Brain Foundation

Today is our last day in the office for 2024. It has been a wonderful year, and we're looking forward to taking two weeks to rest & recharge so that we can achieve even more in 2025. We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and we wish you all the best for the new year. We will return on Monday January 6th. Happy holidays!

We are excited to share that Dr Shannan Keen's book, "Giving a Voice to those Living with Locked-In Syndrome: Sharing feelings, experiences, hopes and expectations", is now available for pre-order. Shannan founded and runs the Australian Register for Disorders of Consciousness, which is housed within the Brain Foundation. She also founded the annual International Locked-in Syndrome Conference, and the Locked-in Syndrome Community Forum (on Facebook). This book provides a way for the life experiences of people living with Locked-In Syndrome (LiS) to be heard. It combines the personal experiences of those living locked-in, with the biomedical aspects of LiS including how it is diagnosed and treated, and the technology such as eye-tracking devices and brain/computer interfaces enabling those living with LiS to communicate. It is valuable reading for all professionals working in the brain injury field, including neuropsychologists and those in the caring professions, as well as students in these fields. It will also be relevant for IT students and those working with new technologies. Available for pre-order now at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gWrXPd2Z #LockedInSyndrome #LiS #DisordersofConsciousness

It's that time of year when you will be politely asked by many foundations and charities for your financial support this Christmas. We make no apology for the Brain Foundation being one of those extremely worthy causes asking for your donation. This year we funded 14 amazing research projects, investigating diseases such as aneurysm, brain cancer, Alzheimer's disease, migraine, and more. These researchers are undertaking vital projects which have the potential to make a real impact in the lives of people living with brain disorders. But with a record number of applications this year, there were many worthy applicants who missed out. The Brain Foundation has received no government funding for our grants program since being established more than half a century ago in 1970. As a result, we rely almost entirely upon the generosity of individuals, groups, corporate sponsors and gifts in wills to support our research grants. Please help us expand our research grant program for 2025 and years to come. Your donation is greatly appreciated by the Brain Foundation team, and even more so by the researchers who receive our grants. Donate today at https://lnkd.in/gidbnuyp

The latest edition of Brainwaves, our biannual newsletter, is here! Discover the latest news, events, and research updates from the Brain Foundation and Migraine & Headache Australia. This edition also highlights the announcement of our 2024 Research Grant Awards. These innovative research projects inspire hope, paving the way for better treatments and cures for the brain diseases, disorders, and injuries that impact millions of Australians. If you missed our earlier posts highlighting each individual grant recipient, this is your chance to dive deeper into the groundbreaking work being carried out by researchers across the country. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made these grants possible - whether through donations, raising awareness, hosting fundraisers, or supporting us in countless other ways. We hope you enjoy reading this edition of Brainwaves ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gbVq6gSU

Congratulations to Dr James Triplett, one of our research grant recipients for 2024. He is researching diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which causes a range of symptoms including autonomic dysfunction, pain, numbness, weakness, and more. It is one of the most common complications of type 2 diabetes and there is an urgent need to understand the cause, ways to monitor it, and potential treatment options. Dr Triplett and his team are investigating the role of sphingolipids in diabetic neuropathy. Research increasingly shows that people with diabetes produce an abnormal amount of deoxy-sphingolipids, which are toxic to nerve cells. They will assess sphingolipid and neurofilament light chain levels in patients to assess how sphingolipids contribute to the development of diabetic neuropathy; and if neurofilament light chain levels can be used as a biomarker. This year we have been featuring each of our grant recipients on social media over the past few weeks. It is always the highlight of our year, sharing the incredible work that these researchers are doing. This is the last one for this year, but you can catch up by visiting our profile or seeing the full list on our website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e73SY9wU #Neuropathy #BrainResearch

Congratulations to Dr Matt Silsby, one of our research grant recipients for 2024. He is researching vitamin B6 toxicity, and how this affects nerve function. Vitamin B6 is commonly found in supplements, however often in amounts that exceed recommended daily intake. This can result in B6 toxicity which interferes with nerve function. Symptoms may include tingling, numbness, burning pain, and in more severe cases poor balance. Because of its widespread inclusion in supplements, B6 toxicity is an increasingly common problem. Dr Silsby and his team will test nerve hyperexcitability to understand why B6 affects the nerves, which could lead to targeted treatments in the future. This year we will be highlighting each of our grant recipients over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on our social media to learn more about our 2024 grant recipients. You can see the full list now on our website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e73SY9wU

Thank you to our wonderful fundraiser, Jill Wylie, who shaved her head recently in support of brain research. "I decided to take the plunge and shave my head, not just because my hair styling skills are lacking, but having the choice to shave my head, raise some money, donate my hair for wigs and do some good was too good an opportunity to pass," Jill says. "I’ve recently been experiencing dizziness and feeling of unbalance so had an MRI that showed I have a herniated brain. I’m still awaiting a neurologist appointment and not sure of future effects of this but it motivated me to create a fundraiser for the Brain Foundation." "Its actually interesting that the more I thought about brain health and conditions, the more I found a connection with multiple family members - one having passed from a tumour, one having passed from a subdural bleed and multiple people in my life (self included) suffering from migraines. The more I speak to family, friends and even acquaintances, I’m constantly surprised my the number of peoples lives that have been affected or are being affected with brain related health concerns. I’m proud to be able to support the Brain Foundation even in my little way!" Jill has gone above and beyond her fundraising goal of $1,000, raising an incredible $3,125. Thank you so much Jill for your dedication to raising research funds and awareness for neurological conditions.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Karl Ng, one of our research grant recipients for 2024. He is researching nerve injuries following proximal hamstring avulsion and surgical repair. Standard treatment for hamstring avulsion is surgery, however, this often carries risk of damaging the sciatic nerve (a major nerve in the leg). A/Prof Ng and his team will compare these nerve injuries using neurophysiology and MRI to identify the clinical significance of the injury, which will help develop better guidelines & treatment approaches for hamstring avulsion and surgical repair. This year we will be highlighting each of our grant recipients over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on our social media to learn more about our 2024 grant recipients. You can see the full list now on our website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e73SY9wU #NerveInjury #BrainResearch

Congratulations to Dr Antonia Carroll, one of our research grant recipients for 2024. She is researching amyloid neuropathies (AN), a growing group of debilitating peripheral nerve disorders which result in weakness, sensory disturbance, pain and functional impairment for patients. Unfortunately, AN are misdiagnosed in up to 61% of cases, leading to delays in diagnosis, accumulated disability and side effects from inappropriate treatments. Recent advances in targeted treatments have dramatically improved life expectancy in amyloidosis, however these treatments can't be given unless a diagnosis is confirmed. Current diagnostic methods are inefficient, but a novel imaging technology (Amyloid PET-CT scans) could hopefully provide the answer to improving diagnosis. Dr Carroll and her team will be assessing the efficacy of Amyloid PET-CT in detecting peripheral nerve amyloidosis, and will use these findings to inform future research and possible diagnostic improvements. This year we will be highlighting each of our grant recipients over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on our social media to learn more about our 2024 grant recipients. You can see the full list now on our website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e73SY9wU #Amyloidosis #BrainResearch

Congratulations to Dr Tracie Tan, one of our research grant recipients for 2024. She is researching autoimmune encephalitis (AE), a condition which occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain leading to inflammation and injury. There are many different subtypes of AE which vary in symptoms, severity and long-term consequences. Furthermore, individual patients within any one AE subtype will have different disease severities. Despite this variability, treatment is a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Dr Tan will measure brain electrical activity to distinguish AE subtypes, so that treatment can be individualised. This year we will be highlighting each of our grant recipients over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on our social media to learn more about our 2024 grant recipients. You can see the full list now on our website at ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e73SY9wU #AutoimmuneEncephalitis #BrainResearch