Living Well
The Turner Institute strives to understand and promote the factors that provide a foundation for a meaningful and fulfilling life. Since living well also means having the right treatment and support when faced with challenges, our work brings the community together with a diverse body of clinicians and researchers dedicated to treatments of the future.
We are focused on research and interventions that emphasise living well beyond traditional health settings and outcomes. Our evidence-based lifestyle interventions developed to enhance healthy behaviours and overall mental health are world leading.
Our research also aims to understand the determinants of cognitive and emotional health. This enables us to design clinical trials of cutting-edge therapeutics and to unlock the potential of these treatments through the use of novel technologies, including phone apps, virtual reality and social robots.
To identify and address the unmet needs of the community, we work closely with industry and community partners. Our industry partnerships involve promoting safety in the workplace by tackling serious workplace safety issues, such as fatigue in shift workers and driver drowsiness on our roads, as well as promoting worker wellbeing in high-risk occupations and industries.
Spotlight projects
Strengthening self control through exercise and cognitive training
Around 2 per cent of people – over 500,000 Australians - experience obsessive compulsive disorders each year. Compulsive disorders are typically associated with the inability to refrain from engaging in specific behavioural or cognitive urges, but are also believed to be more prevalent in individuals who show high levels of self-monitoring.
Research being undertaken at BrainPark is adopting a novel approach of combined physical and cognitive training to target compulsive behaviours. We are exploring whether the combination of physical activity and cognitive training can improve self-control in individuals with mild-moderate obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.
Addressing the environmental causes of sleep disturbances
Inadequate sleep is believed to impact over one third of Australian adults, with strong links between poor sleep and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.
We are conducting research on the effects of artificial light on our brains and physiology. Our research has found that artificial light disrupts our circadian rhythm, disturbing our sleep cycles and contributing to chronic health issues. Using novel sensor technology, we are advancing our understanding of how the body’s circadian clock perceives light, unlocking the potential for this to be used in the treatment of depression and sleep disorders.
Making decisions for a healthy lifestyle
People living with different kinds of addiction often make decisions that are based on seeking immediate reward, which can lead to long-term negative health, social and economic consequences and cause enormous suffering to patients, families and communities.
We are uncovering the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underpin decision-making, which has important implications for substance and behavioural addictions. Not only are theoretical advancements in this area helping to better identify risk, but they are also enabling the development of new targeted interventions and treatments based around cognitive training to assist with impulse control and overcoming addiction.