Professor Matthew C. Kiernan AM Nerve Centrals

NeuRA was the proud beneficiary of another generous donation from the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation last Friday, and we're honoured to be one of a number of charities and research institutes supported by ASX Refinitiv's tireless fundraising. Since 1996, the foundation has been helping Australian-based children’s, disability and medical research, domestic violence and mental health charities by organising fundraising events in conjunction with the financial markets. To date, the combined funds distributed to a wide range of charities totals over $42 million. We remain grateful for ASX Refinitiv's belief in the work we do, for the support of the foundation's sponsors and participants, and of course for the donation which will help us to address some of society's most pressing issues.

Among patients undergoing endovascular #thrombectomy for acute #Stroke, early (<6 hours) vs delayed (6–12 hours) extubation did not improve 90-day functional independence, hospital stay, complication rates, or mortality. ja.ma/4v4HQit

This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the association between GLP-1RA use and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (#NAION) risk: hubs.la/Q04hJGRv0

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Neale Daniher AO, 2025 Australian of the Year and extraordinary campaigner to drive research into Motor Neurone Disease. “Neale Daniher was a great footballer, a great coach but above all a great human being, who turned his own MND diagnosis into unrelenting efforts to try to ensure future generations don’t have to endure this disease,” said NeuRA CEO Professor Matthew Kiernan AM. “He was entirely selfless – he knew that with the progression of his disease he wasn’t eligible for most of the clinical trials being run for MND, but that simply spurred him on to improve outcomes for others with MND. “I was involved with Neale from that first diagnosis 13 years ago, and to see the dedication and strategy he brought to raising money for MND research was humbling. The very tactical skills that made him a top-class football coach helped to make FightMND the third largest fundraiser for research into this disease in the world, raising around $150m so far. “His greatest legacy will be the Neale Daniher Clinical Network that the government agreed to fund after Neale’s passionate advocacy to the Treasurer last year, and which will accelerate research, expand clinical trials and give more people access to hope. “Our deep sadness at the news of his passing is tempered by the knowledge that his work of the last 13 years will reverberate long into the future.”

Schedule the week ahead with physical activity in mind! Physical activity helps prevent and manage major diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It also supports mental health by reducing depression and anxiety, improving brain function, and enhancing overall well-being. For children and adolescents, physical activity supports healthy growth, strengthens bones and muscles, and improves movement and thinking skills.

Acute stress makes it difficult to link memories of past events with fresh information, a study1 suggests. The results help to explain why people struggle to show insight under pressure. go.nature.com/4umkMMc

There are nearly 1.2 billion people living with mental health conditions worldwide, according to a new #GBD analysis. Explore the research ➡️ spkl.io/6011AhkHU @IHME_UW

Systemic interleukin-6 inhibition demonstrated treatment-sensitive outcomes and clinically meaningful effect sizes in patients with difficult-to-treat #Depression and low-grade #Inflammation. ja.ma/4eVri80

“It absolutely defied all of our expectations. This was so surprising that my whole project changed.” This phenomenon could have far-reaching implications, and is leaving neuroscientists baffled. go.nature.com/4v3kABG

Online now: Hyperexcitable VTA-mPFC dopaminergic circuit disrupts sleep spindle and mediates sleep fragmentation after chronic social defeat stress dlvr.it/TScqrp

Marc’s life was full & vibrant - he had deep connections with the clinical trials team at @neuraustralia | Marc was a committed research advocate, raising significant funding support, noting that ‘research is the most important step to find a cure’ | #ALS #MND

Heterogeneity in the Analysis of the ALSFRS-R in ALS Clinical Trials and its Effect on the Validity and Precision of Trial Conclusions: hubs.la/Q04gJwWj0

Patients treated with cadaveric pituitary-derived human growth hormone contaminated with amyloid-β developed early-onset #AlzheimerDisease with prominent language deficits and histopathological features consistent with AD. ja.ma/42IMyX2

Disease development trajectories in #MentalDisorders vary by diagnosis at first contact, sex, and age, with younger patients exhibiting more diagnostic shifts and psychiatric contacts, highlighting the need for targeted preventive care. ja.ma/3Rrh6tW

Congratulations and farewell to our Research Governance and Compliance manager, Deb McKay. Deb was awarded the Unimutual Excellence Awards Risk Management Professional of the Year 2025 just ahead of her retirement on May 1. bit.ly/4wsILe1 #neuroscience #medicalresearch

About 20 years ago, neuropathologists began to report an inconvenient finding in the autopsied brains of people with dementia: Most have evidence of more than one disease. Studies since have shown the brains of up to half of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease also have a key feature of Parkinson’s disease—deposits of the protein alpha synuclein. At the same time, up to half of Parkinson’s patients who develop dementia have elevated levels of beta amyloid and tau proteins, hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. Researchers studying neurodegenerative diseases are catching on to the importance of this phenomenon, often called copathology. Tests now being developed to pick up multiple biomarkers should give a clearer picture of these mixed pathologies in living patients. And an upcoming clinical trial will be the first to take aim at a common dementia copathology, testing the amyloid-clearing Alzheimer’s drug donanemab in people who have both amyloid in their brains and dementia with Lewy bodies—abnormal clumps of alpha synuclein. Learn more: scim.ag/42towPR

Cognitive Fluctuations, Neuropsychiatric Burden, and Quality of Life in Moderate-Advanced Dementia With Lewy Bodies: The Role of Dysautonomia hubs.la/Q04fvq4B0 #LewyBodyDementia

Patients with #FunctionalNeurologicalDisorder exhibit frequent psychiatric and neurological comorbidities, worse functional outcomes, higher health care use, and increased mortality compared with multiple sclerosis. ja.ma/3QW7p6G

In the week the Australian government hands down its Budget, hundreds of leaders from across Australia’s medical research and scientific communities have now signed an open letter calling for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to be unlocked. Since the campaign's launch in late March, more than 500 leading scientists and innovators have signed their names, including NeuRA CEO Scientia Professor Matthew Kiernan AM, Nobel Laureates Professor Peter Doherty, Professor Barry Marshall AC and Professor Brian Schmidt AC, Laureate Professor Sam Berkovic AC, Professor Jason Kovacic and NeuRA Senior Principal Research Fellow Professor Stephen Lord. The letter explains how Australia stands at a critical juncture for medical research and innovation. Currently, success rates have fallen below 10% for major national schemes and close to 4% for early- and mid-career researchers; these unsustainable rates paint a grim reality for Australia's research future. The signatories call on the Government to take three practical steps: - Unlock the full capacity of the MRFF and deliver its intended $1 billion annually - Support sustainable career pathways for early- and mid-career researchers - Build a coordinated, end-to-end innovation system linking discovery to translation and commercialisation These three steps, combined, would enable Australia to deliver translatable research and improved health outcomes for the public. Read the full story here: theaustralian.com.au/health/medical…

The findings in this study provide the first evidence of higher-than-expected skin phosphorylated alpha synuclein deposits in a large cohort of patients with essential tremor. Learn more: hubs.la/Q04f_t_80