DoctorRebecca St George

Project Total: $38,420; Isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and provides a golden opportunity to detect and monitor the early signs and progression of PD decades earlier, when there is a much higher chance of interventions slowing, or stopping, progression. This project will use precision tracking tools to monitor changes in motor, cognitive and sensory function over time to improve community-based monitoring of the trajectory of iRBD to overt PD symptoms. Funded by: The MPST Foundation Ltd - Grant-Medical Protection Society of Tasmania Foundation Grant ($38,419); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $100,000; Background: When decisions about where and when to step become challenging, stepping speed declines. Slower stepping is prevalent in older adults and is associated with an increased fall risk. Despite considerable research on occupational strategies and exercise interventions, falls are still a common occurrence for older Australians, with 30-50% of people over 65 falling each year. Falls not only have devastating consequences for the individual, but pose significant economic, health and social costs. In Australia, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths, surpassing suicide and transportation-related injuries and an estimated $4.3 billion is spent on treating injuries due to falls each year. A fundamental understanding of the neural mechanisms underpinning the ability to adapt gait quickly in response to changes in the environment is critical to reduce the rate of falls and enhance the quality of life of Australians. Purpose and Aims: This project aims to advance our understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning rapid stepping decisions and gait control in dynamic environments. Specifically, we will apply computational modelling techniques, such as hierarchical diffusion models, previously used to study upper limb response inhibition, to stepping and postural tasks. By examining full distributions of response times and accuracy in step selection and inhibitory control tasks, we can uncover the contributions of cognitive processes such as attention, response caution, sensory encoding, and inhibition. These findings will support the development of better assessment tools and targeted interventions to reduce falls in at-risk populations. The key outcome will be the publication of proof-of-concept papers demonstrating the novel application of these models to postural and gait-based decision-making tasks. Funded by: Neuroscience Research Australia - Donation ($99,979); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $22,943; Dementia is the leading cause of death in Australian women. Intervention and treatment when provided in early dementia can improve the disease trajectory and prolong quality of life. However, early symptoms can vary, posing substantial challenges for clinicians. Symptoms are believed to result from neurological breakdown. This project investigates neuroanatomical differences in previously-collected MRI scans of a large group of Tasmanians either with, or at risk of, dementia, By identifying MRI biomarkers and linking them to specific clinical behaviours or symptoms, the project will optimise MRI scanning and analysis techniques to inform earlier diagnosis and more accurate dementia risk stratification. Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Project ($22,943); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,936; You may have noticed that when driving and encountering a crosswalk, the time it takes from seeing the crosswalk to braking and stopping the car can prevent many dangerous accidents. Recent research has identified differences in reaction times between people with Alzheimers disease and those with normal cognition. We will investigate specific features of reaction time and their relationship to a validated blood biomarker of dementia risk. These findings could lead to the development of a new clinical tool and open new opportunities for dementia prevention. Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Project ($24,936); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $49,998; Parkinsons disease (PD) is the fastest growing neurological disorder in the world, with a doubling of prevalence in the last 20 years. Unfortunately, PD is vastly under-diagnosed as the early signs such as slowed movements and tremor are often attributed to old age or essential tremor. There are no objective tests to confirm PD and diagnosis relies on clinical acumen. The variability of human visual judgement contributes to mis-diagnosis rates of 25%, as well as imprecise monitoring of response to interventions. This means that undiagnosed people with PD (pwPD) miss out on treatments that reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. There is urgent need to develop new tools to improve early and accurate detection of pwPD - to provide therapies sooner, increase recruitment to clinical trials and improve the lives of many Tasmanians. This project aims to develop a new computer test, Tasmanian Test for PD (TT-PD) that can assist clinicians in detecting early-stage PD, and also help pwPD to monitor change, and response to interventions remotely from home. Funded by: The MPST Foundation Ltd - Grant ($49,998); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,880; Physically acting out your dreams is a very early symptom of Parkinson's Disease (PD). This project will investigate the cognitive-motor function of people with this sleep disorder compared to healthy controls and those with PD, to develop a simple test that detects PD >20 years earlier than we do now. Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Project ($24,880); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $26,583; Parkinsons Disease (PD) is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world and second most common after dementia. It is a debilitating condition with no cure. Research is crucial for developing new therapies to reduce symptoms and improve care. However, there is no simple way for people with PD to volunteer for studies or have a voice in setting research priorities. Delays in finding participants severely hinders researchers too resulting in studies taking longer to deliver, heightened costs and diminished effectiveness. A register of research-interested people with PD and an annual survey highlighting gaps in care and patient outcomes would help to solve this problem. The aim of this study is to design and implement a PD research-register and annual survey of healthcare experiences and unmet needs, with people with PD and their care partners. Funded by: Donation via Menzies Institute for Medical Research - Donation ($26,583); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $1,006,412; Alzheimers disease (AD) and Parkinsons disease (PD) start damaging the brain 15-20 years before symptoms begin. At the time of diagnosis, AD and PD are hard to treat because the damage is so severe. We need a way to detect AD and PD much earlier. We will develop a simple new computer test to detect early signs of AD and PD by analysing face and eye movements. Then people can start prevention earlier and scientists can research better treatments to improve peoples quality of life. Funded by: National Health & Medical Research CouncilNational Health & Medical Research Council - Grant-Ideas ($2,012,824); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $24,966; Shaking up our approach to detecting dementia: using tremor analysis to develop a new pre-cognitive test of dementia risk Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant-Project ($24,966); University of Tasmania.