SPEECH STUDENTS RUNNING STUDY ON DROOLING
Eve, Libby, Amy, and Shelby are speech pathology students conducting their Honours studies in Parkinson's. The group are asking people with Parkinson's to think about whether drooling impacts upon their lives. If you think you have any issues with drooling, these passionate students would appreciate if you would think about taking part in their study. To find out more about their study, you can click on the blue button to the right entitled 'FIND OUT MORE' or you can email their supervisor Naomi at naomi.cocks@curtin.edu.au.
amy tiberio
PhD Student
Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology Honours in 2018. ParkC successfuly secured a Curtin Scholarship for Amy's PhD, which is entitled "Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Parkinson's Disease". The Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is being explored as a potential neurotrophic therapy for Parkinson’s. BDNF is secreted by neurons across a range of brain areas and can be measured using a blood test. Amy's PhD will be the first to examine BDNF in a large Australian Cohort of PD participants and age/gender matched controls. Amy will collect extensive data regarding motor symptom severity, cognition, psychological wellbeing, autonomic functioning, sleep, quality of life, activities of daily living, and BDNF levels in a large Australian PD community cohort. Amy will examine the relationships between motor, non-motor, and psychological variables using latent class analysis to determine whether BDNF levels vary between groupings (classes) of PD symptoms. The proposed study will also explore the associated relationships between quality of life, sleep, and activities of daily living with BDNF. Amy has not yet started collecting data, but if you are interested in becoming a future participant, you can email Andrea at andrea.loftus@curtin. edu.au to chat about the study.
Hayley grant
PhD Student
Hayley graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology Honours in 2018. Hayley's honours project examined memory in those with Parkinson's. During honours, Hayley developed a keen interest in neuropsychology and decided to stay on with ParkC to do her PhD. Hayley is interested in biology and nutrition, and combines these interests within her PhD. Hayley's PhD project examines products of gut bacteria called short chain fatty acids and how they relate to the symptoms experienced by people with Parkinson's. You can read more about Hayley's PhD in the 'Current Research' tab of the website. If you are interested in finding out more about Hayley's study, please contact her at hayley.e.grant@postgrad.curtin.edu.au
matthew han
.jpg/:/rs=w:400,cg:true,m)
PhD Student
Matthew graduated with a Bachelor of Psychology Honours in 2018. Matthew's honours project examined sleep in those with Parkinson's. Matthew has a keen interest in the ageing process and neurodegenerative conditions, and decided to stay with ParkC to pursue his PhD. Matthew’s PhD project examines the nature of language pragmatic problems and its association with thinking skills in those with Parkinson’s. You can read more about Matthew's PhD in the 'Current Research' tab of the website.
If you are interested in finding out more about Matthew's study, please contact him at j.han@postgrad.curtin.edu.au
Emily Corti
Previous Research Assistant
Emily Corti was the Research Assistant (RA) for ParkC. Emily has worked as the RA for ParkC since 2015, and has a wealth of experience in Parkinson's research. Emily collected data in our current RCT (see 'Current Research' tab) examining cognitive training and non-invasive brain stimulation for Parkinson's. Due to Covid restrictions, we have placed this study on hold. Consequently, Emily has secured employment with Alzheimer's Australia as a clinical trials coordinator. Emily is still very much involved in ParkC, and we hope to maintain and develop this relationship.