PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release: 15 July 2013
Neurological Foundation Announces
July 2013 Grant Round Recipients
Over $800,000 committed to neurological research across New Zealand
The Neurological Foundation is pleased to announce that funding of $821,902 for neurological research, an educational
fellowship and travel grants has been approved in its July 2013 grant round. The Neurological Foundation is the primary
non-government sponsor of neurological research in New Zealand.
Neurological Foundation Executive Director Max Ritchie says “This grant round’s recipients continue to demonstrate the
highly innovative thinking that enables New Zealand to remain at the leading edge of research into the understanding,
prevention and treatment of neurological disorders. Furthermore, this innovation provides hope for the one in five New
Zealanders across all age groups who will be diagnosed with a brain disorder in their lifetime.”
In addition to the seven project grants listed below, the Neurological Foundation V J Chapman Fellowship has been
awarded to neurologist Dr Teddy Wu, the current chief resident for medicine at Auckland City Hospital. The Fellowship
will enable Dr Wu to undertake his PhD at the University of Melbourne, furthering his stroke treatment research under
the supervision of leading stroke authority Professor Steve Davis. Dr Wu will return to New Zealand after completion of
his PhD.
Genetic profiling features in Professor Winston Byblow’s Parkinson’s disease research project “Falling off the curve: the link between impulsivity and dopamine” which will be carried out at the University of Auckland. Professor Byblow says “Through a combination of genotyping
and behavioural measures, our project aims to predict Parkinson’s disease patients most at risk of developing impulse
control disorders such as pathological gambling, hypersexuality and compulsive shopping as an adverse response to
particular medication. Ultimately, this study aims to inform clinicians so they can provide an alternative,
individualised treatment plan and remove the risk of the adverse response.”
Over $180,000 has been awarded to 2009 Neurological Foundation Repatriation Fellow Dr Andrew Clarkson so he can continue
his headline-making stroke research at the University of Otago. Dr Clarkson will assess new drug compounds to see if
they can be protective when given early after stroke and promote functional recovery when given at a delay.
All grant details follow.
The Neurological Foundation is an independent body and charitable trust and its funding has facilitated many of New
Zealand’s top neuroscientists’ pioneering breakthroughs. Without the ongoing support of individual New Zealanders, the
Foundation could not commit to progressing research to the high level that it does. The Neurological Foundation receives
no government funding.
www.neurological.org.nz
Neurological Foundation research approved July 2013
Research grants totalling $821,902 were approved by the Neurological Foundation Council on 5 July 2013.
NEUROLOGICAL FOUNDATION V J CHAPMAN FELLOWSHIP
Advanced imaging in the evolution of primary intracerebral haemorrhage
Dr Teddy Wu
Neurology Department
Auckland District Health Board
$180,000
Stroke caused by brain haemorrhage is an important cause of death and disability in New Zealand and worldwide. There is
no effective treatment for acute intracerebral haemorrhage and the brain swelling associated with the haemorrhage. Dr
Wu’s project uses advanced MRI brain scans to study the area surrounding the brain haemorrhage and the safety of a
diabetic drug, glibenclamide, in these patients. This study has the potential to contribute current knowledge about this
devastating form of stroke, clarify the cause of the deterioration that happens in many people and lay the basis for
further research into effective treatments.
PROJECT GRANTS
Falling off the curve: the link between impulsivity and dopamine
Professor Winston Byblow
Centre for Brain Research
University of Auckland
$52,682
Dopamine agonist medications are commonly prescribed to alleviate Parkinson’s disease symptoms and avoid some of the
problems associated with levodopa medication. However, about one in five patients (20 %) prescribed dopamine agonist
medications for Parkinson’s disease develop impulse control disorders including compulsive shopping, hypersexuality and
pathological gambling. This project will evaluate tests to measure impulse control. Professor Byblow’s team proposes
that when such measures are combined with information about a person’s dopamine gene profile, this knowledge can be used
to identify individuals at risk of an adverse response to dopamine agonist medication. This could lead to better
individualised treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Unravelling the functions of delta-containing GABAA receptors after stroke
Dr Andrew Clarkson
Department of Anatomy
University of Otago
$182,835
Injuries to the brain as a consequence of a stroke impair cognition and behaviour, typically with limited recovery. Dr
Clarkson’s laboratory has recently shown that inhibition within the brain is changed after stroke and essentially
silences brain cells. By alleviating this inhibition Dr Clarkson and his team can kick start those silent brain cells
and connections, which in turn give back functions previously impaired. The present studies aim to assess novel drug
compounds that alter inhibition in the brain and assess whether they can be protective when given early after stroke
whilst promote functional recovery when given at a delay of three to five days post-stroke.
Identifying the mechanism by which clozapine reduces central nervous system inflammation
Associate Professor Anne La Flamme
Victoria University of Wellington
$124,017
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects 1 in 1400 New Zealanders of whom one third suffer from moderate to severe disability.
There is no cure for MS and current FDA-approved disease-modifying treatments are limited in terms of efficacy, mode of
administration, availability due to cost, and concerns regarding potentially fatal side effects. Therefore, there is an
urgent need for more effective and more easily tolerated treatments and for therapies that not only halt disease
progression but also may reverse the neurological damage sustained. Determining how psychoactive drug clozapine can
reduce central nervous system inflammation and damage will provide novel insights into immune dysfunction and its
contribution to disease pathogenesis will emerge. It is also anticipated that the results of Associate Professor La
Flamme’s study will contribute to the understanding of the cause of MS, which remains unknown.
Identifying cell-type specific molecular pathways as new targets for treatment of dyskinesias in Parkinson’s disease
Associate Professor John Reynolds
Department of Anatomy
University of Otago
$194,124
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurological disorder that causes, amongst other symptoms, movement difficulties due to
a loss of a brain chemical called dopamine. Treatment aims to replace dopamine, however with prolonged treatment,
patients can develop severe unwanted movements called ‘dyskinesias’. It is still not understood why this happens.
Associate Professor Reynolds’ research, using a model of dyskinesias and state-of-the-art methods, will look at which
cells in the brain are affected by dyskinesias, and how changes within these cells can affect their function in the
brain. This will also help to identify new pathways that could be targeted for novel dyskinesia therapies.
The effect of a clinical care protocol on the rate of pneumonia in patients with dysphagia following stroke
Dr Maggie-Lee Huckabee
University of Canterbury and
Christchurch Hospital
$10,550
Swallowing impairment (dysphagia) is a common consequence of stroke and can lead to life-threatening
pneumonia. In New Zealand, the rate of pneumonia in these patients is 27%. Lower pneumonia rates (less than 5%) have
been reported for this population when managed using strict clinical protocols and cough reflex testing. This pilot
study will evaluate the effect of a rigorous stroke management protocol on the rate of pneumonia in a large hospital.
This project is a key step towards identifying and changing factors that contribute to the unacceptably high pneumonia
rates in patients with stroke in New Zealand.
Enhancing cognitive performance using transcranial direct current stimulation
Dr Liana Machado
Department of Psychology
University of Otago
$12,000
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been successfully used to improve cognitive performance (e.g., memory
and attention) in healthy and patient populations. Research indicates that increasing stimulation levels can produce
stronger cognitive benefits; however, this increases the risk of side-effects.
Dr Machado’s study will investigate if the cognitive benefits of tDCS can be enhanced by applying tDCS preconditioning
prior to low-level stimulation. The aim of her study is to determine the optimal preconditioning parameters for
producing the maximum cognitive benefits. This research will be carried out in healthy young adults. Once a more
effective tDCS protocol has been identified, it can then be tested in patient populations.
Phosphatidic acid as a target to treat cerebellar neurodegeneration
Dr Andrew Munkacsi
Victoria University of Wellington
$11,694
Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease is a fatal, pediatric neurodegenerative disease due to the accumulation of cholesterol
in the liver and brain. Currently, there is no effective therapy to treat NPC disease. Dr Munkacsi’s previous work has
shown that phosphatidic acid (PA) levels are significantly increased in the cerebellum, the brain region most affected
in NPC disease, in a model of NPC disease at the onset of disease and further increased with disease progression. This
study proposes to inhibit the major routes of PA synthesis and determine if PA metabolism is a target to treat the
cerebellar neurodegeneration in children affected with NPC disease.
ENDS