2004 Grant Recipients

The Brain Foundation awarded the following research grants in November 2004. They were presented in the Darling Park Tower, Darling Harbour, Sydney at a special function sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Research into Parkinson’s Disease

• Chief Investigator: Professor Tony Broe, Senior Scientist, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute                                                                                                                                                Research: The role of the pre-supplementary motor area in age related gait slowing: a functional MRI study
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Ross Cunnington, Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne
  Co-Investigator: Professor Robert Iansek, Geriatric Neurology Service, Kingston Centre, Cheltenham, Victoria
  Research: The neural control of movement with attention to action in Parkinson’s disease
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Andrew Gundlach, Howard Florey Institute, University of Melbourne
  Co-Investigator: Dr. Jasmine Henderson, Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney
  Research: Insulin/relaxin family peptide-LGR8 receptor systems in the function/survival of key thalamic nuclei damaged in Parkinson’s disease
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Linda Lee, Research Officer, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Co-Investigator: Dr Kay Double, RD Wright Fellow, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Research: Variability in isoform expression patterns of tyrosine hydroxylase in Parkinson’s disease
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Qiao-Xin Li, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
  Co-Investigators: Dr. Janetta Culvenor, Dr. Su San Mok and Professor Colin Masters, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
  Research: Investigating a diagnostic marker for Parkinson’s disease – a(alpha)-synuclein and/or associated protein DJ-I or parkin?
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Carolyn Sue, Director of Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, Royal North Shore Hospital
  Co-Investigator: Dr. Victor SC Fung, Director, Movement Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Westmead Hospital
  Research: Characterisation of a novel neural model of Parkinson’s disease
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Anthony White, NHMRC RD Wright Fellow, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
  Co-Investigator: Dr. Michael Abdo B.Sc. Ph.D., CSIRO
  Research: Development of a protein-based diagnostic assay for the detection of asymptomatic Parkinson’s disease

Research into Brain Tumour

• Chief Investigator:  Dr. Christine Hawkins, Children’s Cancer Centre, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal children’s Hospital, VIC
  Co-Investigator: Dr. Matthew Burton
  Research: Characterising the tumourigenicity of brain tumour “stem cells” and their sensitivities to anti-cancer agents

Research into Epilepsy

Chief Investigator:  Associate Professor Annie Bye, Senior Staff Specialist, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, NSW
Co-Investigators: Dr. Andrew Bleasel, Senior Neurologist, Westmead Hospital; Dr. John Lawson, Paediatric Neurologist, Sydney Children’s Hospital; Mark Sabaz, Clinical Neuropsychologist, Liverpool Hospital; Jenny McIntyre, Paediatric Speech Pathologist, Sydney Children’s Hospital; Jane Christie, Paediatric Speech Pathologist, Sydney Children’s Hospital
Research: To complete a longitudinal study that will provide guidelines regarding the ideal neurophysiological and cognitive assessment in BRE

Research into Migraine

• Chief Investigator: Professor Lyn Griffiths, Director, Genomics Research Centre, School of Health Science, Griffith University
  Co-Investigators: Rod Lea, Research Fellow, Genomics Research Centre, Griffith University; Associate Professor Dr. John Macmillan, Clinical Genetecist, QLA Clinical Genetics Service
  Research: The role of the estrogen receptor gene in migraine
• Chief Investigators: Dr. G. A. Lambert and Dr. A. S. Zagami, Department of Neurology, University of NSW, Prince of Wales Hospital
  Research: To investigate the way painful sensations of migraine might be initiated from the brain

Research into Facial Pain

• Chief Investigator: Dr. Mark Connor, Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney at Royal North Shore Hospital
  Co-Investigators: Dr. Michelle Gerke, Ph D, Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney at Royal North Shore Hospital
  Research: In Vitro determination of the functional properties of primary afferent neurons innervating the temporomandibular joint

Research into Stroke

• Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Jillian Kril, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, University of Sydney
  Co-Investigators: Vanessa Young, PhD candidate, University of Sydney; Professor Glenda Halliday, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Research: The neuropathology of white matter hyperintensities
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Velandai Srikanth, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Epidemiology, Menzies Centre, Royal Hobart Hospital
  Research: A population-based study of the relation between sub-clinical cerebrovascular disease and brain function in older Tasmanians

Research into Spinal Cord Injury

• Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Marcus Stoodley, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Research: Cerebrospinal fluid flow in post-traumatic syringomyelia

Research into Epilepsy/Stroke

• Chief Investigator: Dr. Suncica Sunny Lah, Ph.D., School of Psychology, University of Sydney
  Co-Investigator: Dr. Laurie Miller, Ph.D., Neuropsychology Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
  Research: Autobiographical memory in patients with temporal lobe lesions: The role of chronicity and site of lesion.
• Chief Investigator: Dr. Matthew Kiernan, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute & Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital
  Research: Cortical hyperexcitability in motor neurone disease