Blog: The Brain Dialogues, filtered by tag: Professor Perminder Sachdev AM

DR STEPHANIE WARD, Monash University and Visiting Fellow with UNSW Sydney School of Psychiatry For thousands of years the therapeutic effects of willow tree bark extract, salicyclic acid, have been well known. Refined and stabilised by Hofman in 1897, today aspirin is one of the most widely used medications. Aspirin reduces inflammation, and because it also has an effect on blood clotting it is a mainstay of treatment for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke, and for the prevention of recurrent stroke and heart attacks in people whom have already experienced these -  what… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au With dementia estimated to cost Australia more than $14 billion in 2017, a number of Sydney’s senior executives attended ARIA Restaurant Sydney’s annual charity luncheon on 16 June to support The Dementia Momentum® initiative of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). The event, held for the fourth consecutive year, aims to drive philanthropic support from the corporate community toward vital research at CHeBA to change the future of dementia incidence. Ita Buttrose AO OBE, Patron of CHeBA’s Maintain Your Brain Study, was MC for the event which… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au CHeBA Co-Directors Professors Henry Brodaty and Perminder Sachdev showcased CHeBA’s Maintain Your Brain trial at the 2017 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) held in London during 16-20 July. Two presentations about Maintain Your Brain were included in a session examining internet-based interventions to prevent cognitive decline, co-chaired by Professor Brodaty and Dr Edo Richard, Radboud University, Amsterdam. Maintain Your Brain is the world’s largest clinical trial for people aged 55-75 testing online tools designed to reduce… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au MELISSA CHUNGUE On 2 February 2017, dedicated athletes from 5 prestigious gyms across Sydney will go head to head in a gym tournament in an effort to fundraise for The Dementia Momentum® initiative at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). ALL I SEA will be hosting the fitness challenge which will see team members from 98 Riley St Gym, Complete Strength and Performance, Definition Fitness, Flow Athletic and Women of Treign go head to head in what is expected to be a fiercely competitive relay. Co-founded by 4 time-Olympic Gold Medallist Leisel… Read More

PROFESSOR PERMINDER SACHDEV, MD, PhD This article was originally published on 30 September 2016 in The Conversation.     The brain is key to our existence, but there’s a long way to go before neuroscience can truly capture its staggering capacity. For now though, our Brain Control series explores what we do know about the brain’s command of six central functions: language, mood, memory, vision, motor skills and personality and what happens when things go wrong. Personality is a broad term describing how people habitually relate to the world and their inner self. After the developmental… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au KATE CROSBIE The 22nd Meeting of the International Consortium for Cententarian (ICC) Studies held from June 15-19 in Portugal gave CHeBA researchers the opportunity to meet with collaborators and gain expert input on the progress of ICC-Dementia. Formed in 2012 and led by CHeBA (the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing), ICC-Dementia brings together international studies to apply standard diagnostic criteria for dementia in centenarian cohorts. This ‘big data’ approach will also allow the group to identify common risk and protective factors and biomarkers… Read More

KATE CROSBIE and HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Aged 86, Graham Gates is CHeBA’s oldest participant in the 2016 City2Surf and a sensational example of positive ageing. Graham is a staunch supporter of the Centre’s research into age-related cognitive decline, walking with Team CHeBA since 2013. “I am very conscious about the importance of staying physically, mentally and socially active to help reduce my risk of developing dementia. I’m pleased that I can raise funds to support CHeBA’s research into greater insights for positive ageing,” said Graham. Walking with Team CHeBA… Read More

KATE CROSBIE and HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Losing a loved one in your family to Alzheimer’s disease is painful and for Susan Coorey, member of Team CHeBA since 2015, the impact is manifold. Susan lost her grandmother to Alzheimer’s disease in 1992 and in January this year she said goodbye to her Aunt Rita as a result of Alzheimer’s disease.  Her beloved Mother also has the condition. “Alzheimer’s disease is very traumatic, not just for the person diagnosed but also for those around them. Our family has been affected multiple times and it really emphasises the need for greater… Read More

HEIDI DOUGLASS | h.douglass@unsw.edu.au Positive ageing representative, Mr Col Blake, will be running his 43rd City2Surf this year (having missed the first 2 events) and since 2013 has been generously supporting CHeBA in his extraordinary commitment to the annual event.  The 14km hilly run is considered not just Sydney’s favourite sporting event, but the world’s largest fun run boasting more than 80,000 participants in recent years.  Since the very first run on 5 September 1971, Col has gone from completing the event in an enviable 57 minutes, to winning the family category with his sons… Read More

This article was originally published in the The Conversation on 28 July 2016 Anyone who has ever visited a doctor’s office is familiar with the use of blood tests for the diagnosis of various diseases. Because blood comes in contact with all organs of the body, it carries markers of the health of these organs. It is an easily accessible body fluid, can be drawn repeatedly to follow the progress of a disease and, in most cases, blood tests are relatively inexpensive. It is therefore not surprising news that a possible blood test for dementia, in particular Alzheimer’s disease, gets much… Read More