Dementia & Neuro Mental Health Research Unit
The Dementia and Neuro Mental Health Research Unit, led by Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka, facilitates clinical research programs in neurodegenerative conditions, particularly dementia in all forms and Parkinson's disease.
Our vision
To find novel solutions to improve diagnosis, treatment and care, enhancing quality of life for both individuals afflicted by neurodegenerative conditions, and their families, and reducing economic and societal burden.
Our mission
To improve clinical practice by rapidly translating evidence- based diagnostic and therapeutic interventions into real world settings.
Our strategic framework is supported by established partnerships with national and international public and private health care providers, residential aged care industry, software industry, and community and philanthropic organisations.
Our research is guided by an established Consumer and Community Involvement Group.
Research themes
- Clinical Trials: Cutting-edge pharmacological and non-pharmacological clinical trials to discover new treatment.
- Neuroimaging: State-of-the-art neuroimaging (e.g. MRI, EEG, PET) to guide therapeutic outcomes.
- Technology: Technological innovations (e.g. virtual reality, artificial intelligence, telehealth) supported by tailored digital platforms and mobile applications to improve diagnosis and enhance remote delivery of interventions for wider outreach.
- Implementation Science: Knowledge transfer, best education practice and implementation into health services and aged care delivery models, and research commercialisation.
Who can participate in our research?
- People living with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners
- People living with Dementias of any type and their care partners
- People living with Mild cognitive impairment
- Residents in aged care, their families, and aged care staff
- Healthy older persons.
Our specialties
- Behaviours of concern and psychological symptoms in dementia
- Neuropsychiatric manifestations in Parkinson’s disease
- Remote psychotherapy interventions for anxiety and depression
- Management of delirium in hospitals
- Development and validation of neuropsychological tools
- Interventions and benchmarking tools for aged care
Our collaborative team
- Neuroscientists (cognitive neurosciences and signal processing experts)
- Digital Health Experts (information technology, data science, and software engineering)
- Medical Officers (Neurologists, Psychiatrists, and Geriatricians)
- Allied Health Professionals (Clinical Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, Speech Pathologists, Physiotherapists, Nurses and Occupational therapists)
- Implementation Scientists
- Health Economists
- People with lived experiences
Group leader
Staff
- Tiffany Au
Postdoctoral researchers
Affiliate staff
- Dr Peter Worthy
- Dr Rachel Brimelow
- Dr Syed Afroz Keramat
- Associate Professor Arnold Bakker
Students
- Dr Eamonn Eeles, PhD student
- Miss Kimberley Welsh, PhD student
- Mr James King, PhD student
- Mr Tomas Piccinini, PhD student
- Cherry Cheung, Masters student
Enhancing utility of neuropsychological evaluation for earlier and effective diagnosis of dementia in Parkinson’s disease (PDCogniCare)
Technology Assisted and Remotely Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Intervention for Anxiety in People living with Cognitive Impairment: Randomised Controlled Trial
Designing and developing technology to remotely deliver psychotherapy for anxiety to people living with cognitive impairment
TRIP Clinical Trial: Uncovering a Novel Therapeutic Target to Reduce Dementia Risk in Parkinson’s disease
Psychotherapy via telehealth video-conferencing to treat anxiety
Mental Health Evaluation in Aged Care (MHICare)
Improving diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease (IDATA-PD)
This project aims to advance knowledge in the phenomelogy of anxiety, develop a new inventory to evaluate Parkinson’s disease specific anxiety, and maximise treatment of anxiety for persons living with Parkinson’s disease.
Prevalence and characteristics of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease
This cohort study examines the prevalence and characteristics of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease to identify subtypes, and the relationship between anxiety and cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. The study further examines the atypical forms of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease in collaboration with an international team from USA, France and Netherlands.
Parkinson’s disease specific anxiety inventory (PDSAI)
Patients with Parkinson’s disease can experience anxiety specifically related to the disease. Such disease specific anxiety can be related to motor and non-motor symptoms as well as complications of Parkinson’s disease medication such as dyskinesias or on/off effects. Our research has published disease specific anxiety symptoms. The newly developed Parkinson’s diseases Specific Anxiety Inventory (PDSAI) is currently undergoing validation studies in Australia, USA and France.
Technology assisted psychotherapy
We have developed interventions including virtual reality, wireless head mounted displays, telehealth video conferencing to deliver psychotherapy, and wearable devices (smart watches) for biofeedback. Testing of new psychotherapeutic packages in clinical trials are currently underway. Our studies include older persons with varying degrees of cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease patients and people living in residential aged care facilities.
Virtual reality assisted anxiety treatment for Parkinson’s disease and dementia (VRAPD)
There is a high prevalence on anxiety in persons with progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia. This program of research aims to develop a number of technology assisted and manualised psychotherapeutic packages to effectively treat anxiety in such vulnerable groups.
Media
Virtual reality frees the mind
Brain networks linked to emotion processing
This program of research aims to identifying underpinning neural mechanisms and develop novel emotional paradigms to identify markers to guide the response to therapeutic interventions. We use various neuroimaging methodology such as EEG, and fMRI. Our studies also focus on understanding the link between emotional and cognitive processing. Persons with anxiety and depression are at risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease later in life. Our studies examine the neurobiology of anxiety and depression that increase vulnerability to neurodegeneration.
Brain networks linked to cognitive impairment
Using structural and functional imaging, our studies focus on identifying brain networks associated with various cognitive processes. We conduct resting state and task dependent fMRI studies. Our goal is to establish markers for early detection of dementia and to assist with discovery of therapeutics. Our studies target the discovery of impaired neural networks at early stages, and include persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), who are at risk of developing dementia.
Resting state functional networks
Attentional network
Attention Network Test (ANT) is employed to identify impaired attentional networks in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Parkinson’s disease. The study focuses on three types of attention: (i) alerting (ii) orienting, and (iii) executive, and maps neural networks altered in MCI.
Semantic processors
Semantic fluency and phonemic fluency paradigms are employed to investigate impaired networks at early stages for cognitive impairment.
Memory and hippocampal subregions
Episodic memory impairment is examined in Parkinson’s disease patients using a specialised paradigm to identify hippocampal subregions.
Brain imaging to guide discovery of therapies and drug repurposing
We use established cognitive and emotional paradigms to maximise treatment for anxiety and cognitive impairment.
Imaging and anxiety treatment
Precision medicine targeted framework is used to maximise anxiety treatment outcomes for older persons and those with neurodegenerative disease. Established anxiety paradigms guided with neuroimaging and biofeedback are used to identify potential responders and non-responders for person centred targeted psychotherapy interventions in clinical trials.
Repurposed drug trial for memory impairment
Guided by the hippocampal subregion activation observed in fMRI neuroimaging, this study trials repurposed drugs to reduce memory impairment. First trial will be conducted in persons with Parkinson’s disease.
Cognitive behavioral therapy to treat anxiety and depression in Parkinson’s disease
This project aims to design and implement cognitive behavioral therapy for Parkinson’s disease patients. A Waitlist controlled RCT was commenced in 2016.
Chief investigators: Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka, Professor Nancy Pachana, Dr Leander Mitchell, Professor Gerard Byrne, Associate Professor John O'Sullivan, Dr Rodney Marsh
Mindfulness for Parkinson’s disease
This project investigates the benefits of mindfulness group therapy to alleviate depression, anxiety, cognitive dysfunction and parkinsonism symptoms in Parkinson’s disease.
Chief investigators: Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka, Dr Paul Harnett, Professor Nancy Pachana, Farah Idu Jion (Doctorate in Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology student), Associate Professor John O’Sullivan, Dr Rodney Marsh, Professor Gerard Byrne
Striatal dopamine function in human cognition: Insights from language, learning and reward in Parkinson’s disease and pharmacological challenge
This study investigates the learning and language processing in Parkinson’s disease patients who have had deep brain stimulation (DBS) functional neurosurgical treatment.
Chief investigators: Dr Anthony Angwin, Professor Peter Silburn, Associate Professor David Copland, Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
Community involvement is a significant component of our research. We welcome persons living with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, their families, and residential aged care staff to become involved with our research program. This can include:
- Engaging with our research community advisory teams
- Getting directly involved with research protocol development
- Participating in community focus group discussions.
Our program is based in Brisbane, but through our expertise in telehealth the program is open to everyone, irrespective of where you live.
Contact us on 07 3346 5577 or n.dissanayaka@uq.edu.au.
Contact Nadeeka Dissanayaka (n.dissanayaka@uq.edu.au) to make a donation to our research.
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