Fields of Research

Behavioural neuroscience
Neurology and neuromuscular diseases
Central nervous system
Geriatrics and gerontology
Primary health care
Continuing and community education
Psychology of ageing
Cellular nervous system

Research Objectives

Clinical health
Health related to ageing
Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions
Prevention of human diseases and conditions
Expanding knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences
Expanding knowledge in psychology
Treatment of human diseases and conditions

Career Best Publications

Research Publications

A systematic review of the association between psychological stress and dementia risk in humans; Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
Age is no barrier: predictors of academic success in older learners; npj Science of Learning
APOE and BDNF Val66Met polymorphisms combine to influence episodic memory function in older adults; Behavioural Brain Research
BDNF and COMT polymorphisms have a limited association with episodic memory performance or engagement in complex cognitive activity in healthy older adults; Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Cognitive reserve in the baseline data of Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project: No effect of age or interaction with gender; The fourth annual NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (NNIDR) Australian Dementia Forum
Environmental novelty exacerbates stress hormones and Aβ pathology in an Alzheimer’s model; Scientific Reports
Late-life environmental enrichment preserves short-term memory and may attenuate microglia in male APP/PS1 mice; Neuroscience
Mid-life environmental enrichment increases synaptic density in CA1 in a mouse model of Aβ-associated pathology and positively influences synaptic and cognitive health in healthy ageing; Journal of Comparative Neurology
Poster 375 - Increased intrinsic excitability of cortical pyramidal neurons in healthy aging; Australasian Neuroscience Society Annual Scientific Meeting 2016
Regional differences in beta amyloid plaque deposition and variable response to midlife environmental enrichment in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice; Journal of Comparative Neurology
Sex-specific protective effects of cognitive reserve on age-related cognitive decline: A 5-Year prospective cohort study; Neurology
The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates the relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and fear extinction learning; Psychoneuroendocrinology
The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism modulates resilience of neurological functioning to brain ageing and dementia: A narrative review; Brain Sciences
The associations between dual-task walking under three different interference conditions and cognitive function; Gait and Posture
The ISLAND clinic: first year outcomes of a new state-wide ‘one-stop’ cognitive clinic in Tasmania; ADRF - Australian Dementia Research Forum

Research Projects

A cognitive-mobility stress test to improve the prediction of dementia; University of Tasmania (UTAS)

Research Candidate Supervision