Associate Professor Sharon Naismith

Director, Clinical Research Unit, Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist
Brain & Mind Research Institute, Sydney Medical School

M02 - Mallet Street Campus
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia

T:+61 2 9351 0781
F:+61 2 9351 0855
E:

Biographical details

Associate Professor Naismith is the Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Brain & Mind Research Institute. She is a Clinical Neuropsychologist who also Heads the Healthy Brain Ageing Clinic. Associate Professor Naismith is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and College of Clinical Neuropsychologists. She is also the Postgraduate Coordinator for the Master of Brain and Mind Sciences at the Brain & Mind Research Institute. She provides supervision to postgraduate research and clinical students.

Research interests

Associate Professor Naismith is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and her research interests are in late-life neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders particularly Parkinson's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and late-life depression. Her work incorporates multiple facets of these disorders including sleep-wake disturbance, cognition, neuroimaging and genetics. She is also pioneering a Healthy Brain Ageing Cognitive Training for older people is interested in testing early intervention paradigms for older people at risk of dementia.

PhD and Masters project opportunities

Ageing Brain Centre Research Opportunities

Current national competitive grants*

2011

Mediators of cognitive decline and neuroplasticity in older people with depression and early neurodegenerative disease
Naismith S
NHMRC Career Development Award ($384,160 over 4 years)

2010

The impact of circadian disturbances on sleep quality, cognition and psychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative disease
Lewis S, Naismith S, Rogers N, Hodges J
NHMRC Project Grant ($479,000 over 3 years)

2009

SR: A RCT of a web-based ontervention to improve depresssion, cognitve function and adherence in people with CVD
Hickie I, Glozier N, Naismith S, Neal B
National Heart Foundation of Australia Cardiovascular Disease and Depression Strategic Research Program ($594,198 over 2 years)

* Grants administered through the University of Sydney

Keywords

Depression; Parkinson's disease; Aging; Cognitive disorders; Sleep disturbance

Publications

2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2007 | 2006

2012

  
  • Shine, J., Moore, S., Bolitho, S., Morris, T., Dilda, V., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. Assessing the utility of Freezing of Gait Questionnaires in Parkinson's Disease. Parkinsonism & related disorders. 2012; 18:25-9. [Abstract]

2011

  
  • Shine, J., Halliday, G., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. Visual misperceptions and hallucinations in Parkinson's disease: Dysfunction of attentional control networks?. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 2011; 26:2154-9. [Abstract]
  • Shine, J., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying freezing of gait in Parkinson's Disease. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2011; 18:1154-7. [Abstract]
  • Zhong, G., Naismith, S., Rogers, N., Lewis, S. Sleep-wake disturbances in common neurodegenerative diseases: A closer look at selected aspects of the neural circuitry. Journal of the neurological sciences. 2011; 307:9-14. [Abstract]
  • Chudleigh, C., Naismith, S., Blaszczynski, A., Hermens, D., Hodge, M., Hickie, I. How does social functioning in the early stages of psychosis relate to depression and social anxiety?. Early intervention in psychiatry. 2011; 5:224-32. [Abstract]
  • Abbott, L., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. Parkinson's disease in general practice: Assessing knowledge, confidence and the potential role of education. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2011; 18:1044-7. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Rogers, N., Lewis, S., Terpening, Z., Ip, T., Diamond, K., Norrie, L., Hickie, I. Sleep disturbance relates to neuropsychological functioning in late-life depression. Journal of affective disorders. 2011; 132:139-45. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Terpening, Z., Shine, J., Lewis, S. Neuropsychological functioning in Parkinson's disease: Differential relationships with self-reported sleep-wake disturbances. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 2011; 26:1537-41. [Abstract]
  • Hamilton, B., Naismith, S., Scott, E., Purcell, S., Hickie, I. Disability is already pronounced in young people with early stages of affective disorders: Data from an early intervention service. Journal of affective disorders. 2011; 131:84-91. [Abstract]
  • Shine, J., Ward, P., Naismith, S., Pearson, M., Lewis, S. Utilising functional MRI (fMRI) to explore the freezing phenomenon in Parkinson's disease. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2011; 18:807-10. [Abstract]
  • Norrie, L., Diamond, K., Hickie, I., Rogers, N., Fearns, S., Naismith, S. Can older "at risk" adults benefit from psychoeducation targeting healthy brain aging?. International psychogeriatrics / IPA. 2011; 23:413-24. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Lewis, S. "DASH" symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease: red flags for early cognitive decline. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2011; 18:352-355. [Abstract]
  • Hermens, D., Redoblado Hodge, M., Naismith, S., Kaur, M., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Neuropsychological Clustering Highlights Cognitive Differences In Young People Presenting With Depressive Symptoms. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS. 2011; 17:267-76. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Diamond, K., Carter, P., Norrie, L., Redoblado-Hodge, M., Lewis, S., Hickie, I. Enhancing Memory in Late-Life Depression: The Effects of a Combined Psychoeducation and Cognitive Training Program. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2011; 19:240-8. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Lewis, S., Rogers, N. Sleep-wake changes and cognition in neurodegenerative disease. Progress in Brain Research. 2011; 190:21-52. [Abstract]
  • Paradise, M., Glozier, N., Naismith, S., Davenport, T., Hickie, I. Subjective memory complaints, vascular risk factors and psychological distress in the middle-aged: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry. 2011; 11:108. [Abstract]
  • Donkin, L., Christensen, H., Naismith, S., Neal, B., Hickie, I., Glozier, N. A Systematic Review of the Impact of Adherence on the Effectiveness of e-Therapies. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2011; 13:e52. [Abstract]
  • Komadina, N., Terpening, Z., Huang, Y., Halliday, G., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. Utility and Limitations of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised for Detecting Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease. Dementia and geriatric cognitive disorders. 2011; 31:349-57. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Pereira, M., Shine, J., Lewis, S. How well do caregivers detect mild cognitive change in Parkinson's disease?. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 2011; 26:161-4. [Abstract]
  • Cockayne, N., Glozier, N., Naismith, S., Christensen, H., Neal, B., Hickie, I. Internet-based treatment for older adults with depression and co-morbid cardiovascular disease: protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2011; 11:10. [Abstract]

2010

  
  • Gregory-Roberts, E., Naismith, S., Cullen, K., Hickie, I. Electroconvulsive therapy-induced persistent retrograde amnesia: Could it be minimised by ketamine or other pharmacological approaches?. Journal of affective disorders. 2010; 126:39-45. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Lagopoulos, J., Ward, P., Davey, C., Little, C., Hickie, I. Fronto-striatal correlates of impaired implicit sequence learning in major depression: An fMRI study. Journal of affective disorders. 2010; 125:256-61. [Abstract]
  • Hermens, D., Ward, P., Hodge, M., Kaur, M., Naismith, S., Hickie, I. Impaired MMN/P3a complex in first-episode psychosis: Cognitive and psychosocial associations. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry. 2010; 34:822-9. [Abstract]
  • Hermens, D., Naismith, S., Redoblado Hodge, M., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Impaired verbal memory in young adults with unipolar and bipolar depression. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 2010; 4:227-233. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Lewis, S. A novel paradigm for modelling freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia. 2010; 17:984-7. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Shine, J., Lewis, S. The specific contributions of set-shifting to freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society. 2010; 25:1000-4. [Abstract]
  • Mowszowski, L., Batchelor, J., Naismith, S. Early intervention for cognitive decline: can cognitive training be used as a selective prevention technique?. International psychogeriatrics / IPA. 2010; 22:537-48. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Rogers, N., Mackenzie, J., Hickie, I., Lewis, S. The relationship between actigraphically defined sleep disturbance and REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's Disease. Clinical neurology and neurosurgery. 2010; 112:420-3. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Rogers, N., Hickie, I., Mackenzie, J., Norrie, L., Lewis, S. Sleep Well, Think Well: Sleep-Wake Disturbance in Mild Cognitive Impairment. Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology. 2010; 23:123-30. [Abstract]
  • Gunn, D., Naismith, S., Lewis, S. Sleep disturbances in Parkinson disease and their potential role in heterogeneity. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. 2010; 23:131-7. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Redoblado-Hodge, M., Lewis, S., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Cognitive training in affective disorders improves memory: A preliminary study using the NEAR approach. Journal of affective disorders. 2010; 121:258-62. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Hickie, I., Lewis, S. The role of mild depression in sleep disturbance and quality of life in Parkinson's disease. The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 2010; 22:384-389. [Abstract]
  • Lewis, S., Naismith, S. DASH to the InfoLine: Promoting a healthy brain and mind in Parkinson’s Disease. Australia: LifeBlood, 2010.

2009

  
  • Hickie, I., Naismith, S., Norrie, L., Scott, E. Managing depression across the life cycle: new strategies for clinicians and their patients. Internal Medicine Journal. 2009; 39:720-727. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Norrie, L., Lewis, S., Rogers, N., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Does sleep disturbance mediate neuropsychological functioning in older people with depression?. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2009; 116:139-143. [Abstract]
  • Scott, E., Naismith, S., Whitwell, B., Hamilton, B., Chudleigh, C., Hickie, I. Delivering youth-specific mental health services: the advantages of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary system. Australasian Psychiatry. 2009; 17:189-194. [Abstract]
  • Hermens, D., Lubman, D., Ward, P., Naismith, S., Hickie, I. Amphetamine psychosis: a model for studying the onset and course of psychosis. The Medical Journal of Australia. 2009; 190:S22-S25. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Glozier, N., Burke, D., Carter, P., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Early intervention in cognitive decline: Is there a role for multiple medical or behavioural interventions?. Early Intervention in Psychiatry. 2009; 3:19-27.

2007

  
  • Hickie, I., Naismith, S., Ward, P., Little, C., Pearson, M., Scott, E., Mitchell, P., Wilhelm, K., Parker, G. Psychomotor slowing in older patients with major depression: Relationships with blood flow in the caudate nucleus and white matter lesions. Psychiatry research. 2007; 155:211-220. [Abstract]
  • Hickie, I., Naismith, S., Ward, P., Scott, E., Mitchell, P., Schofield, P., Scimone, A., Wilhelm, K., Parker, G. Serotonin transporter gene status predicts caudate nucleus but not amygdala or hippocampal volumes in older persons with major depression. Journal of affective disorders. 2007; 98:137-42. [Abstract]
  • Naismith, S., Longley, W., Scott, E., Hickie, I. Disability in major depression related to self-rated and objectively-measured cognitive deficits: a preliminary study. BMC psychiatry. 2007; 7:0. [Abstract]

2006

  
  • Naismith, S., Hickie, I., Ward, P., Scott, E., Little, C. Impaired implicit sequence learning in depression: a probe for frontostriatal dysfunction?. Psychological medicine. 2006; 36:313-23. [Abstract]