Webinar - Lucette cysique

Viruses as direct and indirect risk factors for all-type mild cognitive impairment and dementia

Date: 5th June 2024 - 1:30pm - 2:30pm via Virtual Attendee Hub

Synopsis:The neuropathological mechanisms that lead to dementia start decades before the full expression of the disease, and even childhood brain and mental health play a role. It is therefore important to determine what are the risk factors for dementia across the life span. While a wide range of risk factors has been considered in clinical studies, the role of pathogenic viruses as unique or contributing risk factors has been relatively neglected. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed this situation. This talk will provide an introduction on how viruses may play a role in the aetiology of all-type mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia highlighting the best researched example: Herpes Virus Simplex-1. Next, relevant research in HIV and COVID-19 epidemics is provided emphasizing the complex interplay between acute, chronic, latent phases of the infection and the immune system in promoting pathological brain ageing. Because both all-type MCI/dementia and viral infections are global issues, we also stress the compounding impact of socio-economic and health disparities in impacting the brain health of most vulnerable people. Research in the impact of COVID-19 on brain health is nascent and should be informed by the existing knowledge in the brain health impact of other viral infections and post-viral syndromes, while taking advantage of the Australian leadership in infectious diseases research.

Learning outcomes:

1. Gain an understanding of the importance of some viruses for brain health across the life span.

2. Gain an understanding of the direct and indirect neuropathophysiological mechanisms of some viruses.

3. Gain an understanding of where the Long COVID research is at in Australia and internationally with focus on brain health.

4. Gain an understanding of what are post-viral syndromes or post-infective syndromes and the type and severity of neurocognitive deficits to expect.

Biographic Information: A/Prof. Lucette is a cross-disciplinary neuropsychologist with extensive neuroimaging experience. Her research focuses on the effects of viral infections on the brain acutely, post-acutely and chronically across the adult life span. Her expertise includes the effects of HIV, SARS CoV-2, and Hepatitis C virus on the brain. Because she works with global infectious diseases, A/Prof. Cysique has also expertise in cross-cultural neuropsychology including the development of normative cross-sectional and longitudinal neuropsychological data applicable to various populations. A/Prof. Is currently based at the Kirby Institute at UNSW where she co-leads the Long COVID Initiative under the auspices of the Australian Partnership for Preparedness on Infectious Diseases Emergencies – APPRISE. A/Prof. Cysique is also based at UNSW School of Psychology and St. Vincent’s Applied Medical Research Centre where she leads research in neuroHIV, contributes to dementia trial research and is developing a healthy brain ageing program with integration of her research in post-viral syndromes in collaboration with the Neurology department of Sydney St. Vincent’s hospital and UNSW Ageing Future Institute. Finally, A/Prof. Cysique is a visiting scholar at St. Michael’s Hospital Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute where she leads an international effort to improve the neuro-health literacy of people living with HIV and their doctors.

Workshop - Kerryn pike

Interventions to improve everyday cognition for older adults

Date: 16th August 2024 - 12:30pm - 4:30pm
Venue: CQUniversity Rockhampton North Campus

Synopsis: Despite strong evidence that cognitive interventions are beneficial for older adults, including those with dementia or mild cognitive impairment, these are generally unavailable in clinical or community settings in Australia. Some of the barriers include low clinician confidence and lack of training. This workshop will aim to challenge this barrier through providing initial information and skills development in evidence-based strategies and intervention programs for older adults.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Gain knowledge regarding the research evidence on interventions to improve cognition for older adults, including those with dementia and mild cognitive impairment

2. Understand some of the most important considerations when working with older adults

3. Learn some cognitive strategies that could be used in practice with older adults

4. Understand some of the barriers to implementing cognitive interventions in clinical practice, and how these might be overcome.

webinar - mathew staios

Neuropsychological assessment of culturally diverse groups in Australia: Considerations for clinical practice

Date: 4th September 2024 - 2:30pm - 3:30pm via Virtual Attendee Hub

Synopsis:It is now well recognized that the use of mainstream psychometric measures can result in erroneous diagnostic outcomes when used for the assessment of culturally diverse populations. Poor test specificity has been attributed to level and quality of education, literacy level, degree of acculturation, language proficiency and use, socioeconomic status, communication style, testing experience, comfort and motivation, and context of immigration. These issues have been recognised as a matter of importance within the global neuropsychological community, stressing the need to make neuropsychological testing more acceptable, accessible, and fair, particularly for culturally diverse populations. Efforts to address the aforementioned over the last three decades have resulted in the adaptation of existing tests, alongside the production of finely tuned normative data. In contrast, contemporary research has moved towards the development of new culture-fair test content for use with ethnic minority groups, representing an alternative means of assessing culturally diverse groups.

Learning outcomes:

1. An overview of research identifying limitations of neuropsychological assessment within culturally diverse populations

2. An overview of neuropsychological measures and norms that have been developed for use with culturally diverse populations in Australia

3. Recommendations and strategies to improve the clinical assessment of culturally diverse populations in Australia

Biographic Information: Dr Mathew Staios is a clinical neuropsychologist and cross-cultural psychological researcher attached to Monash University Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health in the School of Psychological Sciences. His research interests include understanding how social, political, and cultural factors influence cognitive processes across different cultural groups. Mathew also lectures in the postgraduate PhD clinical neuropsychology and the undergraduate psychology programs at Monash University in the area of cross-cultural psychology/neuropsychology and is also on the editorial board of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. He has published several peer-reviewed papers in international neuropsychological journals and book chapters concerning neurodegenerative diseases. Mathew is currently leading a team of researchers across the world examining WAIS-IV profiles in over 20 different nations to understand the impact of culture on cognitive processes.

Mathew has spearheaded research examining cognitive processes in elderly Greek immigrants and is in the process of developing neuropsychological tests for ageing Greek Australians to assist with accurate and early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. Mathew has created, adapted, and normed several neuropsychological measures for use with Greek Australian and older adults to improve the diagnostic accuracy of neuropsychological tests when used to detect cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. His research also seeks to better understand the influences of language, acculturation, educational experiences, and socio-political influences on cognitive test performance, with the ultimate goal of birding the gap between culture and cognition. Findings from his research have shown that the use of tests developed for the English-speaking majority is over 2-3 times more likely to result in misdiagnosis if used in minority groups.

webinar - katie banerjee

The Use of Medicinal Cannabis in Children