Van der Veer News

Alzheimer’s Awareness

The annual ‘Forget Me Not‘ appeal by Alzheimer’s New Zealand ran from 26 July to 1 Aug, 2009. To coincide with this, the Institute highlighted its current research into functional, structural, and cerebral bloodflow MR imaging in Alzheimer’s.

Sarah Wright’s PhD project was covered in local station CTV’s ‘Today in Canterbury’ News on 30th July:

The project was also covered in the Christchurch ‘Press’ here; in brief in the New Zealand Herald, Dominion Post, Otago Daily Times, and Gisborne Herald; and in a national radio interview with Larry Williams on NewsTalkZB.

News and Events – July 2009

CONFERENCES

Tim Anderson attended the Asian Scientific Symposium on PD & RLS in Tokyo, Japan on 3-5^th July. Tim presented the following paper:

Anderson T J (2009). DLB and PDD are the same disease.

Tracy Melzer attended the 15^th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, 18-23 June 2009, in San Francisco, CA, USA. Tracy presented the following papers:

Melzer T R, Watts R, MacAskill M R, Shankaranarayanan A, Alsop D C, Keenan R, Graham C, Livingston L, Dalrymple-Alford J C, Anderson T J (2009). Arterial spin labeling perfusion markers of cognitive status in Parkinson’s disease. NeuroImage, 47(Suppl. 1): S93.

Melzer T R, Watts R, MacAskill, M R, Keenan R, Graham C, Livingston L, Dalrymple-Alford J C, Anderson T J (2009). Cognition and the limbic system in early Parkinson’s disease: A DTI investigation. NeuroImage, 47(Suppl. 1): S115.

PUBLICITY

Sarah Wright’s PhD project ‘Saccadic function in Alzheimers disease: an fMRI Analysis’ was highlighted in an article in the Press titled ‘Researchers score hi-tech MRI scanner’. The article link is www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/2679396/Researchers-score-hi-tech-MRI-scanner

Sarah Wright’s PhD project was also covered by CTV’s ‘Today in Canterbury’ News. This news item can be viewed at http://news.vanderveer.org.nz/2009/07/alzheimers-awareness/

PEOPLE AT VDVI

Aamir Al-Toubi commenced a PhD project under the supervision of Maggie-Lee Huckabee. Aamir’s intended research project is the ‘Contribution to M1 to swallowing motor control’.