Making the community proud
Perminder Singh Sachdev, Member of the Order of Australia, speaks to USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND
Eminent Sydney based neuropsychiatrist Perminder Singh Sachdev has been named Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in this year’s Queen’s Honour Roll. An order of chivalry established by Queen Elizabeth in 1975, the award recognises the contribution of Australian citizens for meritorious service to the local and international community.
“The AM is indeed a great honour as it is a recognition of the fact that my work has been recognised to be of benefit to the Australian community”, Dr Sachdev told Indian Link.
“It acknowledges that the clinical work and research at the Neuropsychiatric Institute is of the highest international standards worthy of an award”, he went on to add.
Of course, such work is never solely an individual effort, and many colleagues and students have contributed to this success, he humbly reiterated, while acknowledging the support of his wife Jagdeep and his daughters Sonal and Nupur.
It may be recalled that the Scientia Professor and Clinical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI), was named 2010 Scientist of the Year for his contribution to Biomedical Sciences.
The NPI, with which he has been associated since his move to Australia in the early nineties, is an elite tertiary referral unit for complex neuropsychiatric disorders at the Prince of Wales Hospital.
While the institute covers a broad spectrum of issues involving neurology and psychiatry, it specialises in cognitive ageing, dementia and neurodegenerative disorders as well as Tourette syndrome.
Our work is progressing extremely well and we now have nearly 60 staff members affiliated with the Brain and Ageing Research Program, he proudly indicated.
“In fact, we are in the process of developing a Centre for Healthy Ageing and are raising funds for this project. The centre also conducts research into psychiatric disorders associated with epilepsy, stroke, brain tumours, adult ADHD and a range of other disorders. We also have specialised projects on obsessive-compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa”, he explained.
Dr Sachdev is heading a brain stimulation programme, which is investigating new treatments such as trans-cranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation. Some radical strategies include increasing the plasticity of the brain as well as cognitive therapy to slow down age related decline.
“As Australia’s population ages, the prevalence of neurocognitive disorders is increasing at an alarming rate. The cost to society and the economy is indeed huge”, warned Sachdev.
Thankfully, there is a worldwide effort now to develop new intervention strategies, which include drugs to prevent the development of pathology or to slow its progression, he acknowledged.
In this context NPI has a close collaboration with researchers at Sydney University for a smart trial to help slow the progression of impairment in those with mild memory problems. “And it is very likely that it will become a commonly applied intervention”, he explained.
NPI has also made significant progress on the stem cell front. Dr Sachdev’s team developed a neural stem cell three years ago to trial treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. The group is currently experimenting with stem cells from embryonic tissue, adult dogs and adult humans to develop cell lines targeting Alzheimer’s and dementia sufferers.
After extensive research on drug-induced movement disorders like akathisia, tardive dyskinesia and neuroleptic malignant syndrome, Dr Sachdev soon branched out to dementia, in particular its risk factors, biomarkers as well as neuro-imaging and neuropsychology.
“We initially examined the clinical features and showed that memory impairment is not the early feature of this disorder. Rather it is the small vessel disease, even in patients with stroke. Likewise, we also showed that high homocysteine may be a risk factor in brain atrophy and small vessel disease.”
Dr Sachdev has been heading an international effort to define the criteria for the diagnosis of vascular dementia. In this context, his team has been conducting a number of longitudinal studies to examine the development of cognitive impairment, including memory and ageing study, older Australian twins study and Sydney centenarian study.
Additionally, NPI is also working with researchers at ANU on the PATH (Personality and Total Health) through Life study.
Besides publishing numerous research papers and scientific texts, Sachdev has also forayed into the fascinating grey area between fact and fiction. A talented and empathetic wordsmith, his maiden literary effort, The Yipping Tiger and other Tales, won the Rotary Knowledge Dissemination award. Dr Sachdev was a special invitee at 2010 Melbourne Writers’ Festival.
