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The Women's Club welcomes Dr Aaron Lam, Dr Catriona Ireland, and Dr Zoe Menczel Schrire from The University of Sydney's Spencer-Bennett NeuroMusic Collaborative for a comprehensive look at the intersection of music, sleep, and brain health.
Dr. Lam will provide a brief talk on sleep research in the region, focusing on cutting-edge studies aimed at understanding sleep patterns and disorders. He will also share practical strategies to improve sleep quality, emphasizing the role of sleep in overall brain health. Following Dr. Lam, Dr. Ireland will discuss the work being done at the Healthy Brain Ageing Clinic, where researchers focus on interventions and assessments designed to promote cognitive longevity and reduce the risks of age-related cognitive decline. Finally, Dr Menczel Schrire will present insights from the ongoing NeuroMusic trial, which explores the impact of music on brain function, particularly in relation to cognitive enhancement and neuroplasticity. Does music training improve brain function in older adults with memory difficulties?
Biographies
Dr Aaron Lam is an early career researcher with an interest in the intricate relationships between sleep patterns (including sleep disorders) and the onset and progression of dementia. With a background in nmeuroscience and psychology, his research predominately focuses on how sleep may be a modifiable risk factor for dementia.
Aaron's research examines how sleep and sleep disorders are bidirectionally related to dementia, in particular Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Cognitive Impairment. His research utilises a range of methodologies including high-density eeg, standard eeg, polysomnography, magnetic resonance imaging, and digital cognitive assessments.
Dr Catriona Ireland graduated from the University of Sydney in 1993 and completed her specialist training in geriatric medicine in 2001. Over the last 20 years her work has centered around assessment, diagnosis and ongoing management of cognitive concerns and dementia in the context of general health and lifestyle.
Since 2016 Dr Ireland has been working at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, exploring the modifiable factors in brain ageing and ways we can reduce the risk of dementia in adults of all ages. Her interests include the impact of sleep and psychological health on cognition, and she has joined the CogSleep Centre for Research Excellence to contribute to this important area of research.
Dr Zoe Menczel Schrire is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney running a clinical trial investigating music in at-risk dementia, and also researching sleep and circadian rhythms.
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