BMH awarded $3.8 million funding for Addiction and Mental Health research

The BMH team have been successful in obtaining significant NHMRC project grant funding, totalling more then $3.8 million over the coming years.

The following funded projects will commence in 2018 (click on the project for more information):

"Efficacy of a 3-month aerobic exercise regime for restoring 'brain health' in heavy cannabis users" led by Prof Murat Yücel.

"Cannabidiol may protect the brain against the harmful effects of marijuana" led by Prof Murat Yücel.

"A dimensional approach to mapping the risk mechanisms of mental illness" led by A/Prof Alex Fornito.

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Feature documentary: The Ethics of Neuroscience

A/Prof Adrian Carter features in this fascinating short documentary, examining the ethical questions and implications raised by our growing understanding of the human brain.

A Different Lens: The Ethics of Neuroscience

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Congratulations to A/Prof Alex Fornito - awarded prestigious Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowship!

Awarded by the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation

https://www.monash.edu/news/ar...

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Congratulations to A/Prof Alex Fornito - awarded the 2018 Gottschalk Medal!

Alex's outstanding contributions to science have been recognised in a prestigious award from the Australian Academy of Science

https://www.monash.edu/neuro-i...

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Prof Murat Yücel and A/Prof Fornito among world's top 1% most highly cited researchers!

Recognition for the BMH directors, with both being named on the 2017 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list

https://www.monash.edu/neuro-i...

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Congratulations to Dr Nigel Rogasch- awarded an ARC DECRA (Fellowship)!

Dr Nigel Rogasch has been awarded an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award ('DECRA')! With this support, he plans to investigate the links between the molecular mechanisms underlying brain plasticity and the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. He will use a novel approach that integrates genetics, electrophysiology and biological modelling.

"Brain stimulation can drive plasticity in humans, but these effects are extremely difficult to harness and vary widely between people," Dr. Rogasch said. "This fellowship will help to develop individually optimised brain stimulation protocols, enabling tailored, reliable approaches to address brain function and cognition."

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HOOKED ON GAMBLING: By Choice or By Design?

Can people make a self-endorsed decision to gamble that is free from the influence of gaming machine design and the gambling environment?

This exciting panel discussion was hosted by A/Prof Adrian Carter and moderated by broadcaster Jon Faine (774 ABC radio). The panellists were:

Rev Tim Costello AO: spokesperson for Alliance for Gambling Reform and Chief Advocate of World Vision Australia
Anna Bardsley: former poker machine gambler sharing her lived experience
Dr Charles Livingstone: Senior Lecturer and head of the Gambling and Social Determinants unit (Monash University, Australia)

Central to the debate was the question of how machine design influences gambling behaviour.

Mrs Bardsley shared her experience of an extensive and extended addiction to poker machines and how she barely recognised herself or her behaviour. “I was a person who had no sense of self worth anymore, I believed that I was a loser... I had no confidence left... I lost more than money in those places,” she said.

Dr Livingstone said that in Australia, people are presented with more gambling opportunities than any other country in the world. He explained how poker machines are designed in order to get people ‘into the zone’ to continue playing.

Discussion moved to how to shift community attitudes to gambling, and the push for governments and the gambling industry to be more accountable for the effects that poker machines have on individuals and the community. “'Gamble responsibly' is as stupid as saying 'use ice responsibly' or 'smoke responsibly',” Rev Costello said.

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An initial poll of the audience prior to the debate found that 60% held the belief that gambling is the result of gaming machine design, rather than personal choice. This increased to 78% in a poll taken after the discussion.

The evening opened with a performance from Three Sides of the Coin, capturing the personal stories of those affected by gambling. The event was an initiative of the David Winston Turner Endowment Fund and was part of Victorian Mental Health Week.

A video of the public event is available via BMH Lab's YouTube channel.

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Adrian Carter Murat Yücel Amy Allen Rebecca Segrave Rico Lee

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BMH 'Research Champions' take centre stage

BMH student and supervisor team Alison Cullen and Prof Murat Yücel recently featured in one of Monash University's 'Research Champions' promotional videos.

Alison's research project integrates virtual reality technology (developed in collaboration with sensiLab) with clinical neuropsychology practice.

Click here to watch the video now!

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Congratulations to Cassandra Thomson and Andrew Dawson - awarded conference travel grants!

Two BMH students have been awarded competitive travel grants to speak at the Herrenhausen Conference “Lost in the maze? Navigating evidence and ethics in translational neuroscience” in Hannover, Germany, next year. This Conference focuses on major scientific and ethical challenges of novel neurological interventions and how they can be overcome.

DPsych student Cassandra Thomson's will present her research project; a qualitative exploration of psychosocial outcomes for patients and family following Deep Brain Stimulation when applied in both an established (Parkinson's disease) and emerging (major depressive disorder) indication. PhD student Andrew Dawson's presentation will be 'Says who? Epistemic authority in neuroethical debates around gene modification for therapeutic purposes'.

Congratulations and good luck to both students!

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Cassandra Thomson Andrew Dawson

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Industry engagement event: Addiction research

The inaugural Industry Engagement Event brought together industry, clinic, government and academic leaders for an insight into our addiction research.

Held on 25th July 2017, the evening was an oppourtunity to present our neuroscience-based interventions which have the capacity to enhance emotional and cognitive control, curb impulsivity, and improve decision-making. These will have utility in both clinical and occupational settings. BMH co-director Prof Murat Yücel also presented on the BrainPark(TM) facility- a concrete step to achieving real results in the areas of addiction and compulsive disorders, with immense potential for working in partnership with industry.

Event attendees got to experience first-hand some of the technologies BMH uses in its research, and learn more about how they could potentially collaborate, to the benefit of their individual organisations, the community, and industry as a whole.

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Photo: Guests try out the Virtual Reality Gambling Environment (ViRGE) developed in partnership by BMH and sensiLab.

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Murat Yücel Amy Allen Rebecca Segrave Adrian Carter Rico Lee Chao Suo Louisa Detez Erin Oldenhof

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Congratulations to A/Prof Alex Fornito

"Fundamentals of Brain Network Analysis": a highly ranked and prize winning book

A/Prof Alex Fornito’s text book Fundamentals of Brain Network Analysis was ranked in the top three books of the year in Neuroscience & Biomedicine and received an Honourable Mention at the 2017 American Assocation of Publishers PROSE Awards in Washington, USA.

The book has also been highly commended by the British Medical Association. At an awards ceremony in London, it received a high commendation in the Neurology category at the Association’s annual book awards.

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Updates & Findings

7^th December 2017 featured