Ageing and Neurodegeneration
Ageing and Neurodegeneration Program
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The proportion of older people in the population is increasing. Currently in Australia more than 15% of the population is over 65 years of age, and 2% are over 85.
The brain inevitably changes as we grow older, yet the variability in the magnitude and types of changes in the brain varies widely from person to person.
Our mission, through research and application of findings, is to foster the potential for older people and those with neurodegenerative conditions to maximise brain and body health, and the capacity to live well.
We use tools from psychological science, neuroscience, neurology, and epidemiology to:
- Define normative trajectories of cognitive and brain functioning in older adults;
- Conduct research to inform lifestyle choices in ageing to maximise health later in life;
- Develop essential outcome measures to enable whether treatments work in neurodegenerative diseases;
- Create and test novel interventions to improve wellness in ageing
- Inform our understanding of risk and protective factors for dementia
- Develop biomarkers for prediction and diagnosis
We specialise in:
- Healthy ageing
- Huntington’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Friedreich’s ataxia
- Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
- Vascular cognitive impairment
- Clinical trials
- Cohort studies and neuroepidemiology
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Program focus areas
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Our research aims at investigating multiscale dynamics of brain networks to understand the underlying computational principles and neural mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction. To better understand brain networks, their dynamics, and the effects of brain stimulation, we use a combination of neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, and develop computational and theoretical models of neural systems.
Our mission is to curtail the growing burden of cognitive impairment and dementia. We conduct several clinical and epidemiological studies to better understand the causes of cognitive impairment, develop dementia biomarkers, and evaluate preventative interventions. Our team has a specific interest in Alzheimer’s disease dementia, vascular cognitive impairment, cognitive assessment, and in the application of remote assessment and digital technologies. Our flagship initiatives are 
We undertake research at the intersection of rare neurodegenerative disorders, artificial intelligence (AI), neuroimaging analytics, and neuropsychology. By delving deeply into these diverse domains and fusing them, we aim to enhance our understanding of rare neurological conditions, such as Friedreich Ataxia and Huntington's Disease. We aspire to support the next generation of clinical trials with novel neuroimaging biomarkers, advanced multimodal AI systems, and digital cognitive training tools.
The association between physical activity and a healthy life is well established. We also know that physical exercise can impact the central nervous system and cognition. However, we are yet to fully understand the underlying mechanisms, or the parameters of exercise that result in optimal effects for the brain.