Clinical Neuropsychiatry
The Clinical Neuropsychiatry Stream of the MNC is based at the Neuropsychiatry Unit (NPU), John Cade Building, Royal Melbourne Hospital. The NPU is a statewide specialist mental health service that offers neuropsychiatric assessment and advice to psychiatric, neurological and other medical and mental health services.
Research Overview
The clinical team at RMH has developed three useful screening tools, the Neuropsychiatry Unit Cognitive Screen (NUCOG) the Behavioural Assessment Tool for Cognition and Higher function (BATCH) and the CogRisk.
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The NUCOG is a bedside battery that has been used in neuropsychiatric populations to assess cognition in medical or psychiatric patients. It assists clinicians in their assessment of cognitive deficits
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The BATCH uses systematic observation and recording of ward-based behaviours to assess cognitive function in patients who cannot be formally tested
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The CogRisk is a carer questionnaire that provides information on the patient's demographics, cognitive risk factors and cognitive symptoms
Key Publications
Dazan et al. (2012). Volumetric abnormalities predating the onset of schizophrenia and affective psychoses: An MRI study in subjects at ultrahigh risk of psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 38:1083-1091.
Lindberg et al. (2012). Hippocampal shape analysis in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration subtypes. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 30:355-365.
Chen, Z., Lusicic, A., O'Brien, T.J., Velakoulis, D., Adams, S.J., & Kwan, P. (2016). Psychotic disorders induced by antiepileptic drugs in people with epilepsy. Brain, 139:2668-2678.
Bora et al. (2015). Theory of mind in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 86:714-719.
Solowij et al. (2013). Alteration to hippocampal shape in cannabis users with and without schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 143:179-184.