brain, clinical neuroscience, internventional psychiatry

Interventional Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

The Interventional Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience research group focuses on developing innovative therapies for mental health conditions.

About

Our research focuses on developing innovative therapies for mental health conditions, particularly treatment-resistant depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We conduct clinical trials and investigative studies exploring and developing various treatment approaches, including device-based therapies like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS), as well as novel pharmacotherapies such as psychedelic-assisted therapy (psilocybin, MDMA). We also conduct neuroscience research (Electroencephalography [EEG]; Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI]) to better understand brain function in mental health conditions, aiming to inform and enhance treatment applications.

Together, our approach combines cutting-edge clinical trials with fundamental research, embedded within a strong translational focus. To do so, we hold established partnerships with clinical services throughout Australia, facilitating the implementation of our research findings in real-world settings. We have also developed training programs to educate healthcare professionals on these new treatment approaches, ensuring that the latest advancements in mental health care can be effectively and safely applied. This approach ensures that our research can rapidly transition from research trials to clinical implementation, potentially benefiting more people who have not responded to traditional treatments, and sooner.

Publications

Fitzgerald PB et al. (2019) A pragmatic randomized controlled trial exploring the relationship between pulse number and response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment in depression. Brain stimulation 13,145-152

Perera MP, Fitzgerald PB. (2023) Home-Based Individualized Alpha Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Improves Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Preliminary Evidence from a Randomized, Sham-Controlled Clinical Trial. Depression and Anxiety, 2023, 2023, 9958884

Bailey NW, Fulcher BD, Caldwell B, Hill AT, Fitzgibbon B, van Dijk H, Fitzgerald PB (2023). Uncovering a stability signature of brain dynamics associated with meditation experience using massive time-series feature extraction. Neural Networks.

Bailey NW, Biabani M, Hill AT, Miljevic A, Rogasch NC, McQueen B, Murphy OW, Fitzgerald PB (2023). Introducing RELAX: An automated pre-processing pipeline for cleaning EEG data - Part 1: Algorithm and Application to Oscillations. Clinical Neurophysiology.

Freitas RR, Gotsis ES, Gallo AT, Fitzgibbon BM, Bailey NW, Fitzgerald PB. The safety of psilocybin-assisted therapy: A systematic review. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. In press.

Projects

The project has been designed for the collection of outcome and safety data on the use of novel interventional pharmacotherapy approaches. The AIPPAP Research Registry is designed to capture real-world clinical data on the use of ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin.

Theme

Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

Student intake

Open for Honours, Masters, MPhil, PhD students

Status

Current

People

The primary objective of this project is to investigate psychological, cognitive and physiological changes associated with a single session of psychedelic drug exposure with psilocybin or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in a group setting.

Theme

Brain, Vision, Mental Processes and Health , Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

Status

Current

People

  • Dr Ted Cassidy
  • Kisten Gainsford

The Aligned Study is an investigator-initiated, randomized controlled trial of pharmacogenomic-guided therapy versus standard care for people with depression who require initiation or change in antidepressant therapy.

Theme

Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

Status

Current

People

  • Assoc Prof Kathy Wu
  • Prof Anthony Rodgers

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for psychedelic therapy using psilocybin and MDMA to improve symptoms of treatment resistant OCD, and to determine whether there is any pre-post change in electroencephalography (EEG) measurements following psychedelic exposure.

Theme

Brain, Vision, Mental Processes and Health , Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of psilocybin assisted psychotherapy in people with TRD to an active control.

Theme

Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

Status

Current

People

  • Professor Nicholas Glozier
  • Professor Kate Hoy

FREED aims to improve the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) through a novel, personalised approach.

Theme

Brain, Vision, Mental Processes and Health , Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Clinical Care

Status

Current

People

  • Dr Angel Peterchev
  • Dr Gregory Applebaum

Members

Leader

Director, ANU School of Medicine and Psychology
Senior Staff Specialist, Canberra Health Services
(EA: Cheryl Morse E: cheryl.morse@anu.edu.au)

Business Manager

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Research Business Manager (P Fitzgerald Research Group Mon-Wed)
Eccles Institute, JCSMR (Thurs, Fri)

Researcher

Neil Bailey

Senior Research Fellow (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

Associate Professor Bernadette Fitzgibbon

Honorary Associate Professor

Stephanie Gotsis

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

Dr Magelage (Prabhavi)  Perera

Postdoctoral Fellow (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

Research support officer

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Clinical Trials Coordinator (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

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Research Officer (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

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Research Officer (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

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Research Officer (P Fitzgerald Research Group fixed-term)

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Clinical Trials Coordinator (P Fitzgerald Research Group)

Student

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PhD (Medicine) Scholar

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PhD Scholar

Location

Canberra and Victoria

-35.229312, 149.1092097