Completed Early Career Research Fellowship:
Jerome Maller
Host Organisation: Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash
University
TAC Funding: $313,721
Mentor: Professor Paul Fitzgerald
Fellowship Project:
Diffusion tensor imaging as a marker of depression in diffuse axonal injury: Could
this be predictive of outcome after traumatic brain injury?
Aims:
The aim of this study was to use an advanced form of magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) brain scanning, called DTI (diffusion tensor imaging), as a tool to study
functional and structural connectivity in post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) depression.
This could directly lead to the use of DTI as a method of predicting the likelihood of
future development of post-TBI depression, leading to targeted early intervention.
Improved understanding of the underlying causes of post-TBI depression should also
enhance the development of new treatments. Prediction of outcome and requirement
for early intervention will be greatly enhanced through this study.
Methods:
Forty people who had sustained a mild to moderate TBI were recruited from The
Alfred hospital Emergency & Trauma Department, in addition to 25 people with
depression but no TBI history, as well as 25 people with no depression or TBI. Each
person was assessed for depression symptoms and underwent the MRI brain scan.
Data was analysed by Dr Maller using specialised software which compared each
person’s brain scan voxel-by-voxel (that is, a few millimetres at a time).
Results:
Results indicate that people who developed depression after a TBI had reduced
integrity of the connection fibres (white matter) in their brains, more so than those
who had depression with no history of TBI, or those with TBI who did not develop
depression. These regions, particularly those near the front of their brain, are known
to be related to personality and emotion. The reduced connection integrity also helps
to explain the slowing down of reaction time in these patients.
Conclusions:
This study has shown that depression in people who have no history of brain injury
has a different underlying brain activity than depression in people who developed
depression after sustaining a brain injury. With these differences now identified via
this TAC study, treatment approaches can begin to be customised to specifically
target the regions identified as directly relevant to one of these forms of depression or
the other.
Career Development
Jerome participated in the following activities funded during the course of his TAC
Fellowship:
Short Courses:

Media Training for scientists
International Exchange:
Jerome was selected to be part of a TAC delegation who visited Canada as part of a
international research exchange with the Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation. The
delegation travelled to Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa in Canada during May 2009.
Mentorship:

Co-supervised five students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels from
Science, Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering
Departments.

On the 14th of November 2008, the Fellow shadowed Rachael Heveren, a
Year 11 student from St Mary’s College in Seymour, Victoria. Rachel was
among only two students to be the first Research Australia 2007 Youth
Ambassadors for Health Research, following a state-wide competition.

The Fellow also delivered MRI- and neuropsychiatry-related lectures in 2010.
Post Fellowship Career Development
Since his TAC Fellowship, Dr Maller has been awarded a 4-year NHMRC Industry
Career Fellowship Award to investigate CT, MRI and electrovestibulography in
identical groups as those recruited in the current TAC Fellowship. A major advantage
of this additional award is that it will allow Dr Maller to complete his subject
recruitments, run final analyses, and publish the results in peer-reviewed journals. Dr
Maller’s long-term career goals encompass being a full-time neuroscientist studying
neurotrauma and neuropsychiatric disorders with applied electrophysiological, brain
stimulation, and structural and functional neuroimaging techniques.
Feedback on the Fellowship from Jerome Maller:
“I have already shown that the work I produce is world-class and has the potential to
significantly advance our understanding of brain structure and function and
relationship with behaviour. Completion of the TAC Fellowship has broadly enriched
my capacity to progress along this current career path and fulfil future career
intentions.”
“I am particularly grateful to the TAC for offering me so many wonderful
opportunities. It was an honour to present to TAC and TAC staff at meeting/symposia.
I am especially grateful to the TAC for including me as one of five invited TAC
delegates who visited Ontario, Canada traumatic head injury rehabilitation facilities
for five days in May 2009. It was a wonderful experience and gave me the opportunity
to interact with Canadian-based TBI researchers, whom I have subsequently formed
an affiliation with.”
Publications
CHERBUIN N, WINDSOR T, ANSTEY KJ, REGLADE-MESLIN C, MALLER JJ, SACHDEV PS.
Hippocampal volume is positively associated with behavioural inhibition (BIS) in a large communitybased sample of mid-life adults: the PATH through life study. Social Cognitive and Affective
Neuroscience. 2008;3:262-269.
LOOI JCL, LINDBERG O, LIBERG B, TATHAM V, KUMAR R, MALLER JJ, MILLARD E,
SACHDEV P, HOGBERG G, PAGANI M, BOTES L, ENGMAN E-L, ZHANG Y, SVENSSON L,
WAHLUND L-O. Volumetrics of the caudate nucleus: reliability and validity of a new manual tracing
protocol. Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging. 2008;163(3):279-288.
CHERBUIN N, ANSTEY KJ, SACHDEV PS, MALLER JJ, MESLIN C, MACK H, WEN W,
EASTEAL S. Total and regional grey matter volume is not related to APOE*E4 status in a community
sample of middle-aged individuals. Journal of Gerontology. Medical Sciences. 2008;63:501-504.
FURTADO C, MALLER JJ, FITZGERALD PB. A MRI study of the Entorhinal Cortex in Treatment
Resistant Depression. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 2008;163:133-142.
DASKALAKIS ZJ, FARZAN F, BARR MS, MALLER JJ, CHEN R, FITZGERALD PB. LongInterval Cortical Inhibition from the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex: a TMS-EEG Study.
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008;33:2860-2869.
FITZGERALD PB, DASKALAKIS ZJ, HOY K, FARZAN F, MALLER JJ. Cortical inhibition in
motor and non-motor regions: a combined TMS-EEG study. Clinical EEG and Neuroscience.
2008;39:112-117.
FITZGERALD PB, MALLER JJ, HOY K, THOMSON R, DASKALAKIS ZJ. Exploring the Optimal
site for the Localization of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Brain Stimulation Experiments. Brain
Stimulation. 2009;2(4):234-237.
SUN J, MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FURTADO C, FITZGERALD PB. Morphology of the
corpus callosum in treatment-resistant schizophrenia and major depression. Acta Psychiatrica
Scandinavica. 2009;120(4):265-273.
FITZGERALD PB, DASKALAKIS ZJ, HOY K, FARZAN F, MALLER JJ. GABA and cortical
inhibition in motor and non-motor regions using combined TMS-EEG: A time analysis. Clinical
Neurophysiology. 2009;120(9):1706-1710.
BEAUCHAMP MH, ANDERSON VA, CATROPPA C, MALLER JJ, GODFREY C, MORSE S,
ROSENFELD J, HARITOU F, KEAN M. Implications of reduced callosal area for social skills after
severe traumatic brain injury in children. Journal of Neurotrauma. 2009;26(10):1645-54.
LOOI JCL, TATHAM V, KUMAR R, MALLER JJ, MILLARD E, WEN W, BRODATY H,
SACHDEV P. Caudate nucleus volumes in stroke and vascular dementia. Psychiatry Research
Neuroimaging. 2009;174(1):67-75.
SUN J, MALLER JJ, GUO L, FITZGERALD PB. Superior temporal gyrus volume change in
schizophrenia: a review on Region of Interest volumetric studies. Brain Research Reviews.
2009;61(1):14-32.
LOOI JC, MALLER JJ, PAGANI M, HÖGBERG G, LINDBERG O, LIBERG B, BOTES L,
ENGMAN EL, ZHANG Y, SVENSSON L, WAHLUND LO. Caudate volumes in public
transportation workers exposed to trauma in the Stockholm train system. Psychiatry Res.
2009;171(2):138-143.
FITZGERALD PB, HOY K, MCQUEEN S, MALLER JJ, HERRING S, SEGRAVE R, BAILEY M,
BEEN G, KULKARNI J, DASKALAKIS ZJ. A randomized trial of rTMS targeted with MRI based
neuro-navigation in treatment-resistant depression. Neuropsychpharmacology. 2009;34(5):1255-62.
RUSJAN PM, BARR, MS, FARZAN F, ARENOVICH T, MALLER JJ, FITZGERALD PB,
DASKALAKIS ZJ. Optimal TMS Coil Placement for Targeting the DLPFC Using Novel MRI-Guided
Neuronavigation. Human Brain Mapping. 2010;31(11):1643-1652.
MALLER JJ, THOMSON RH, LEWIS PM, ROSE SE, PANNEK K, FITZGERALD PB. Traumatic
brain injury, major depression, and diffusion tensor imaging: Making connections. Brain Research
Reviews. 2010;64(1):214-230.
MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, THOMSON RHS, DAIGLE M, BARR MS, FITZGERALD PB.
Hippocampal volumetrics in treatment-resistant depression and schizophrenia: The Devil’s in de-tail.
Hippocampus. 2010;doi:10.1002/hipo.20873.
MOUSAVI EA, MALLER JJ, FITZGERALD PB, LITHGOW BJ. Wavelet Common Spatial Patterns
in Offline Brain Computer Interfaces. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. 2011:6(2):121-128.
FITZGERALD PB, HOY KE, MALLER JJ, HERRING S, SEGRAVE R, MCQUEEN S, PEACHEY
A, HOLLANDER Y, ANDERSON JF, DASKALAKIS ZJ. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for
depression following Traumatic Brain Injury: A case study. Journal of ECT. 2011;27(1):38-40.
BEAUCHAMP MH, ANDERSON VA, CATROPPA C, MALLER JJ, GODFREY C, MORSE S,
ROSENFELD J, HARITOU F, KEAN M. Structural brain changes persist 10 years after childhood
traumatic brain injury. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. 2011;29(2):137-43.
MALLER JJ, REGLADE-MESLIN C, CHAN P, DASKALAKIS ZJ, THOMSON RHS, ANSTEY KJ,
BUDGE M, SACHDEV P, FITZGERALD PB. Hippocampal sulcal cavities: prevalence, risk factors
and relationship to memory impairment. Brain Research. 12;1368:222-30.
CYPRIEN F, COURTET P, MALAFOSSE A, MALLER JJ, MESLIN C, BONAFÉ, LE BARS E,
MENJOT DE CHAMPFLEUR N, RITCHIE K, ARTERO S. Suicidal behavior is associated with
reduced corpus callosum area. Biological Psychiatry. 2011; In press. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.
2011.02.035.
THOMSON RH, MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Blood oxygenation changes
resulting from trains of low frequency Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Cortex. 2011(04):028.
THOMSON RH, MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Blood oxygenation changes
resulting from suprathreshold Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain Stimulation. 2011:4(3)165-8.
Presentations
BEAUCHAMP MH, MALLER J, CATROPPA C, GODFREY C, DITCHFIELD M, ANDERSON V.
Hippocampal correlates of memory dysfunction 10 years after childhood TBI. 14th Human Brain
Mapping Conference; 2008 June, Canberra, Australia.
MALLER JJ. The present, past and future of structural neuroimaging in psychiatry. 14th Human Brain
Mapping Conference; June 2008, Canberra, Australia.
MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Hippocampal volumetrics in treatment-resistant
schizophrenia and depression: the importance of the tail. 32nd Australasian Society for Psychiatric
Research; 2008 December, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
NILSSON JM, MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Are antidepressants
neuroprotective? Amygdalar volume in treatment-resistant major depression. 1st Neuroscience
Symposium, Institute of Neuroscience in Newcastle on Tyne; 2008 December, UK.
FITZGERALD PB, MALLER JJ, YUEN J, DASKALAKIS ZJ. Superior temporal gyrus subvolumes
in healthy individuals and in treatment resistant schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations. 32nd
Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research; 2008 December, Newcastle, Australia.
FITZGERALD PB, MALLER JJ, HOY K, FARZAN F, DASKALAKIS ZJ. Paired pulse transcranial
magnetic stimulation to investigate cortical inhibition. 14th Human Brain Mapping Conference; 2008
June, Melbourne, Australia.
HOY KE, MALLER JJ, HERRING SE, MCQUEEN S, SEGRAVE R, FITZGERALD PB. Does Size
Matter? The relationship between hippocampal volume and memory ability in patients with treatment
resistant MDD. 14th Human Brain Mapping Conference; 2008 June, Melbourne, Australia.
MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Hippocampal volumetrics in treatment-resistant
schizophrenia and depression: the importance of the tail. 14th Human Brain Mapping Conference;
2008 June, Melbourne, Australia.
FITZGERALD PB, MALLER JJ, YUEN J, DASKALAKIS ZJ. Superior temporal gyrus subvolumes
in healthy individuals and in treatment resistant schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations. 14th
Human Brain Mapping Conference; 2008 June, Melbourne, Australia.
BEAUCHAMP MH, CATROPPA C, MALLER J, GODFREY C, ANDERSON V. Long-term
implications of paediatric TBI for social skills and brain structure. 2nd Biennial Decog Conference Clinical and Research Perspectives in Developmental Neuropsychology; 2008 March, Sydney,
Australia.
HOY KE, MALLER JJ, HERRING SE, MCQUEEN S, SEGRAVE R, FITZGERALD PB. Does Size
Matter? The relationship between hippocampal volume and memory ability in patients with treatment
resistant MDD. 32nd Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research; 2008 December, Newcastle,
Australia.
de SOUZA-DAW T, JUNOR P, STEWART R, LEWIS PM, MANASSEH R, MALLER J. Crosssectional human tissue equivalent phantoms. EPSM-ABEC Conference; 2009 November, Melbourne,
Australia.
MOUSAVI EA, LITHGOW B, MALLER J. Wavelet common spatial patterns in asynchronous braincomputer interfaces. International symposium on Bioelectrics and Bioinformatics; 2009 December,
Melbourne, Australia.
de SOUZA-DAW T, ALDHAM B, LEE B, MANASSEH R, LEWIS PM, MALLER J, RAICEVIC A,
SUTALO I, THRELFALL G. Assessing ultrasound response of materials for contrast agents and soft
tissue phantoms. CSIRO Advanced Materials Conference; 2009 February, Melbourne, Australia.
MALLER JJ. Diffusion Tensor Imaging Workshop. 20th Australasian Cognitive Neurosciences
Conference; 2010 November 26-29, Melbourne, Australia.
THOMSON RH, ROGASCH NC, MALLER JJ, DASKALAKIS ZJ, FITZGERALD PB. Modulation
of blood oxygenation by transcranial magnetic stimulation. 20th Australasian Cognitive Neurosciences
Conference; 2010 November 26-29, Melbourne, Australia.
de SOUZA-DAW T, STEWART P, LEWIS PM, JUNOR P, MALLER J, MANASSEH R. Enhanced
Transcranial Doppler Procedure for the Third World. Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine
and Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference; 2010 December 5-9, Melbourne, Australia.
ADNAN A, MALLER J, MIKULIS D, MOSCOVITCH M, GREEN REA. A second wave of damage
to the brain after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury: A diffusion tensor image study of the
fornix from 5 to 25 months post-injury. International Brain Injury Association conference; 2010 March
10-14, Washington, USA.
GOH CP, BYE N, MORGANTI-KOSSMANN MC, PUTZ U, TAN SS. Ndfip1 protects neurons from
death following brain injury. Australian Neuroscience Society 31st Annual Meeting; 2011 January 31February 3, Auckland, New Zealand.