$1.9 million for traumatic brain injury research
A University of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø study that will investigate the prediction of risk of long-term impairment and neurodegenerative disease development following traumatic brain injury has been awarded $1,987,160 from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund’s (MRFF).
Once thought of as an acute event, it is now recognised that traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to long-lasting disability in a subset of individuals, including persistent impairments in memory, decision making and motor function. In fact, over half of individuals still report significant impairment even at 14 years post-injury.Ìý
"The MRFF funding will allow us to shed light on the brain mechanisms that may help to determine long-term outcomes,"Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Head of the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory (CANDL)
Additionally, multiple studies have found a TBI is associated with significantly elevated risk of developing neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease, motor neurone disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
Of these, the strongest risk seems to be for the development of Parkinson's disease. A recent study reported that even mild TBI increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 56%, while moderate/severe TBI increases the risk by 83%.
Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Head