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Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contri ....Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contribute to the debate about how to manage such problems.Read moreRead less
Dissociating facial processing pathways for static and dynamic information. Abnormalities in social cognition are increasingly recognised as representing core features of a number of psychiatric disorders including autism, Aspberger's syndrome, and schizophrenia, however, the brain mechanisms underlying such abilities in the healthy brain are still not well understood. The current proposal aims to use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to explore the role of specific brain regions in subserving a ....Dissociating facial processing pathways for static and dynamic information. Abnormalities in social cognition are increasingly recognised as representing core features of a number of psychiatric disorders including autism, Aspberger's syndrome, and schizophrenia, however, the brain mechanisms underlying such abilities in the healthy brain are still not well understood. The current proposal aims to use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to explore the role of specific brain regions in subserving an important aspect of social functioning; the processing of facial information. As such, the study will significantly enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms of such processes in healthy brains, thus also informing our understanding of the pathological mechanisms associated with these psychiatric conditions.Read moreRead less
Environmental impact on neuroendocrine and neurobiological mechanisms: treatment strategies and mimetics for maintaining good health. The current societal climate of industrialized countries such as Australia has shifted considerable over recent decades and is now one which is highly conducive to overfeeding and reduced physical activity. As a result, the incidence of obesity has risen markedly along with an associated increase in obesity-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, ....Environmental impact on neuroendocrine and neurobiological mechanisms: treatment strategies and mimetics for maintaining good health. The current societal climate of industrialized countries such as Australia has shifted considerable over recent decades and is now one which is highly conducive to overfeeding and reduced physical activity. As a result, the incidence of obesity has risen markedly along with an associated increase in obesity-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, obstructive pulmonary disease, type II diabetes, and many types of cancers. Less is known about the psychological and behavioural sequelae of this overfeeding. Calorie restriction mimetics may not only act as a preventative intervention to help reduce the incidence and severity of these major health problems, but also impact on social behaviour.Read moreRead less
Phenotypic differences in behaviour, brain function and structure of genetically dissimilar forms of intellectual disability. How is the brain of someone with intellectual disability different from that of a normal person? Are behavioural phenotypes such as intellectual disability more related to similarities in brain structure and function than to the genotypic anomaly? This project will use neuroscience techniques of psychophysics, electrophysiology and fMRI to probe these questions. The ben ....Phenotypic differences in behaviour, brain function and structure of genetically dissimilar forms of intellectual disability. How is the brain of someone with intellectual disability different from that of a normal person? Are behavioural phenotypes such as intellectual disability more related to similarities in brain structure and function than to the genotypic anomaly? This project will use neuroscience techniques of psychophysics, electrophysiology and fMRI to probe these questions. The benefit of this project is that cortical flattening fMRI techniques together with new and efficient stimulus paradigms will result in a functional landmark mapping tool capable of application to many other brain genotype-phenotype questions. Also, the functional brain basis of intellectual disability will be further revealed.Read moreRead less
Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying lateral biases in human vision. Under conditions of unconstrained viewing, humans show a consistent and reliable asymmetry in their perception of visual stimuli. This bias, which favours the left side, arises at a post-retinal level and is hypothesised to reflect hemispheric asymmetry in the control of visuospatial attention. This program of research investigates the mechanisms underlying lateral biases in visual perception, using the latest cognitive n ....Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying lateral biases in human vision. Under conditions of unconstrained viewing, humans show a consistent and reliable asymmetry in their perception of visual stimuli. This bias, which favours the left side, arises at a post-retinal level and is hypothesised to reflect hemispheric asymmetry in the control of visuospatial attention. This program of research investigates the mechanisms underlying lateral biases in visual perception, using the latest cognitive neuroscience techniques. The findings will provide important new information about the neural and cognitive bases for normal and disordered visuospatial perception. The goal is to develop a novel test of perceptual asymmetries for use in normal participants and neurological patients.Read moreRead less
Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Exciting new research is altering this view, showing that the brain can change in response to the environment. This study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have rare, absolute pitch ability. This ability develops with exposure to early training during a critical time period. We will ....Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Exciting new research is altering this view, showing that the brain can change in response to the environment. This study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have rare, absolute pitch ability. This ability develops with exposure to early training during a critical time period. We will test the relationship between this exposure and changes in brain shape and function. The results will tell us about the interaction between genes and environment, and the way normal development can be enhanced by early experiences.Read moreRead less
Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of alt ....Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of altering brain activity with rTMS. It will substantially enhance the applicability of the technique ultimately improving our knowledge of human and animal brain function and outcomes for patients with depression and other disorders. It will help reinforce Australia as a leading country in the development of brain stimulation techniques.Read moreRead less
ELEMENTS: A Virtual-Reality Augmented Workspace for Movement Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients. The broad aim of the project is to design, develop and evaluate an interactive virtual environment (VE) called ELEMENTS that supports movement assessment and rehabilitation for patients recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We will use current knowledge of the neural basis of movement control and learning to create VEs that will help re-train patients' sense of multimodal space ....ELEMENTS: A Virtual-Reality Augmented Workspace for Movement Rehabilitation of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients. The broad aim of the project is to design, develop and evaluate an interactive virtual environment (VE) called ELEMENTS that supports movement assessment and rehabilitation for patients recovering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We will use current knowledge of the neural basis of movement control and learning to create VEs that will help re-train patients' sense of multimodal space, their position within it, and the predictive control of actions. We will adapt our training environments for use on readily available technologies, creating a treatment method amenable to remote delivery. This will extend rehabilitation practices beyond their current constraints.Read moreRead less
Glucose facilitation of cognitive function: Effects of effort, age and glucose control. Age-related decline in mental capacity contributes to the economic (estimated at over 2 trillion AUD by 2050), social and human costs of an increasingly older Australian population. The studies in this program aim to understand the role of poor control of blood glucose in age-related cognitive deficits. The role of individual differences in biological (hormonal responses) and psychological (stress and appetit ....Glucose facilitation of cognitive function: Effects of effort, age and glucose control. Age-related decline in mental capacity contributes to the economic (estimated at over 2 trillion AUD by 2050), social and human costs of an increasingly older Australian population. The studies in this program aim to understand the role of poor control of blood glucose in age-related cognitive deficits. The role of individual differences in biological (hormonal responses) and psychological (stress and appetite) factors will also be assessed. A better understanding of the nature of age-related cognitive decline as it relates to biological processes such as blood glucose control will help to develop tangible strategies to combat age-related cognitive decline and dementia (which has been described as Type 3 diabetes).Read moreRead less
Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Research is beginning to alter this view, suggesting that the brain can change its structure and functioning in response to the environment. To explore this new and exciting issue, this study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have been exposed to early training during a critical peri ....Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Research is beginning to alter this view, suggesting that the brain can change its structure and functioning in response to the environment. To explore this new and exciting issue, this study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have been exposed to early training during a critical period of development. It will examine the relationship between this exposure and changes in brain size and function thought to underlie a specialised ability, known as perfect pitch. The findings will have important implications about the way normal development can be enhanced by early experience and practice.Read moreRead less