential that practitioners have the best diagnostic tools and Dr Paradise intends to forge this reality.   How did you get into researching the ageing brain? While undertaking my psychiatric training, I took on a term in old age psychiatry. I worked with an inspirational Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, Professor Gill Livingston, who became my mentor. Following the clinical term, I was lucky enough to have a full-time research job with… Read More

Twin research provides important clues to understanding cognitive decline in older adults and assists in the development of public health intervention strategies. Dr Vibeke Catts, Study Coordinator of CHeBA’s Older Australian Twins Study hopes to identify genetic changes between twins to identify the biological pathways for diseases such as dementia. This particular longitudinal study has brought together geneticists and researchers in neurospsychiatry of the elderly to examine key issues in cognitive ageing and dementia.    How did you get into researching the ageing brain? My former… Read More

Changing the stereotypical narratives of ageing throughout the lifespan is what motivates Dr Katya Numbers, Coordinator of CHeBA’s Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (MAS). Though we cannot expect an entirely positive experience of ageing, the key is to hold more realistic views so that we can welcome and embrace growing older. Much of Dr Numbers’ work examines the discrepancy between subjective impressions of cognitive decline and objective measures of cognitive performance in older adults.   How did you get into researching the ageing brain? It has been somewhat of a long and strange… Read More

RHIAGH CLEARY & HEIDI DOUGLASS Human beings are by nature social beings, and socialising is important to maintain mental, emotional and physical health.  Socialisation has been shown to boost immunity and have health benefits such as reduced osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis and improved cognitive function and cardiovascular health. According to researchers at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), those who socialise regularly are more likely to live longer, healthier, and happier lives.  Rhiagh Cleary Our research also shows that the pattern in which you socialise can… Read More

Research Officer in CHeBA’s Genetics & Epigenomics Group, Naga Mutyala, completed her PhD in March 2020 which focused on evaluating a rodent model and novel treatments for glioblastoma, a grade IV brain cancer, using gene expression profiling.  Glioblastoma is the most lethal grade of brain cancer in adults and resultantly has very poor patient outcomes with a median survival rate of only 15 months. To improve treatment success further evaluation of alternative therapies is urgently required. Therefore, we examined the efficacy of an antipsychotic drug olanzapine as an alternative… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Photo credit Brendan Esposito, ABC   Along with 6,000 other Australians, 77-year-old Paddy Goldsmith is playing a vital role in changing the future of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias through her participation in the Maintain Your Brain research trial. Led by the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at UNSW Sydney, Maintain Your Brain is the world’s largest internet-based trial aimed at preventing dementia. My motivation to be involved in research came after losing two friends to dementia; one of whom was especially dear to me, says… Read More