Researcher: Professor R Remington

Institution: University of Southampton

Award: £37,800

Medical Condition: Autism

Project Title: Early intensive home-based intervention treatment of Autism - analysis of tutor performance.

BENEFITS:  This study has shown that home-based intensive behavioural therapy in autistic children is more likely to success if the tutor is a highly self-perceived ability to be effective.  This level of self-perceived ability can be measured and thus help to identify tutors who might require additional support or training to produce the best results.

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Researcher: Dr. G Baird

Institution: Newcomen Centre, Guys Hospital

Award: £49,250

Medical Condition: Autism

Project Title: Research into some underlying causes of Autism.

BENEFITS: There has long been a concern about possible medical causes of autism which are unrecognized by the medical community and which might lead to potential treatments.  Public awareness and anxiety were particularly raised over a report in 1998 in the Lancet of an association of autism with regression following the MMR immunization and a bowel disorder.  This resulted in a marked drop in immunization with the consequent severe outcomes as vulnerable patient groups found themselves exposed to measles with devastating effect.  The project formed part of a larger project and the studies are still being written up.  The failure to detect gut problems, clinically or biochemically in children with autism allows clear advice to be given concerning dietary modification and allays fears that gut permeability may have been neurotoxic.  There was also a failure to find any significant correlations between autism and a wide range of inherited metabolic diseases, demonstrating the isolated nature of previous reports and will inform clinicians on the cost benefits of screening children with autism for inherited metabolic disease.

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Researcher: Professor A.S. David

Institution: Kings College of London

Award: £20,000

Medical Condition: Asperger’s Syndrome

Project Title: The Neutral Correlates of Empathy in Asperger’s Syndrome

BENEFITS:  This study confirmed that subjects with Asperger’s syndrome had less brain activity in certain portions of their brains which would account for the difficulties they have with gauging emotional changes in people they meet.  This work needs to be replicated but demonstrates that children with Asperger’s syndrome do have a physical basis to their symptoms.

Researcher: Dr Teresa Powell

Institution: University of Birmingham

Award: £5,733

Medical Condition: Brain Injury

Project Title: An Investigation into techniques for route learning in people with acquired Brain Injury.

BENEFITS:  This is the first study to demonstrate that an errorless strategy aids route learning in people with memory problems in an environment that is a close simulation of real life.  The study has also shown that Virtual Reality is a valid and efficient medium for helping people with memory problems to learn new routes.  Ideally if new software became available, it would be better to replicate the real environment in VR so that people can learn their route in the simulated environment before going out into the real environment.  The results of the study suggest that verbal learning ability and directional sense have the most impact on route learning ability.

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Researcher: Ms. R. Munday

Institution: Royal Hospital for Neurodisability

Award: £17,000

Medical Condition: Brain Injury

Project Title: Study of the Relationship between relatives observations and those obtained in formal assessment in patients with severe Brain Injury.

BENEFITs:  This study shows that patients’ relatives are not more likely to identify changes in the cognitive state of severely brain-damaged patients than experienced clinical staff.  Previous research, in less specialized units, has put more emphasis on the ability of relatives to see change early, though it is well recognized that relatives often misinterpret primitive reflexes as being purposeful.  This study supports the view that specialized assessment, with customized measuring tools, is the most reliable means of judging progress and outcome in severe brain damage.

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Researcher: Mr Phillip Wright

Institution: Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital

Award: £20,000

Medical Condition: Cerebral Palsy

Project Title: A pilot study – the combined effect of Dynamic Splinting and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in reducing wrist and elbow contractures in children with Cerebral Palsy.

BENEFITS:  This study failed to show any consistent improvement in upper limb function in cerebral palsy patients receiving function electrical stimulation.  However, in one subject with marked wrist joint contracture, benefit was found.  this suggests that the technique is not widely applicable but may help selected patients.

Researcher: Dr N. Lincoln

Institution: University of Nottingham

Award: £4,000

Medical Condition: Dementia

Project Title: Assessment of Fitness to drive inpeople with Dementia.

BENEFITS:  The study had shown that there is no single test of cognitive function that can predict inability to drive in patients with early dementia, but that a battery of 6 will identify those people who need to be assessed on the road to check their driving skills.  The study did confirm that many people with early dementia are not fit to drive, but that if a patient had been a professional driver prior to the onset of the dementia, they retain their driving skills for longer than the average person.

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Researcher: Dr. E. Bolton

Institution: Addenbrooke’s Hospital

Award: £76,500

Medical Condition: Diabetes

Project Title: Pancreatic Islet transplantation and stem cell research in diabetic patients with a functioning kidney transplant: a pilot study.

BENEFITS:  The reliable extraction of islet cells is an essential stage in the transplantation of these cells.  Successful transplantation would represent a major advance in curing the scourge of diabetes, one of the major causes of death and disability in the developed countries.

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Researcher: Dr K. Price

Institution: University of London

Award: £2,200

Medical Condition: Down’s Syndrome

Project Title: Investigation of protein glycosylation patterns in amniotic fluid form.

BENEFITS:  The study shows that although there is some cognitive damage associated with pituitary tumours, this is likely to be a result of the disease, not the treatment and that if radiotherapy is added to surgical removal, there are no additional cognitive problems.

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Researcher: Mr M. Baines

Institution: University of Liverpool

Award: £10,900

Medical Condition: Osteoporosis

Project Title: Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinaemia and the variant of Methylene Tetrahydrofolate reductase gene in patients with Osteoporosis.

BENEFITS:  The Research Group have confirmed the association between increased levels of an enzyme involved in folate metabolism in the blood and osteoporosis.  Folate is a vitamin essential to cell division in the body and levels of this vitamin was found to be reduced in the osteoporotic individuals.  This study has given us further insight into reasons why some individuals get the condition.

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Researcher: Mrs Sally Evans

Institution: Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital

Award: £13,995

Medical Condition: Osteoporosis

Project Title: Research into Osteoporosis in men.

BENEFITS:  This preliminary study has supported the theory that men who develop osteoporosis probably never had good bone stock, rather than having had normal bone density in earlier life and then losing it.  This is in favour of a genetic rather than a hormonal effect.  The intention is now to try and discover any relevant genetic markers.

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Researcher: Dr V. Sparkes

Institution: University of Wales

Award: £10,900

Medical Condition: Abdominal Pain

Project Title: To determine the inter-therapist reliability of pre-determined physical examination procedures to diagnose patients whose unexplained abdominal pain has a musculoskeletal origin.

BENEFITS:  The researcher moved institutions mid way through the project and find it difficult to recruit patients in Wales.  Consequently the project was under powered and with a reduction in statistical data, a conclusion could not be drawn.

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Researcher: Dr J. Hall

Institution: RNHRD, Bath.

Award: £9,500

Medical Condition: Pain

Project Title: Pilot Study to examine the utility of sensorimotor mismatch system in detecting early Complex regional pain syndrome type 1.

BENEFITS:  This study confirms that if an injured limb is hidden behind a mirror and the patient sees the reflection of the normal limb in the mirror, then the symptoms in the injured limb are reduced.  The inclusion of a relatively elderly control group showed that this phenomenon is more likely to occur in the older person, a new observation.

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Researcher: Dr. G. Riley

Institution: Addenbrooke’s Hospital

Award: £14,000

Medical Condition: Pain

Project Title: Research into substance P and tendon pathology: a possible target for therapy of chronic tendon pain.

BENEFITS:  This research has shown that although Substance P is not found in excess in inflamed tendons, it is present in the soft tissues around damaged tendons.  This finding will allow further research into the mechanism of tendonitis and the development of effective treatments.

Researcher: Dr. William House

Institution: St Augustine’s Medical Practice

Award: £8,790

Medical Condition: Pain

Project Title: Storytelling for Pain (STOPS)

BENEFITS:  This study demonstrates that in a significant number of people with chronic pain the use of a story-telling technique could produce useful pain relief.  There is general agreement that early intervention in painful conditions leads to a better outcome.

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Researcher: Dr K. Treece

Institution: Nottingham City Hospital

Award: £33,500

Medical Condition: Pituitary Tumours

Project Title: Evaluation of the effects of Radiotherapy for Pituitary Tumors on cognitive function.

BENEFITS:  This study shows that although there is some cognitive damage associated with pituitary tumours, this is likely to be a result of the disease, not the treatment and that if radiotherapy is added to surgical removal, there are no additional cognitive problems.

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Researcher: Dr. Glyn Heath

Institution: University of Salford

Award: £25,000

Medical Condition: Prosthetic Limbs

Project Title: Externally powered prosthetic wrist rotator and prehensor, controlled from the physiological activity of the residual forearm of an amputee

BENEFITS:  The experimental work in this study clearly shows that it is possible to design a position proportional prosthetic wrist rotator that can replicate the range of anatomical rotation when used in conjunction with a prosthetic wrist. 

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Researcher: Dr. J. Vinney

Institution: University of West of England

Award: £52,000

Medical Condition: Prosthetic Limbs

Project Title: New methods to improve assessment analysis & quality of prosthetic socket fit.

BENEFITS:  The team has produced a relatively cheap but sophisticated measuring system which should be able to be developed for clinical use.  The system would provide well fitting sockets at the first measurement session, with resultant speeding up of mobilization, while avoiding the induction of pressure areas, thereby reducing ulceration of the stump.

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Researcher: Professor Sue Roulstone and Rosalind Merrick

Institution: Frenchay Hospital, Bristol

Award: £3,885.50

Medical Condition: Speech Problems

Project Title: Children’s views and speech and language therapy

BENEFITS:   The aim of the study was to explore children’s experiences of communication and of speech and language therapy in order to a) identify problems, skills and help from children’s perspective and b) to develop suitable and effective methods of eliciting children’s views and facilitation participation.  The data, observations and information gained from this project will be shared through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, talks and reports to interested parties and material will be made available on the interest.  It has generated points of interest relevant for practice and further research.

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Researcher: Professor Lalit Kalra

Institution: Kings College London

Award: 50,000

Medical Condition: Stroke

Project Title: Can functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies help to develop effective therapy interventions for stroke patients?

BENEFITS:  This project helped to develop rigorous methodology for future definitive studies and helped to identify unique patterns of return of brain activity in different types of strokes.  This was the first time that such observations had been made with the potential of making a significant impact on the future design and delivery of therapy interventions for different types of strokes.

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Researcher: Dr. H. Rodgers

Institution: University of Newcastle

Award: £10,000

Medical Condition: Stroke

Project Title: Does surface Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) to the upper limb following an acute stroke improve outcome.

BENEFITS:   This study produced a negative result, indicating that this intervention in acute stroke is not of benefit.  It is important that ineffective treatments are identified and not used, as treatment resources are limited.