Overview
Background
Gerard Byrne is the Mayne Professor and Head of the Academy of Psychiatry within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Queensland and Director of the Older Persons' Mental Health Service at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. His primary research interests include Alzheimer's disease (particularly the neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with AD), and personality, anxiety and depression in older people. Recent published work has included papers on generalised anxiety disorder in older people, dementia and delirium in the general hospital setting, and the role of lifestyle factors in predicting cognitive trajectory in middle age and later life.
Biography:
Gerard completed his medical degree and an intercalated science degree in Sydney at the University of New South Wales and the Prince of Wales and Prince Henry Hospitals. Following an internship at the Royal Newcastle Hospital, he undertook two further years of general medical training at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. He subsequently completed his five years of psychiatry training at The Prince Charles and Wolston Park Hospitals. His PhD in psychiatric epidemiology was undertaken at the University of Queensland under the supervision of Beverley Raphael AM. He has been Head of the UQ Discipline (now Academy) of Psychiatry since 2001 and Director of Geriatric Psychiatry (now the Older Persons' Mental Health Service) at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital since 1995.
He a member of the Repatriation Medical Authority and chairs the Research Advisory Committee of the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital. He is a member of the advisory board of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research at the Queensland Brain Institute. He is a former member of the board of directors of the International Psychogeriatric Association.
He is a past chairman of the Faculty of Psychiatry of Old Age (FPOA) of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and a former member of the RANZCP General Council. He is a former chair of the RANZCP Sub-committee for Advanced Training in Psychiatry of Old Age and member of the RANZCP Committee for Training. He is a member of the RANZCP Foundation Committee and a member of the Queensland Brain Bank Scientific Advisory Committee.
Gerard also serves as a member of NHMRC GRPs and reviews research grant applications for NHMRC, ARC, Hong Kong MRC, New Zealand RC, Netherlands Organisation for Health Research & Development (ZonMw), U.S. Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Australia Research Fund, and Pfizer Neuroscience Research Grants, amongst others.
He is a member of the editorial board of the journal, Clinical Gerontologist.
He reviews manuscripts for Molecular Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Brain and Cognition, Journal of Affective Disorders, Journal of the American Geriatrics Association (JAGS), Journal of Psychiatric Research, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Age and Ageing, Aging and Mental Health, American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Australasian Journal on Ageing, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, BMC Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety, International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and International Psychogeriatrics, amongst others.
In 2012 he won the Senior Research Award of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
In 2013 he delivered the Bostock Oration of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
In 2016 he was awarded a Meritorious Service Award by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
Availability
- Professor Gerard Byrne is:
- Not available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists
Research interests
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Synaptic Dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease
This project has been funded by the Alzheimer's Association (U.S.) and is being conducted in collaboration with Dr Rudi Tannenberg and A/Prof Peter Dodd in Dr Dodd's laboratory in the School of Microbial and Molecular Sciences.
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Anxiety & Depression During Cognitive Ageing
This 3-year NHMRC-funded study will look at the emergence of syndromal and sub-syndromal anxiety and depression in a cohort of 511 women from the LAW Study being conducted at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital. For further information on this study contact Liz Arnold on 07 3365 5147.
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Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease
Data collection has commenced on a prospective study of predictors of incident neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with late-onset Alzheimer disease. This research project will run for about five or six years - two to three years to recruit the participants and 30 months to complete the longitudinal data collection on each participant. This work is being funded by a generous bequest via the RBWH Research Foundation. For further information on this project, please contact <b> Liz Arnold </b>on (07) 3365 5147.
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International collaborations using interRAI
We are engaged in clinical validation of the interRAI instrument for cross-national data collection in older person's mental health services. For further information please contact Gerard Byrne on 07 3365 5148.
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Clinical Drug Trials for Alzheimer's disease
We are currently involved in several clinical pharmaceutical trials of new drugs or new formulations of existing drugs for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. For further information on these projects, please contact <b>Liz Arnold</b> on 3365 5147.
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Measurement of Anxiety in Older People
This program of collaborative research with Dr Nancy Pachana (School of Psychology) has been underway for about 12 months. The aim of this program is to develop a novel measure of generalised anxiety for use in older people. No such measure currently exists. We plan to use factor analysis and discriminant function analysis to shrink the current draft 60 item scale to 20 or 30 items for everyday use. We will then publish the scale in the public domain. Subsequently, we will use the scale to investigate genetic and other predictors of generalised anxiety in older people. Ultimately, we hope to be able to use the scale as an outcome measure for treatment trials in older people. We anticipate that this research program will continue for 5-10 years.
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Development of Cogni-Screen: A Diagnostic System for Dementia
In a collaborative project with Prof Mike Humphreys (Key Centre for Human Factors & Applied Cognitive Psychology), Dr Nancy Pachana (School of Psychology) & Prof Chris Del Mar (Griffith University) we are developing a computerised diagnostic system for dementia. This system involves a web-based real-time system using speech recognition software. The project has been funded by grants from the NHMRC and the Telstra Broadband Development Fund.
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Depression in Stroke Patients
Data collection for this three-year project on the value of clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of major depression in stroke patients is almost completed. This Queensland Health funded project involved the development and implementation of clinical guidelines within the RBWH Stroke Service. To measure the clinical utility of these guidelines, two cohorts of 100 stroke patients have been enrolled: one prior to the development of the guidelines and one following their introduction.
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Personality and Depression following Stroke
Research impacts
Prof Gerard Byrne and Prof Nancy Pachana have been engaged in a longterm program of research into anxiety in later life. With the assistance of students and colleagues, they have developed a suite of instruments to measure anxiety in older people. These instruments include the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory - Short Form (GAI-SF), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory - Research (GAI-R), and the Informant Questionnaire for Anxiety in Dementia (IQAD). The GAI has now been translated into more than 20 languages and is in widespread use throughout the world. It is used in both clinical and research settings. It has also been used by the pharmaceutical industry in international multisite clinical trials. The availability of the GAI and associated measures has increased focus on the anxiety disorders in older people, which had previously been relatively neglected by clinicians and researchers alike.
Works
Search Professor Gerard Byrne’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
Dietary quality and nutrient intake in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Nguyen, Thomas P., Cribb, Lachlan, Ng, Chee H., Byrne, Gerard J., Castle, David, Brakoulias, Vlasios, Blair-West, Scott, Oliver, Georgina, Ee, Carolyn, Dean, Olivia M., Camfield, David A., Bousman, Chad, Dowling, Nathan, Roy, Rajshri, Berk, Michael and Sarris, Jerome (2021). Dietary quality and nutrient intake in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder. BJPsych Open, 7 (6) e218. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2021.1039
2021
Conference Publication
Remote delivery of technology assisted psychotherapy for people living with dementia in the community
Pacas Fronza, G., Mitchell, L. K., Pachana, N. A., Byrne, G., Liddle, J. and Dissanayaka, N. N. (2021). Remote delivery of technology assisted psychotherapy for people living with dementia in the community. DCRC Anxiety and Depression Symposium 2021, Online, 17 September 2021. Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia: Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration.
2021
Journal Article
Implementation science in the nursing home
Byrne, Gerard J. (2021). Implementation science in the nursing home. International Psychogeriatrics, 33 (9), 865-866. doi: 10.1017/s104161022000383x
2021
Journal Article
Anxiety disorders are associated with verbal memory impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease without dementia
Dissanayaka, Nadeeka N., Forbes, Elana J., Yang, Ji Hyun J., Pourzinal, Dana, O’Sullivan, John D., Mitchell, Leander K., Copland, David A., McMahon, Katie L. and Byrne, Gerard J. (2021). Anxiety disorders are associated with verbal memory impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease without dementia. Journal of Neurology, 269 (3), 1600-1609. doi: 10.1007/s00415-021-10736-x
2021
Journal Article
Hippocampal correlates of episodic memory in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies
Pourzinal, Dana, Yang, Ji Hyun J., Bakker, Arnold, McMahon, Katie L., Byrne, Gerard J., Pontone, Gregory M., Mari, Zoltan and Dissanayaka, Nadeeka N. (2021). Hippocampal correlates of episodic memory in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review of magnetic resonance imaging studies. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 99 (9) jnr.24863, 2097-2116. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24863
2021
Conference Publication
Therapy to reduce dementia risk in Parkinson’s disease (TRIP): Proof-of-concept protocol
Pourzinal, D., Bakker, A., Byrne, G.J., McMahon, K., O’Sullivan, J., Adam, R., Copland, D., Yang, J.H.J., Au, T., Littleford, R., Chatfield, M., Pontone, G., Mari, Z. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Therapy to reduce dementia risk in Parkinson’s disease (TRIP): Proof-of-concept protocol. Australia Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May - 1 June 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Telehealth psychotherapy for anxiety in older persons with cognitive impairment (Tele-CBT): a mixed methods pilot study
Pacas Fronza, G., Mitchell, L. K., Pachana, N. A., Byrne, G., Liddle, J. and Dissanayaka, N. N. (2021). Telehealth psychotherapy for anxiety in older persons with cognitive impairment (Tele-CBT): a mixed methods pilot study. Australia Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May – 1 June 2021.
2021
Journal Article
Defining atypical anxiety in Parkinson's disease
Forbes, Elana J., Byrne, Gerard J., O'Sullivan, John D., Yang, Jihyun, Marsh, Rodney and Dissanayaka, Nadeeka N. (2021). Defining atypical anxiety in Parkinson's disease. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 8 (4), 571-581. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.13193
2021
Journal Article
Neural correlates of attentional deficits in Parkinson’s disease patients with mild cognitive impairment
Yang, Jihyun, Pourzinal, Dana, McMahon, Katie L., Byrne, Gerard J., Copland, David A., O’Sullivan, John D. and Dissanayaka, Nadeeka N. (2021). Neural correlates of attentional deficits in Parkinson’s disease patients with mild cognitive impairment. Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, 85, 17-22. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2021.02.009
2021
Book
Anxiety in older people: clinical and research perspectives
Gerard Byrne and Nancy Pachana eds. (2021). Anxiety in older people: clinical and research perspectives. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781139087469
2021
Conference Publication
Semantic fluency and its associated brain activity in Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment
Yang, J., Byrne, G., McMahon, K., Copland, D., O’Sullivan, J. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Semantic fluency and its associated brain activity in Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment. Australia Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May-1 June 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Towards better mental health within residential aged care: formulation of a performance measurement tool to aid organisational governance
Brimelow, R., Byrne, G., Beattie, E. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Towards better mental health within residential aged care: formulation of a performance measurement tool to aid organisational governance. Australian Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May-1 June 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Involvement of cerebellum during task based and resting state fMRI in Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment
Yang, J., Byrne, G., McMahon, K., Copland, D., O’Sullivan, J. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Involvement of cerebellum during task based and resting state fMRI in Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment. Australia Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May-1 June 2021.
2021
Journal Article
Treatment of Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder with Nutraceuticals (TRON): A 20-week, open label pilot study
Sarris, Jerome, Byrne, Gerard J., Oliver, Georgina, Cribb, Lachlan, Blair-West, Scott, Castle, David, Dean, Olivia M., Camfield, David A., Brakoulias, Vlasios, Bousman, Chad, Dowling, Nathan, Ee, Carolyn, Murphy, Jenifer, Menon, Ranjit, Berk, Michael, Chamoli, Suneel, Boschen, Mark and Ng, Chee H. (2021). Treatment of Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder with Nutraceuticals (TRON): A 20-week, open label pilot study. CNS Spectrums, 27 (5), 1-10. doi: 10.1017/S1092852921000638
2021
Conference Publication
Changes in the cerebellar activity during task based and resting state fMRI in Parkinson’s disease patients with mild cognitive impairment
Yang, J., Byrne, G., McMahon, K., Copland, D., O’Sullivan, J. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Changes in the cerebellar activity during task based and resting state fMRI in Parkinson’s disease patients with mild cognitive impairment. MDS Virtual Congress 2021, Online, 17 - 22 September 2021. Hoboken, NJ, United States: John Wiley & Sons.
2021
Conference Publication
Investigating resting state functional connectivity in sub-phenotypes of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease
Pourzinal, D., Yang, J.H., Byrne, G.J., O’Sullivan, J.D., McMahon, K., Copland, D.A. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Investigating resting state functional connectivity in sub-phenotypes of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. Australia Dementia Forum 2021, Online, 31 May – 1 June 2021.
2021
Conference Publication
Systematic review of Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies exploring hippocampal correlates of episodic memory in Parkinson’s disease
Pourzinal, D., Yang, J., Bakker, A., McMahon, K. L., Byrne, G. J., Pontone, G., Mari, Z. and Dissanayaka, N. (2021). Systematic review of Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies exploring hippocampal correlates of episodic memory in Parkinson’s disease. 6th Pacific Rim Conference 2021, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 30 Jun-3 Jul 2021.
2020
Conference Publication
Therapy to reduce dementia risk in Parkinson’s disease (TRIP): proof-of-concept protocol
Pourzinal, D., Bakker, A., Byrne, G. J., McMahon, K., O'Sullivan, J., Adam, R., Copland, D., Yang, J. H. J., Au, T., Littleford, R., Chatfield, M., Pontone, G., Mari, G. and Dissanayaka, N. (2020). Therapy to reduce dementia risk in Parkinson’s disease (TRIP): proof-of-concept protocol. Herston Health Precinct Symposium 2020, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 7-11 December 2020.
2020
Journal Article
A prospective cohort study of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease: Prospective Imaging Study of Ageing: genes, brain and behaviour (PISA)
Lupton, Michelle K., Robinson, Gail A., Adam, Robert J, Rose, Stephen, Byrne, Gerard J., Salvado, Olivier, Pachana, Nancy A., Almeida, Osvaldo P., McAloney, Kerrie, Gordon, Scott D., Raniga, Parnesh, Fazlollahi, Amir, Xia, Ying, Ceslis, Amelia, Sonkusare, Saurabh, Zhang, Qing, Kholghi, Mahnoosh, Karunanithi, Mohan, Mosley, Philip E., Lv, Jinglei, Borne, Léonie, Adsett, Jessica, Garden, Natalie, Fripp, Jurgen, Martin, Nicholas G., Guo, Christine C. and Breakspear, Michael (2020). A prospective cohort study of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease: Prospective Imaging Study of Ageing: genes, brain and behaviour (PISA). NeuroImage: Clinical, 29 102527, 102527. doi: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102527
2020
Conference Publication
Improving diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease: IDATA-PD study update
Dissanayaka, N., Byrne, G. J., Mitchell, L. K., O'Sullivan, J. D., Padmassini, A., White, E. X., Yang, J. H. J., Forbes, E., Thangavelu, K., Au, T., Lehn, A., Adam, R. and Pachana, N. A. (2020). Improving diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease: IDATA-PD study update. Herston Health Precinct Symposium 2020, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 7-11 December 2020.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Gerard Byrne is:
- Not available for supervision
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Psychopathology in Bariatric Surgical Candidates with Type II Diabetes
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Delirium in hospital. Challenging times call for digital measures.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Peter Worthy, Professor Juha Toyras, Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
Completed supervision
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Chronic and treatment-resistant depression
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nancy Pachana
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Generalized anxiety disorder in older adults: Prevalence, associated factors, and treatment outcomes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nancy Pachana
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
THE IMPACT OF RESIDENTIAL RESPITE CARE ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF OLDER PEOPLE
Principal Advisor
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2024
Doctor Philosophy
Development and feasibility evaluation of a psychotherapy intervention for anxiety in persons living with cognitive impairment delivered via videoconferencing
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jacki Liddle, Dr Leander Mitchell, Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Cognitive subtypes in Parkinson's disease: exploring phenotypes, neuroimaging targets, and therapeutics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor John O'Sullivan, Dr Ji Hyun Julia Yang, Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Towards Better Mental Health Care: Management of Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms within Residential Aged Care Facilities
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Markers and Mechanisms of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's disease
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor David Copland, Professor Nadeeka Dissanayaka
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Cytokines and Inflammatory Markers in Depression in Adolescents
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor James Scott, Professor Nick Martin, Professor Naomi Wray
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Conceptualizing Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Later Life
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nancy Pachana
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Neuronal activity in the pedunculopontine nucleus and globus pallidus in patients with movement disorders
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Pankaj Sah
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Resistance to psychoanalytic treatment among patients with psychosomatic disorders
Associate Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Health and lifestyle factors in predicting cognitive trajectory in ageing women
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nancy Pachana
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Herbal and complementary medicine in the treatment of depression and anxiety
Associate Advisor
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
AN INVESTIGATION OF ORGANIC FACTORS IN THE NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Gerard Byrne directly for media enquiries about:
- Ageing and psychiatry
- Alzheimer's disease
- Anxiety disorders
- Behavioural problems in the elderly
- Bereavement - and psychiatry
- Dementia
- Depression
- Elderly - psychiatry
- Geriatric psychiatry
- Health - mental
- Mental health
- Nursing homes - and psychiatry
- Older people and psychiatry
- Psychiatry
- Psychosis
- Quality of life and mental health
- Senior citizens and psychiatry
- Vascular dementia
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