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Optimizing Brain Health from Midlife Clinic
launched in 2026, pioneering a new model of preventive care designed to support cognitive and mental health from midlife onwards.
A Pioneering New Model of Preventive Care
NeuRA's Optimizing Brain Health from Midlife (OBHM) Clinic launched in 2026, pioneering a new model of preventive care designed to support cognitive and mental health from midlife onwards.
The vision of the Clinic is to create a dedicated service for people aged 45 years and over who are experiencing ongoing concerns about their memory, thinking, concentration, or other aspects of cognition. The Clinic brings together the expertise of two senior researchers at NeuRA: A/Prof Emma Devenney from the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW, and A/Prof Julia Lappin from the Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, UNSW.
The Clinic, located in Randwick, offers a comprehensive neuropsychiatric and neurological assessment for individuals who may be at the earliest stage of cognitive change, often well before the level of impairment typically seen in dementia. The aim is to help people better understand their symptoms and to provide practical, personalised strategies to support their long-term brain health and dementia prevention.
In addition, the Clinic aims to establish a longitudinal study, meaning that people may be followed up over time. This will help researchers better understand which midlife factors predict dementia and other brain health outcomes. The Clinic also hopes to provide a platform for future treatment trials and biomarker research focused on dementia prevention.
Why This Research Matters
Dementia care is changing rapidly. New disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's disease, along with blood-based biomarkers that may detect disease-related changes many years before symptoms appear, are shifting the focus toward earlier detection, prevention, and timely support.
People in midlife are an important group to study because there is still time to identify and address risk factors that may be changed. Cognitive concerns in midlife can also have many different causes. For some people, symptoms may relate to mood, anxiety, sleep, stress, hormonal changes, or other health factors. For others, symptoms may suggest the very early stages of a neurodegenerative condition.
Women experiencing cognitive difficulties during the menopause transition are an especially important group, as this stage of life can involve hormonal, cardiovascular, psychological, and brain-based changes that may affect thinking and memory. Another key group includes people whose cognitive difficulties occur alongside mood disorders, anxiety, or sleep disturbance, which may mask, worsen, or contribute to cognitive symptoms.
For some people, cognitive difficulties may improve with the right treatment, strategies, and support. For others, assessment may help identify early changes and guide timely care. By better understanding these different pathways, the Clinic aims to provide earlier, more personalised support for patients, while also contributing to research that may improve early detection, prevention, and future care for people at risk of dementia.
Our Team
The Clinic brings together a multidisciplinary team led by A/Prof Emma Devenney and A/Prof Julia Lappin, supported by Kristi, Emily and Sarah.
Meet the Team