ECU offers innovative and practical courses across a variety of disciplines and we have a vibrant research culture. ECU is a leader in developing alternative entry pathways to higher education.
We have three campuses in Western Australia. Joondalup and Mount Lawley in the Perth metropolitan area and our South West campus in Bunbury, 200km south of the Perth CBD.
ECU provides a variety of services and facilities that go beyond the classroom, with opportunities for personal development and social interaction for students and staff.
We collaborate with all types of businesses, including new start-ups, small to medium enterprises, not-for-profits, community organisations, government and large corporates in the resources sector.
Children's University Edith Cowan aims to inspire students between seven and fourteen to develop confidence and a love of learning through validated activities beyond the school curriculum.
Belinda is a Research Fellow in Neuroscience based at the McCusker Foundation.
Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Western Australia, 2014.
Bachelor of Science (Molecular Biotechnology), Curtin University of Technology, 2007.
Research
Recent Research Grants
The role of intense physical activity in protecting the ageing brain, National Health and Medical Research Council, Dementia Research Development Fellowship,
2016 - 2020, $778,579.
The effect of high-intensity exercise on Alzheimer’s disease-related gene expression, Brain Foundation, Research Gifts Program,
2017, $39,875.
Application for travel to the Brain Aging and Cognitive Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, AADRF - Rosemary Foundation Travel Fellowship,
2015 - 2016, $15,000.
Exercise intensity and prevention of cognitive decline in older adults, Edith Cowan University, ECU Early Career Researcher Grant - 2015,
2015 - 2016, $24,066.
The influence of exercise intensity on the prevention of cognitive decline in older adults, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, AADRF - Postdoctoral Fellowships,
2014 - 2016, $238,034.
Recent Publications (within the last five years)
Journal Articles
Fine, L., Weinborn, M., Ng, A., Loft, S., Li, Y., Hodgson, E., Parker, D., Rainey-Smith, S., Sohrabi, H., Brown, B., Martins, R., Bucks, R., (2019), Sleep disruption explains age-related prospective memory deficits: implications for cognitive aging and intervention. Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition: A Journal on Normal and Dysfunctional Development, 26(4), 621-636, Routledge, DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2018.1513449.
Marston, K., Brown, B., Rainey-Smith, S., Bird, S., Wijaya, L., Teo, S., Laws, S., Martins, R., Peiffer, J., (2019), Twelve weeks of resistance training does not influence peripheral levels of neurotrophic growth factors or homocysteine in healthy adults: a randomized‑controlled trial. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(10), 2167-2176, Germany, Springer, DOI: 10.1007/s00421-019-04202-w.
Sohrabi, H., Weinborn, M., Laske, C., Bates, K., Christensen, D., Taddei, K., Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Gardener, S., Laws, S., Martins, G., Burnham, S., Bucks, R., Reisberg, B., Lautenschlager, N., Foster, J., Martins, R., (2019), Subjective memory complaints predict baseline but not future cognitive function over three years: results from the Western Australia Memory Study. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(4), 513-525, Cambridge University Press, DOI: 10.1017/S1041610218001072.
Marston, K., Peiffer, J., Rainey-Smith, S., Gordon, N., Teo, S., Laws, S., Sohrabi, H., Martins, R., Brown, B., (2019), Resistance training enhances delayed memory in healthy middle-aged and older adults: A randomised controlled trial. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 22(11), 1226-1231, DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2019.06.013.
Fernando, B., Rainey-Smith, S., Gardener, S., Villemagne, V., Burnham, S., Macaulay, SL., Brown, B., Gupta, V., Sohrabi, H., Weinborn, M., Taddei, K., Laws, S., Goozee, K., Ames, D., Fowler, C., Maruff, P., Masters, C., Salvado, O., Rowe, C., Martins, R., (2018), Associations of dietary protein and fiber intake with brain and blood amyloid-B. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 61(2018), 1589-1598, Netherlands, IOS Press, DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170742.
Weinborn, M., Bucks, R., Sohrabi, H., Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Gardener, S., Gozt, O., Christensen, D., Savage, G., Laws, S., Taddei, K., Maruff, P., Robertson, J., Ellis, K., Ames, D., Masters, C., Rowe, C., Martins, R., (2018), Trajectories of Irregular Word Reading Ability as a Proxy for Premorbid Intelligence in Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Healthy Aging: A Longitudinal Study. Psychological Assessment, 30(10), 1308-1316, United States, American Psychological Association, DOI: 10.1037/pas0000565.
Rainey-Smith, S., Mazzucchelli, G., Villemagne, V., Brown, B., Porter, T., Weinborn, M., Bucks, R., Milicic, L., Sohrabi, H., Taddei, K., Ames, D., Maruff, P., Masters, C., Rowe, C., Salvado, O., Martins, R., Laws, S., (2018), Genetic variation in Aquaporin-4 moderates the relationship between sleep and brain Aβ-amyloid burden. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1), Article no. 47, United Kingdom, Nature Publishing Group, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0094-x.
McCabe, K., Woods, S., Weinborn, M., Sohrabi, H., Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Gardener, S., Taddei, K., Martins, R., (2018), Personality characteristics are independently associated with prospective memory in the laboratory, and in daily Life, among older adults. Journal of Research in Personality, 76(Oct 2018), 32-37, United States, Academic Press, DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2018.06.006.
Martins, R., Villemagne, V., Sohrabi, H., Chatterjee, P., Shah, T., Verdile, G., Fraser, P., Taddei, K., Gupta, V., Rainey-Smith, S., Hone, E., Pedrini, S., Lim, F., Martins, I., Frost, S., Gupta, S., O'Bryant, S., Rembach, A., Ames, D., Ellis, K., Fuller, S., Brown, B., Gardener, S., Fernando, B., Bharadwaj, P., Burnham, S., Laws, S., Barron, A., Goozee, K., Wahjoepramono, EJ., Asih, P., Doecke, J., Salvado, O., Bush, A., Rowe, C., Gandy, S., Masters, C., (2018), Alzheimer’s Disease: A Journey from Amyloid Peptides and Oxidative Stress, to Biomarker Technologies and Disease Prevention Strategies—Gains from AIBL and DIAN Cohort Studies. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 62(3), 965-992, Netherlands, IOS Press, DOI: 10.3233/JAD-171145.
Brown, B., Sohrabi, H., Taddei, K., Gardener, S., Rainey-Smith, S., Peiffer, J., Xiong, C., Fagan, A., Benzinger, T., Buckles, V., Erickson, K., Clarnette, R., Shah, T., Masters, C., Weiner, M., Cairns, N., Rossor, M., Graff-Radford, N., Salloway, S., Voglein, J., Laske, C., Noble, J., Schofield, P., Bateman, R., Morris, J., Martins, R., (2017), Habitual exercise levels are associated with cerebral amyloid load in presymptomatic autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's and Dementia, 13(11), 1197-1206, United States, Elsevier Science Inc., DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.03.008.
Brown, B., Rainey-Smith, S., Castalanelli, N., Gordon, N., Markovic, S., Sohrabi, H., Weinborn, M., Laws, S., Doecke, J., Shen, K., Martins, R., Peiffer, JJ., (2017), Study protocol of the Intense Physical Activity and Cognition study: The effect of high-intensity exercise training on cognitive function in older adults. Alzheimer's and Dementia, 3(4), 562-570, United States, Elsevier Science Inc., DOI: 10.1016/j.trci.2017.09.003.
Marston, K., Newton, M., Brown, B., Rainey-Smith, S., Bird, S., Martins, R., Peiffer, J., (2017), Intense resistance exercise increases peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(10), 899-903, Chatswood, NSW, Elsevier Australia, DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2017.03.015.
Bird, S., Sohrabi, H., Sutton, T., Weinborn, M., Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Patterson, L., Taddei, K., Gupta, V., Carruthers, M., Lenzo, N., Knuckey, N., Bucks, R., Verdile, G., Martins, R., (2016), Cerebral amyloid-β accumulation and deposition following traumatic brain injury-A narrative review and meta-analysis of animal studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews, 64(2016), 215-228, Elsevier Ltd, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.01.004.
Burnham, S., Bourgeat, P., Dore, V., Savage, G., Brown, B., Laws, S., Maruff, P., Salvado, O., Ames, D., Martins, R., Masters, C., Rowe, C., Villemagne, V., (2016), Clinical and cognitive trajectories in cognitively healthy elderly individuals with suspected non-Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology (SNAP) or Alzheimer's disease pathology: a longitudinal study. Lancet Neurology, 15(10), 1044-1053, London, UK, Lancet Publishing Group, DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(16)30125-9.
Chatterjee, P., Lim, F., Shui, G., Gupta, V., James, I., Fagan, A., Xiong, C., Sohrabi, H., Taddei, K., Brown, B., Benzinger, T., Masters, C., Snowden, S., Wenk, M., Bateman, R., Morris, J., Martins, R., (2016), Plasma Phospholipid and Sphingolipid Alterations in Presnilin1 Mutation Carriers: A Pilot Study. Journal of Alzheimer's disease, 50(3), 887-894, Netherlands, IOS Press, DOI: 10.3233/JAD-150948.
Brown, B., Rainey-Smith, S., Villemagne, V., Weinborn, M., Bucks, R., Sohrabi, H., Laws, S., Taddei, K., Macaulay, SL., Ames, D., Fowler, C., Maruff, P., Masters, C., Rowe, C., Martins, R., (2016), The relationship between sleep quality and brain amyloid burden. Sleep, 39(5), 1063-1068, Westchester, USA, Associated Professional Sleep Societies,LLC, DOI: 10.5665/sleep.5756.
Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Sohrabi, H., Shah, T., Goozee, K., Gupta, V., Martins, R., (2016), Curcumin and cognition: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of community-dwelling older adults. British Journal of Nutrition, 115(2), 2106-2113, Cambridge University Press, DOI: 10.1017/S0007114516001203.
Goozee, K., Shah, T., Sohrabi, H., Rainey-Smith, S., Brown, B., Verdile, G., Martins, R., (2016), Examining the potential clinical value of curcumin in the prevention and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. British Journal of Nutrition, 115(3), 449-465, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, DOI: 10.1017/S0007114515004687.
Chatterjee, P., Gupta, V., Fagan, A., Jasielec, M., Xiong, C., Sohrabi, H., Dhaliwal, S., Taddei, K., Bourgeat, P., Brown, B., Benzinger, T., Bateman, R., Morris, J., Martins, R., (2015), Decreased Platelet APP Isoform Ratios in Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease: Baseline Data from a DIAN Cohort Subset. Current Alzheimer Research, 12(2), 157-164, Bussum, Netherlands, Bentham Science Publishers, DOI: 10.2174/1567205012666150204125732.
Sohrabi, H., Bates, K., Weinborn, M., Bucks, R., Rainey-Smith, S., Rodrigues, M., Bird, S., Brown, B., Beilby, J., Howard, M., Criddle, A., Wraith, M., Taddei, K., Martins, G., Paton, A., Shah, T., Dhaliwal, S., Mehta, P., Foster, J., Martins, I., Lautenschlager, N., Mastaglia, F., Laws, S., Martins, R., (2015), Bone mineral density, adiposity, and cognitive functions. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 7(FEB), Article no. 16, Lausanne, Switzerland, Frontiers Research Foundation, DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00016.
Bourgeat, P., Villemagne, V., Dore, V., Brown, B., Macaulay, SL., Martins, R., Masters, C., Ames, D., Ellis, K., Rowe, C., Salvado, O., Fripp, J., (2015), Comparison of MR-less PiB SUVR quantification methods. Neurobiology of Aging, 36(S1), S159-S166, United States, Elsevier, DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.04.033.
Brown, B., Bourgeat, P., Peiffer, J., Burnham, S., Laws, S., Rainey-Smith, S., Bartres-Faz, D., Villemagne, V., Taddei, K., Rembach, A., Bush, A., Ellis, K., Macaulay, SL., Rowe, C., Ames, D., Masters, C., Maruff, P., Martins, R., (2014), Influence of BDNF Val66Met on the relationship between physical activity and brain volume. Neurology, 83(15), 1345-52, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000867.
Villemagne, V., Dore, V., Yates, P., Brown, B., Mulligan, R., Bourgeat, P., Veljanoski, R., Rainey-Smith, S., Ong, K., Rembach, A., Williams, R., Burnham, S., Laws, S., Salvado, O., Taddei, K., Macaulay, SL., Martins, R., Ames, D., Masters, C., Rowe, C., (2014), En Attendant Centiloid. Advances in Research, 2(12), 723-729, Online, Science Domain International, DOI: 10.9734/AIR/2014/11599.
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