Lyndsey Collins-Praino

Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino

Associate Prof/Reader

School of Biomedicine

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Dr Lyndsey Collins-Praino holds a PhD in behavioral neuroscience. Her research focuses on the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in healthy aging and in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. She is particularly interested in the role of inflammation in this process. Her research has appeared in a variety of high-quality, peer-reviewed journals, and she has presented it at both national and international conferences. Lyndsey is the recipient of numerous prestigious fellowships, honours and awards for the novelty, quality and interest of this work, including a 2016 South Australian Young Tall Poppy award. Her research can be seen featured in multiple media outlets..

In addition to her research background, Lyndsey has significant teaching experience. She is co-convenor of the Neuroscience major in the Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences, and teaches neuroanatomy and neuroscience courses to nursing, medical and health sciences students. Her commitment to teaching has been recognized by her receipt of the Executive Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence (2015) and the STEM Educator of the Year Award at the 2016 SA Science Excellence Awards.

Lyndsey is also heavily involved in neuroscience outreach in the local community. She has a strong commitment to making neuroscience content accessible and fun to children and young adults in the community, particularly to members of groups who are traditionally under-represented in the field. Lyndsey is the founder and organiser of the Kids Navigate Neuroscience event, held annually during National Science Week, and generously supported by a National Science Week grant. She is Treasurer of the National Science Week Committee (SA) and a member of the Inspiring South Australia Steering Group. She is also involved in raising community awareness of Parkinson's Disease, and volunteers as a speaker for Parkinson's SA.

I am the Head of the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease laboratory (CANDL). Within CANDL, our research utilises an innovative "dish to deathbed" approach to identify novel predictors of the risk/rate of cognitive decline both in healthy ageing and in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. We are particularly interested on the role of neuroinflammation in this process.  

Currently, there are a number of projects ongoing. Some of these include

1. Investigation of whether targeting aberrant neuroinflammation can improve functional outcomes and slow dopamine neuron degeneration in pre-clinical models of Parkinson's disease.

2. Identification of novel methods to prevent the spread of pathological proteins in neurodegenerative disease.

3. Investigation of whether growth factor administration is able to prevent neurodegeneration and reduce chronic inflammation following traumatic brain injury.

4. Use of novel genomic analyses and cognitive data to predict risk and rate of cognitive decline in healthy ageing and Parkinson's disease.

5. Investigation of whether a neuroinflammatory signature is predictive of conversion to dementia in Parkinson's disease.

6. Assessment of the role of microglia in pathological transmission of alpha synuclein.

7. Use of cognitive training to improve cognitive function in Parkinson's disease.

8. Tracking the evolution of parkinsonian like-pathology following traumatic brain injury.

  • Appointments
    Date Position Institution name
    2020 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    2017 - 2019 Senior Lecturer, Anatomy and Pathology University of Adelaide
    2014 - 2016 Lecturer University of Adelaide

  • Awards and Achievements
    Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
    2016 Award Early Career STEM Educator of the Year (Tertiary Teaching) - - -
    2016 Award Executive Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence - - -
    2016 Fellowship International Neurotrauma Symposium travel fellowship - - -
    2016 Award South Australian Young Tall Poppy (Finalist, Tall Poppy of the Year) - - -
    2015 Award Unsung euro of South Australian Science, Finalist - - -
    2012 Fellowship Society for Neuroscience/Japanese Neuroscience Society Travel Award - - -
    2012 Fellowship Alzheimer’s Disease International Conference travel fellowship - - -
    2012 Award Henry Taub Award for Best Poster Presentation Columbia University Medical Centre United States -
    2012 Fellowship NIA Butler-Williams Scholar - - -
    2010 Award Outstanding Scientific Presentation University of Connecticut Health Center United States -
    2010 Award Tieman Research Prize NEURON Conference - -
    2010 Fellowship Society for Neuroscience Graduate Student Travel Award - - -
    2010 Fellowship International Basal Ganglia Society travel fellowship - - -
    2006 Award Excellence in Neuroscience University of Scranton United States -

  • Language Competencies
    Language Competency
    English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
    Italian Can read, write, speak and understand spoken

  • Research Interests
    Neuroscience, Behaviour and Brain Health Neurosciences

Since 2014, I have received over $1.5 million in competitive research funding. Funding bodies include the Australian Research Council (ARC), Neurosurgical Research Foundation, James and Diana Ramsay Foundation, Brain Foundation, the Australia-Japan Foundation, Perpetual IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program and Adelaide Research and Innovation.

 

 

Prior to coming to the University of Adelaide, I taught neuroscience, psychology and anatomy courses at the University of Connecticut (Storrs, CT, USA), Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT, USA) and Eastern Connecticut State University (Willimantic, CT, USA).

At the University of Adelaide, I currently teach into a number of courses in the Bachelors of Health and Medical Sciences, including:

  • Foundations of Human Neuroanatomy (Coordinator)
  • Essentials of Neuroscience (Co-Coordinator)
  • Neurological Diseases
  • Essential Understanding of Disease and Treatment
  • Ethics, Science and Society
  • Exercise, Movement and Cognition

In addition to my teaching duties in the Bachelor of Health and Medical Sciences program, I provide a large portion of neuroanatomy content across Years 1-3 of the MBBS program.

I am Co-Convenor of the Neuroscience major in the Bachelor of Health and Medical Science program.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Principal Supervisor Changing the "Game" - Assessing cognitive function and the role of cognitive training in Parkinson's disease and Spinal Cord Injury. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Madeleine Anne Homes-Vickers
    2022 Co-Supervisor Development of a New Cognitive Reserve Measure: Implications for Parkinson’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Isaac Calvin Saywell
    2022 Principal Supervisor Assessing olfactory system pathology and accelerated a-synuclein spread following
    Traumatic Brain Injury, and their role in the development of Parkinson's Disease pathology.    		 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Samantha Elizabeth Edwards
    2022 Co-Supervisor Characterising the role of cognitive dysfunction and spread of underlying tau pathology in the development of Alzheimer's disease following traumatic brain injury Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Eleanor Rose Bowley-Schubert
    2021 Co-Supervisor Understanding the mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment with a focus on neuroinflammation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Olivia Jane Haller
    2021 Principal Supervisor The Role of the Substantia Nigra in predicting longitudinal non-motor changes in Parkinson's Disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Benjamin Paul Ellul
    2021 Principal Supervisor Chemobrain impact and remediation: a focus on the paediatric patient Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Ines Semendric
    2021 Co-Supervisor COVID-19 related cognitive impairment: Underlying mechanisms and protective factors Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Lauren Mary Heidenreich
    2021 Principal Supervisor “Utility of Inflammatory Biomarkers to Predict Brainstem Imaging Changes in Parkinson’s Disease and TBI” Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Angus McNamara
    2021 Principal Supervisor Nanoparticle based strategies for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease: opportunities and challenges Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Laura May Carr
    2020 Co-Supervisor The Role of Neuroinflammation in Delayed Neurodegeneration following Ischemic Stroke Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Shannon Mikayla Stuckey
    2020 Co-Supervisor The role of neuroinflammation in mediating cognitive deficits following traumatic spinal cord injury: Can Fyn kinase inhibition break the link? Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Kavi Sivasankar
    2019 Co-Supervisor An Exploration of the Role of Working Memory in Associative Learning Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Miss Brittany Dorothy Amelia Child

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)
    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Discovery of novel aquaporin subtypes in the human brain: Potential relevance of peroxiporins AQP0 and AQP11 to cellular stress and Alzheimer’s Disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Zein Alabedyn Amro
    2020 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Investigating the impact of individual differences and stress on decision-making performance under threat Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Part Time Mr Manuel Salazar
    2019 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Exploring the Behavioural and Brain Basis of the Link Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Parkinson’s disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Ing Chee Wee
    2019 - 2024 Co-Supervisor Characterising changes to the Blood-Brain Barrier in Healthy Ageing and Following Stroke in an Aged Preclinical Model Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Isabella Megan Bilecki
    2019 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Peripheral-to-Central Neuroimmune Communication and the Sun: Implications for Addiction and Neurodegenerative Disease Pathology Master of Philosophy (Medical Science) Master Full Time Ms Krystal Lee Iacopetta
    2017 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Targeting Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease: Novel Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Approaches Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Bianca Laura Guglietti
    2015 - 2019 Principal Supervisor From Trauma to Neurodegeneration: A One-Year Time Progression of Functional Impairments and its Associated Neuropathological Link Following Varied Severity of Experimental Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Alina Arulsamy

  • Committee Memberships
    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2016 - ongoing Member School of Medicine (SOM) Early/Middle Career Researcher Committee University of Adelaide -
    2016 - ongoing Treasurer National Science Week Committee (South Australia) - -
    2016 - ongoing Member Inspiring South Australia Steering Group - -
    2015 - ongoing Chair Year 1 MBBS Committee University of Adelaide -
    2015 - ongoing Member MBBS Assessment Committee University of Adelaide -
    2015 - ongoing Member Low-Risk Human Research Ethics Committee University of Adelaide -
    2015 - ongoing Member MBBS Curriculum Committee Member - -
    2015 - 2015 Member School of Medical Sciences Learning and Teaching Committee Member University of Adelaide -
    2015 - 2015 Member School of Medical Sciences Seminar Committee University of Adelaide -

  • Memberships
    Date Role Membership Country
    2016 - ongoing - Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society -
    2016 - ongoing - International Neurotrauma Society -
    2015 - ongoing - International Society for Neurochemistry -
    2015 - ongoing - Australasian Neuroscience Society -
    2006 - ongoing Member Society for Neuroscience -
    2006 - ongoing Member International Basal Ganglia Society -

  • Offices Held
    Date Office Name Institution Country
    2016 - ongoing Co-convenor, Neuroscience Major University of Adelaide -
    2015 - ongoing Year 1 Convenor, MBBS Program University of Adelaide -
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