Doctor Diana Karamacoska
Research Support Program Fellow - Healthy Ageing: Healthy Brain Ageing and Dementia Prevention,
NICM Health Research Institute
Research Support Program Fellow - Healthy Ageing: Healthy Brain Ageing and Dementia Prevention,
NICM Health Research Institute
Biography
Dr Diana Karamacoska is a cognitive neuroscientist researching the use of lifestyle and complementary therapies to improve or maintain brain health. In 2019, she was awarded her PhD in Psychology with Examiners’ Commendations for her work exploring the neuronal mechanisms of attention, cognition, and behaviour. She is now undertaking a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at NICM Health Research Institute, and runs Australia’s largest clinical trial for vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease mixed with cerebrovascular disease. She first joined Western Sydney University in 2016 as a Research Officer to study health promotion, cognitive impairment and psychiatric conditions. Diana is interested in understanding how lifestyle interventions (physical activity, diet, education), herbal medicines, and alternative therapies affect neurocognitive functioning. She is passionate about connecting people with research opportunities and raising awareness for disease prevention, risk reduction, and strategies to improve quality of life and care.
This information has been contributed by Doctor Karamacoska.
Qualifications
- PHD University of Wollongong
Professional Memberships
- Alzheimer's Association (2019 - 2022)
- NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research (2019)
- Australian Brain Alliance EMCR Network (2019)
- Australasian Society for Psychophysiology (2014 - 2021)
Awards
- International Conference Travel Grant, Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration 2020-06-30
- Best Postgraduate Oral Presentation, 29th Australasian Society for Psychophysiology Annual Conference 2019-11-30
Interests
- Brain Functioning
- Cognitive Decline
- Healthy Ageing
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Psychophysiology
Organisational Unit (School / Division)
- NICM Health Research Institute
- NICM Health Research Institute
Contact
| Email: | D.Karamacoska@westernsydney.edu.au |
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| Phone: | (02) 9685 4723 |
| Mobile: | 0479150816 |
| Location: | J.1.38 Westmead |
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Publications
Chapters in Books
- Ayati, Z., Emami, S., Guillemin, G., Karamacoska, D. and Chang, D. (2021), '10 Persian herbal medicines used for brain health', Nutraceuticals in Brain Health and Beyond, Academic Press 9780128205938.
Journal Articles
- Yang, G., Li, W., Klupp, N., Cao, H., Liu, J., Bensoussan, A., Kiat, H., Karamacoska, D. and Chang, D. (2022), 'Does tai chi improve psychological well-being and quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease and/or cardiovascular risk factors? : a systematic review', BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, vol 22, no 1 .
- Sarris, J., Byrne, G., Castle, D., Bousman, C., Oliver, G., Cribb, L., Blair-West, S., Brakoulias, V., Camfield, D., Ee, C., Chamoli, S., Boschen, M., Dean, O., Dowling, N., Menon, R., Murphy, J., Metri, N., Nguyen, T., Wong, A., Jordan, R., Karamacoska, D., Rossell, S., Berk, M. and Ng, C. (2022), 'N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) augmentation in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder : a phase III, 20-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial', Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, vol 117 .
- Karamacoska, D., Johnson, T., Harrison, L., Shi, K., Akrawi, J., D'Souza, S., Hohenberg, M., George, E. and Steiner, G. (2022), 'Venous thromboembolism risk screening, training and provider awareness in Australian residential aged care facilities', Health and Social Care in the Community, vol 30, no 6 , pp 5010 - 5016.
- Patel, D., Montayre, J., Karamacoska, D. and Siette, J. (2022), 'Progressing dementia risk reduction initiatives for culturally and linguistically diverse older adults in Australia', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol 41, no 4 , pp 579 - 584.
- Van Der Burg, K., Cribb, L., Firth, J., Karamacoska, D. and Sarris, J. (2021), 'Nutrient and genetic biomarkers of nutraceutical treatment response in mood and psychotic disorders : a systematic review', Nutritional Neuroscience, vol 24, no 4 , pp 279 - 295.
- Sun, Y., Yang, G., Karamacoska, D., Wang, X., Li, Y., Hou, W., Zheng, Y., Liu, J. and Liu, Z. (2021), 'Chinese patent medicine as adjuvant for mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis : a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials', Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol 2021 .
- Barry, R., Steiner, G., De Blasio, F., Fogarty, J., Karamacoska, D. and MacDonald, B. (2020), 'Components in the P300 : don't forget the Novelty P3!', Psychophysiology, vol 57, no 7 .
- Steiner, G., Ee, C., Dubois, S., MacMillan, F., George, E., McBride, K., Karamacoska, D., McDonald, K., Harley, A., Abramov, G., Andrews-Marney, E., Cave, A. and Hohenberg, M. (2020), '"We need a one-stop-shop" : co-creating the model of care for a multidisciplinary memory clinic with community members, GPs, aged care workers, service providers, and policy-makers', BMC Geriatrics, vol 20, no 1 .
- Sarris, J., Sinclair, J., Karamacoska, D., Davidson, M. and Firth, J. (2020), 'Medicinal cannabis for psychiatric disorders : a clinically-focused systematic review', BMC Psychiatry, vol 20 .
- Roy, N., Barry, R., Fernandez, F., Lim, C., Al-Dabbas, M., Karamacoska, D., Broyd, S., Solowij, N., Chiu, C. and Steiner, G. (2020), 'Electrophysiological correlates of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism', Scientific Reports, vol 10, no 1 .
- Steiner, G., Fernandez, F., Coles, M., Karamacoska, D., Barkus, E., Broyd, S., Solowij, N., Watson, O., Chiu, C., Lind, J. and Barry, R. (2019), 'Interrogating the relationship between schizotypy, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism, and neuronal oscillatory activity', Cerebral Cortex, vol 29, no 7 , pp 3048 - 3058.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R. and Steiner, G. (2019), 'Using principal components analysis to examine resting state EEG in relation to task performance', Psychophysiology, vol 56, no 5 .
- Sarris, J., Byrne, G., Cribb, L., Oliver, G., Murphy, J., Macdonald, P., Nazareth, S., Karamacoska, D., Galea, S., Short, A., Ee, C., Birling, Y., Menon, R. and Ng, C. (2019), 'L-theanine in the adjunctive treatment of generalized anxiety disorder : a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial', Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol 110 , pp 31 - 37.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R., De Blasio, F. and Steiner, G. (2019), 'EEG-ERP dynamics in a visual continuous performance test', International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol 146 , pp 249 - 260.
- Clarke, A., Barry, R., Karamacoska, D. and Johnstone, S. (2019), 'The EEG theta/beta ratio : a marker of arousal or cognitive processing capacity?', Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, vol 44 , pp 123 - 129.
- Barry, R., De Blasio, F. and Karamacoska, D. (2019), 'Data-driven derivation of natural EEG frequency components : an optimised example assessing resting EEG in healthy ageing', Journal of Neuroscience Methods, vol 321 , pp 1 - 11.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R., Steiner, G., Coleman, E. and Wilson, E. (2018), 'Intrinsic EEG and task-related changes in EEG affect Go/NoGo task performance', International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol 125 , pp 17 - 28.
- Steiner, G., Dubois, S., Ee, C., McBride, K., George, E., MacMillan, F., Karamacoska, D., Singh, K., Harley, A., McDonald, K., Derrett, A., Chow, J., Kohler, F. and Hohenberg, M. (2018), 'Co-creating a model of care for a new multidisciplinary memory clinic in South Western Sydney', Australasian Journal on Ageing, vol 37, no Suppl. S2 , pp 77 - 77.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R. and Steiner, G. (2018), 'Electrophysiological underpinnings of response variability in the Go/NoGo task', International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol 134 , pp 159 - 167.
- Barry, R., Fogarty, J., De Blasio, F. and Karamacoska, D. (2018), 'EEG phase states at stimulus onset in a variable-ISI Go/NoGo task : effects on ERP components', Biological Psychology, vol 134 , pp 89 - 102.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R. and Steiner, G. (2017), 'Resting state intrinsic EEG impacts on go stimulus-response processes', Psychophysiology, vol 54, no 6 , pp 894 - 903.
- MacMillan, F., Karamacoska, D., El Masri, A., El Masri, A., McBride, K., Steiner, G., Cook, A., Kolt, G., Klupp, N. and George, E. (2017), 'A systematic review of health promotion intervention studies in the police force : study characteristics, intervention design and impacts on health', Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol 74 , pp 913 - 923.
- Barry, R., De Blasio, F., Fogarty, J. and Karamacoska, D. (2016), 'ERP Go/NoGo condition effects are better detected with separate PCAs', International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol 106 , pp 50 - 64.
- Karamacoska, D., Barry, R., Steiner, G. and De Blasio, F. (2015), 'Clarifying the sequential processes involved in a cued continuous performance test', Psychophysiology, vol 52, no 1 , pp 67 - 80.
- Barry, R., De Blasio, F., De Pascalis, V. and Karamacoska, D. (2014), 'Preferred EEG brain states at stimulus onset in a fixed interstimulus interval equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo task : a definitive study', International Journal of Psychophysiology, vol 94, no 1 , pp 42 - 58.
Conference Papers
- Karamacoska, D., Shatnawi, E., Ali, Y., Leehy, M., Woodward, J., Sanabria Vasquez, F., Morrison, N., Siette, J., Steiner, G., DiGiacomo, M., Dadich, A. and Canterbury-Bankstown Dementia Alliance, .. (2022), 'How to co-create a multicultural dementia education initiative', NHMRC Research Translation Symposium, Canberra A.C.T..
Diana uses a range of non-invasive technologies to assess the impacts of lifestyle and complementary therapies on neurocognitive functioning. This work is undertaken at the Headbox Lab at NICM Health Research Institute's Westmead campus. She has a range of projects available for prospective Honours and Higher Degree Research students.
This information has been contributed by Doctor Karamacoska.
Current Projects
| Title: | Enhancing dementia awareness and inclusivity in Wollondilly through sustainable education |
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| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska, Genevieve Steiner-Lim, Nicky Morrison and Ann Dadich |
| Years: | 2022-08-01 - 2023-06-30 |
| ID: | P00028002 |
| Title: | Enhancing dementia awareness and inclusivity in Camden through sustainable education |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska and Genevieve Steiner-Lim |
| Years: | 2022-07-01 - 2023-06-30 |
| ID: | P00028041 |
Previous Projects
| Title: | How can people with dementia and their caregivers be supported by the built environment? |
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| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska |
| Years: | 2021-05-01 - 2022-11-30 |
| ID: | P00027061 |
| Title: | Establishing Canterbury-Bankstown as a dementia-friendly community |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska, Genevieve Steiner-Lim, Nicky Morrison and Ann Dadich |
| Years: | 2021-11-03 - 2022-06-30 |
| ID: | P00027268 |
| Title: | Market Analysis - Aged Care Services - Stage One |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Nicky Morrison, Ann Dadich, Maria Estela Varua, Felicitas Evangelista, Jed Montayre and Diana Karamacoska |
| Years: | 2020-11-23 - 2020-12-28 |
| ID: | P00026930 |
| Title: | Designing a Dementia-Friendly South West Sydney |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska, Genevieve Steiner-Lim, Ann Dadich and Nicky Morrison |
| Years: | 2021-10-25 - 2022-03-30 |
| ID: | P00027562 |
| Title: | Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration Conference Travel Grant: The Impact of Yoga on Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia, and their Caregivers: a systematic review |
| Funder: |
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| Western Researchers: | Diana Karamacoska |
| Years: | 2020-05-01 - 2022-11-30 |
| ID: | P00026604 |
Supervision
Current Supervision
| Thesis Title: | Safety and Tolerability of a Novel Cannabis and Medium Chain Triglyceride Therapeutic Strategy for Early-stage Alzheimer's Disease |
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| Field of Research: | |
| Thesis Title: | Enhancing Neurocognition in Physically inactive Older Women with Exercise: The ENPOWER Project |
| Field of Research: |