APrf Lyndsey Collins-Praino
Associate Professor
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science
College of Health
A/Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino leads the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory (CANDL) and is Chair of the Research Committee for the School of Biomedicine. She holds a PhD in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Connecticut and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience at Columbia University Medical Centre. After re-locating to Australia in 2014, she founded and currently leads CANDL, where she and her team take a bench-to-bedside approach to identify biomarkers that predict risk and progression of cognitive decline in healthy ageing and neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury and dementia. She is passionate about earlier identification of neurodegenerative disease risk for improved diagnosis/prognosis and more targeted therapeutic intervention, and is an advocate for improved incorporation of evidence-based biomarkers into neurological practice. She has published >80 high impact publications and has received more than AUD$11 million in competitive research funding from both Category 1 (MRFF, NHMRC, ARC) and philanthropic sources. She has been the recipient of numerous prestigious research awards, including a 2016 South Australian Young Tall Poppy award (Finalist, Tall Poppy of the Year), and her research can be seen featured in multiple media outlets.A/Prof Collins-Praino in an enthusiastic advocate for bringing together scientists and consumers with government, industry and philanthropic partners to improve research translation/impact and influence patient care. She is also committed to meaningful incorporation of "lived experience" perspectives into ageing and neurological disease research and routinely engages with stakeholders through focus groups and co-design, as well as educational talks to patient support groups. She pairs this with demonstrated excellence in science communication and media engagement to raise public awareness of neurodegenerative disease and promote healthy brain ageing. She is a frequent organiser of and participant in science outreach events at diverse events in both metro and regional locations, including Science Alive, National Science Week, the Museum of Discovery (MOD), Science in the Pub and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.In addition, A/Prof Collins-Praino is also a nationally award winning neuroscience educator, curriculum designer and HDR/Honours supervisor, focused on training the next generation of excellence in brain science. Her outstanding teaching has been recognised through numerous teaching awards at the University (every teaching award offered by the Faculty or University, including the University Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2020), as well as at both the state (SA Early Career STEM Educator of the Year, Tertiary Education, 2016) and national (National Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning, Australian Awards for University Teaching, 2020) level. In 2024, her excellence in supervisory practice was recognised with a University Commendation for Implementing Effective HDR Supervisory Practices.
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.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 - ongoing | Associate Professor | University of Adelaide |
| 2017 - 2019 | Senior Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 2014 - 2016 | Lecturer | University of Adelaide |
| 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 | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Italian | Can read, write, speak and understand spoken |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Connecticut | United States | PhD | |
| University of Connecticut | United States | MA | |
| University of Connecticut | United States | Graduate Certificate | |
| University of Scranton | United States | BS (Hons) |
| Date | Title | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-doctoral Fellow | Columbia University Medical Center | United States |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Collins-Praino, L. E. (2022). Traumatic axonal injury as a key driver of the relationship between traumatic brain injury, cognitive dysfunction, and dementia. In R. Rajendram,, V. R. Preedy, & C. R. Martin (Eds.), Cellular, Molecular, Physiological, and Behavioral Aspects of Traumatic Brain Injury (pp. 475-486). United Kingdom: Academic Press. DOI Scopus2 |
| 2020 | Foreman, L. M., Baetu, I., Rego, J., Collins-Praino, L., & Moustafa, A. (2020). Theories of compulsive drug use: A brief overview of learning and motivation processes. In A. Moustafa (Ed.), Cognitive, Clinical, and Neural Aspects of Drug Addiction (pp. 137-185). London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. DOI Scopus2 |
| 2014 | Salamone, J., Podurgiel, S., Collins-Praino, L., & Correa, M. (2014). Physiological and behavioral assessment of tremor in rodents. In M. LeDoux (Ed.), Movement Disorders: Genetics and Models (2 ed., pp. 631-640). Elsevier. DOI Scopus2 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Collins-Praino, L., McNamara, A., Ellul, B., Baetu, I., Lau, S., & Jenkinson, M. (2024). Beyond Clinical Presentation: Incorporating Neuroimaging and Biofluid Markers to Predict Progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). In MOVEMENT DISORDERS Vol. 39 (pp. S63-S64). PA, Philadelphia: WILEY. |
| 2024 | Stuckey, S. M., Collins-Praino, L. E., Costigan-Dwyer, R. A., Bilecki, I. M., Homes-Vickers, M. A., Poyzer, A. J., . . . Turner, R. J. (2024). The role of neuroinflammation in delayed neurodegeneration following photothrombotic stroke in rats. In Abstracts of the Asia Pacific Stroke Conference Combined Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation Conference (2024) as published in Cerebrovascular Diseases Vol. 53 (pp. 30). Adelaide, Australia: Karger Publishers. |
| 2017 | Collins-Praino, L., Burton, J., & Johnson, I. (2017). Integration of a novel three-dimensional teaching tool for undergraduate neuroanatomy: student opinions and learning outcomes.. In Journal of Anatomy Vol. 230 (pp. 358). Sussex, UK: Blackwell Publishing Inc.. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Gecz, J., Bhattacharjee, R., Palmer, E., Gardner, A., Carroll, R., Wee, I. C., . . . Kumar, R. (2024). Genetic, Molecular and Mouse Model Investigations of Neurodevelopmental Impact of Deleterious Variants of the TREX Transcription-mRNA Export Complex Subunits. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the 57th European Society of Human Genetics Conference (ESHG 2024), as published in European Journal of Human Genetics. Berlin, Germany: Springer Nature. DOI |
| 2023 | Ellul, B., McNamara, A., Baetu, I., Lau, S., Jenkinson, M., & Collins-Praino, L. (2023). Predicting longitudinal cognition and mood changes in newly diagnosed Parkinson's Disease from substantia nigra imaging (Oral Presentation). Poster session presented at the meeting of ACNS Conference Sydney 2023. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ixovo4O6LZNfSrf4S0Ds6vkbmyayHHEt. |
| 2023 | McNamara, A., Ellul, B., Baetu, I. -I., Lau, S., Jenkinson, M., & Collins-Praino, L. (2023). Utility of Baseline Pathological, Neuroimaging and Clinical Markers for Progression Prognosis and Subtype Classification in Early Parkinson's Disease: Implications for Cognitive Impairment. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC 2023), as published in Alzheimer's & Dementia Journal. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Wiley. DOI |
| 2023 | McNamara, A., Ellul, B., Baetu, I. -I., Lau, S., Jenkinson, M., & Collins-Praino, L. (2023). Predicting progression of Parkinson’s disease motor outcomes using a multimodal combination of baseline clinical measures, neuroimaging and biofluid markers. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the 6th World Parkinson Congress, as published in Journal of Parkinson's Disease. Barcelona, Spain: IOS Press. DOI |
| 2022 | McNamara, A., Ellul, B., Baetu, I., Lau, S., Jenkinson, M., & Collins-Praino, L. (2022). Predicting Progression of Parkinson’s Disease Motor Outcomes Using a Multimodal Combination of Baseline Clinical Measures, Neuroimaging and Biofluid Markers in Early PD. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Neuroscience Conference 2022. Melbourne. |
| 2022 | Ellul, B., McNamara, A., Baetu, I., Lau, S., Jenkinson, M., & Collins-Praino, L. (2022). The role of the substantia nigra in predicting longitudinal cognitive and mood changes in newly diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease. Poster session presented at the meeting of Australasian Neuroscience Conferences 2022. Melbourne, Australia. |
| 2019 | Child, B. D., Baetu, I., Collins-Praino, L., & Burns, N. (2019). Reinforcement learning in Parkinson’s disease: Do motor symptoms predict performance?. Poster session presented at the meeting of 28th Annual Meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society. Cairns, Australia. |
| 2019 | Corrigan, F., Kaukas, L., Collins-Praino, L., & Holmes, J. (2019). EFFECT OF A MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY DURING ADOLESCENCE ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN ADULTHOOD. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA. Pittsburgh, PA: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. |
| 2019 | Child, B. D., Baetu, I., Collins-Praino, L., Salamon, J., & Burns, N. (2019). Reinforcement learning in Parkinson's disease: Do motor symptoms predict performance?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Florey Postgraduate Research Conference. Adelaide, Australia. |
| 2018 | Johnson, I., Collins-Praino, L., & Burton, J. (2018). They liked it, but did they learn anything?. Poster session presented at the meeting of Clinical Anatomy. Canberra, Australia: Wiley. |
| 2016 | Collins-Praino, L., Teng, J., Colton, H., Van den Heuvel, C., & Corrigan, F. (2016). INVESTIGATING THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NEUROINFLAMMATION, NEURODEGENERATION AND LONG-TERM FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA. Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA: MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. |
| 2016 | Corrigan, F., & Vink, R. (2016). Toll like receptor 4 activation can be either detrimental or beneficial following mild repetitive traumatic brain injury depending on timing of activation. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the 12th Symposium of the International Neurotrauma Society, as published in Journal of Neurotrauma. Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA: Mary Ann Liebert. DOI |
| 2015 | Collins-Praino, L., Burton, J., & Johnson, I. P. (2015). Evaluation of the utility of an in-house three-dimensional teaching tool for undergraduate neuroanatomy. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts presented at the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA) 11th annual meeting, “Anatomy in work and play,” 3rd to 5th December 2014, Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand, as published in Clinical Anatomy. Queenstown, New Zealand: Wiley. DOI |
| 2012 | Collins‐Praino, L., Scarmeas, N., Manly, J., Schupf, N., Noble, J., Provenzano, F., . . . Brickman, A. (2012). P3‐193: White matter hyperintensities may mediate the relationship between inflammation and cognition in an elderly cohort. Poster session presented at the meeting of Alzheimer's & Dementia. Wiley. DOI |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Haller, O., Whittaker, A., George, R., Semendric, I., & Collins-Praino, L. (2021). Investigating the effects of anti-inflammatory agents in pre-clinical models of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment – a systematic review protocol. PROSPERO- registration no: CRD42021240789. |
| 2021 | Semendric, I., Haller, O., George, R., Pollock, D., Whittaker, A., & Collins-Praino, L. (2021). Experience of the impact of chemobrain in childhood cancer survivors: a qualitative systematic review protocol. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021240573. PROSPERO. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Green, A., Cowell, E., Carr, L., Hemsley, K., Sherratt, E., Collins-Praino, L., & Carr, J. (2024). Application of diceCT to Study the Development of the Zika Virus Infected Mouse Brain. DOI |
| 2024 | Haller, O., Semendric, I., Collins-Praino, L., Whittaker, A., & George, R. (2024). Changes in cognition and neuroinflammation in a rodent model of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment are variable both acutely and chronically. DOI |
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.
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Defining actions of complement to identify pan-therapeutic targets in traumatic brain injury | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Eloise Joy Arthur |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Understanding the Role of Environmental Exposures in Parkinson’s Disease: Synergistic Effects of Traumatic Brain Injury in Combination with Additional Risk Factors on the Nigrostriatal and Olfactory Systems | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Ms Samantha Elizabeth Edwards |
| 2021 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | A multi-faceted approach to explore the role of neuroinflammation in chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment: From systematic review to in vitro and in vivo modelling | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Olivia Jane Haller |
| 2021 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Prediction of cognitive and mood trajectories and clinical awareness of neurodegenerative disease risk following traumatic brain injury | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Benjamin Paul Ellul |
| 2021 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Bridging the Gap Between Parkinson’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury: The Role of Biological Assessments for Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Disease Risk and Prognosis of Clinical Outcomes | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Mr Angus McNamara |
| 2021 - 2025 | Principal Supervisor | Exploring Microglial Ageing: Insights from Human Genomic Data, Pre-Clinical Animal Models, and the Future of In Vitro Modelling | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Full Time | Miss Laura May Carr |
| 2020 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Characterising the Role of Neuroinflammation in Delayed Neurodegeneration Following Ischemic Stroke in a Long-Term Rodent Model | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Dr Shannon Mikayla Stuckey |
| 2020 - 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Beyond the Spine: Investigating Chronic Cognitive Dysfunction Following Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Miss Kavi Sivasankar |
| 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 |
| 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 | - |
| 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 | - |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 - ongoing | Co-convenor, Neuroscience Major | University of Adelaide | - |
| 2015 - ongoing | Year 1 Convenor, MBBS Program | University of Adelaide | - |
