Neuroscience Research Australia
Encyclopedia
Neuroscience Research Australia (also known as NeuRA) is an independent medical research institute based in Sydney
, Australia
. Previously called the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
, the institute relaunched as Neuroscience Research Australia on 1 June 2010., NeuRA is accredited by the National Health and Medical Research Council
.
Neuroscience Research Australia is made up of approximately 260 researchers specialising in research on the brain and nervous system in health and disease.
The current executive director is Professor Peter R Schofield.
• Ageing and neurodegeneration: Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia
and other types of dementia
, Parkinson's disease
, Motor Neurone Disease
, ageing research in indigenous populations, stroke rehabilitation
• Brain function and imaging: brain mapping
for research and clinical use, on-site MRI scanning
• Neural injury: spinal cord injury
, assessment and prevention of road trauma in children
• Mental illness: schizophrenia
, bipolar disorder
, depression and autism
• Sensation, movement, balance and falls: human movement, fatigue, sleep apnoea, balance and vision, neural control of muscles, falls in older adults
, chronic pain
NeuRA also houses research centres, including the Brain Bank and Genetic Repositories Australia.
) and the University of New South Wales
.
In 1993 the institute was established as an independent, not-for-profit company and researchers moved into buildings on the site of the old Randwick Chest Hospital, next to the Prince of Wales Hospital
in Randwick. It was officially opened on 8 November 1993 by the Commonwealth Minister for Health Graham Richardson and the NSW Minister for Health Ron Phillips.
On 15 November 2000, the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr
, officially opened the new sections of the institute.
In June 2009 the Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay
opened the Prince Henry Wing extension.
In March 2010, the NSW government gave planning approval to the concept and project plans for a Neuroscience Research Precinct to be built on the existing site. Building works began on the first phase of the project in March 2010.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Previously called the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
The Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute was renamed Neuroscience Research Australia on 1 June 2010.,...
, the institute relaunched as Neuroscience Research Australia on 1 June 2010., NeuRA is accredited by the National Health and Medical Research Council
National Health and Medical Research Council
The National Health and Medical Research Council is Australia's peak funding body for medical research, with a budget of roughly 700 million dollars a year...
.
Neuroscience Research Australia is made up of approximately 260 researchers specialising in research on the brain and nervous system in health and disease.
The current executive director is Professor Peter R Schofield.
Research activity
NeuRA’s research activity is organised into five themes:• Ageing and neurodegeneration: Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia
Frontotemporal dementia is a clinical syndrome caused by degeneration of the frontal lobe of the brain and may extend back to the temporal lobe...
and other types of dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
, Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
, Motor Neurone Disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
, ageing research in indigenous populations, stroke rehabilitation
Stroke rehabilitation
The primary goals of stroke management are to reduce brain injury and promote maximum patient recovery. Rapid detection and appropriate emergency medical care are essential for optimizing health outcomes. When available, patients are admitted to an acute stroke unit for treatment. These units...
• Brain function and imaging: brain mapping
Brain mapping
Brain mapping is a set of neuroscience techniques predicated on the mapping of quantities or properties onto spatial representations of the brain resulting in maps.- Overview :...
for research and clinical use, on-site MRI scanning
• Neural injury: spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
, assessment and prevention of road trauma in children
• Mental illness: schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, depression and autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
• Sensation, movement, balance and falls: human movement, fatigue, sleep apnoea, balance and vision, neural control of muscles, falls in older adults
Falls in older adults
Every year, many older people suffer from falls. These falls in older adults are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, and can have a serious effect on the person who falls...
, chronic pain
Chronic pain
Chronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and...
NeuRA also houses research centres, including the Brain Bank and Genetic Repositories Australia.
History
NeuRA was established in 1991 by Professor Ian McCloskey, Professor David Burke, Professor Simon Gandevia and Professor Erica Potter with the support of the Eastern Sydney Area Health Service (now South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health ServiceSouth Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service
South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service was formed in 2005 from the amalgamation of the Illawarra Area Health Service and South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service...
) and the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
In 1993 the institute was established as an independent, not-for-profit company and researchers moved into buildings on the site of the old Randwick Chest Hospital, next to the Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public and teaching hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong. The hospital is affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
in Randwick. It was officially opened on 8 November 1993 by the Commonwealth Minister for Health Graham Richardson and the NSW Minister for Health Ron Phillips.
On 15 November 2000, the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
, officially opened the new sections of the institute.
In June 2009 the Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay
Jodi McKay
Jodi Leyanne McKay is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 until her defeat at the New South Wales state election, 2011.McKay was the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for the Hunter in the Rees...
opened the Prince Henry Wing extension.
In March 2010, the NSW government gave planning approval to the concept and project plans for a Neuroscience Research Precinct to be built on the existing site. Building works began on the first phase of the project in March 2010.