The retina lines the back of the eye and sends multiple movies of the visual world to the brain. This project aims to investigate how these multiple information channels are created. Descriptions of the basic pattern of wiring in the healthy retina will help clinical researchers to understand the disruptions that occur in visual disease. The precision of normal retinal wiring also delineates the precision required to restore normal function to a diseased or degenerating eye.
Analysis Of Functional Role Of The BDNF Precursor In Sensory Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$457,267.00
Summary
Neurotrophins, which are generated from their precursors, are essential for the survival and function of the nervous system. One of neurotrophins, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is made in sensory neurons and transported towards nerve terminals. Mutation of a single amino acid in the precursor of BDNF disrupts this transport. This project will examine whether the precursor of BDNF has any function within sensory nerves. We will examine whether the precursor of BDNF gets into the nerve ....Neurotrophins, which are generated from their precursors, are essential for the survival and function of the nervous system. One of neurotrophins, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is made in sensory neurons and transported towards nerve terminals. Mutation of a single amino acid in the precursor of BDNF disrupts this transport. This project will examine whether the precursor of BDNF has any function within sensory nerves. We will examine whether the precursor of BDNF gets into the nerve via its receptors and whether it plays any role in the development of pain and maintenance of neuropathic pain after nerve injury. Successful execution of the project will eludicate mechanisms of pain, especially neuropathic pain, and will provide important information to assist in the design of drugs for neurological diseases.Read moreRead less
The human brain has many subdivisions (�areas�) that are dedicated to vision, but in many cases their functions remain unclear. This project will study an area located deep in the brain, about which very little is known, and which appears to be affected from early stages in conditions such as Alzheimer�s disease. By understanding the patterns of electrical activity of cells in this region, and their connections with other brain areas, we hope to decipher their contribution to sensory cognition.
Determining The Electrical Stimulation Parameters Required To Program The Bionic Eye To Effect Vision.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,449.00
Summary
Our eyes are invaluable organs that we use for nearly all daily tasks. Loss of vision is devastating but, unfortunately, little can be done at this time. One strategy to restore vision is through a prosthetic to stimulate the retina. For a prosthetic to work, however, we must first understand how the retina encodes the visual image. Our research seeks to decode the retinal signals and determine how a Bionic Eye could be programmed to mimic them.
Ion Channels Underlying Inflammatory And Post-inflammatory Visceral Mechanical Hypersensitivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,439.00
Summary
Inflammation causes tissue damage that triggers ion channels within sensory nerve fibres to produce greater signals in response to mechanical events, causing acute pain. In chronic pain, although the inflamed tissue has healed, sensory nerve fibres fail to "reset" back to normal. Often chronic pain is more severe than acute pain. This project will identify which ion channels are responsible for signalling acute and chronic visceral pain, explaining why sensory nerve fibres fail to reset.
In the areas of the brain where visual information is processed, cells respond to the presentation of visual stimuli by changing their pattern of electrical activity. At the first level of analysis, the primary visual cortex (V1), individual cells become active only if line segments or borders of a particular orientation are present in their field of detection, which encompasses a small part of the visual scene. Cells in other visual cortical areas (the extrastriate cortex) perform more complex ....In the areas of the brain where visual information is processed, cells respond to the presentation of visual stimuli by changing their pattern of electrical activity. At the first level of analysis, the primary visual cortex (V1), individual cells become active only if line segments or borders of a particular orientation are present in their field of detection, which encompasses a small part of the visual scene. Cells in other visual cortical areas (the extrastriate cortex) perform more complex detection tasks in comparison with those in V1, which demand integration of information coming from much larger portions of the visual scene. One example of these more complex properties is the phenomenon of long-range contour integration, where our visual system groups individual line segments having similar orientations, so that they are perceived as part of the same contour. This property is reflected in the electrical responses of cells in the dorsomedial visual area (DM). How are properties such as orientation specificity and long-range contour integration created? To begin addressing this question, we will investigate correlations between the physiological properties of identified cells, the spatial distribution of their information collecting regions (dendrites), and the anatomical pathways by which they receive information from other parts of the brain. This is a basic science study aimed at determining the extent to which the anatomical structure of the brain helps define the function of individual cells and brain areas. Its primary benefit will be to increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying all sensory processing in the brain. The knowledge obtained may also lead to developments in areas of applied research including medicine and cognitive science (for example, understanding how the brain learns to interpret visual information in early life, and how visual processing degrades with ageing).Read moreRead less
Nanoparticle Based Neurotrophin Delivery To Promote Directed Neurite Growth And Auditory Nerve Rescue Following Deafness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$506,724.00
Summary
The cochlear implant provides hearing information to the severe-profoundly deaf by electrically stimulating the auditory nerves of the inner ear. Deafness causes these auditory nerves to gradually degenerate leaving fewer nerves for the cochlear implant to stimulate. We propose to reverse this neural degeneration by delivering therapeutic drugs to the inner ear using tiny nanoparticles. This novel technology is expected to have application in other areas of neural degenerative disease.
Muller Cell Reactivity During Diabetic Retinopathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$258,000.00
Summary
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population. In some patients with diabetes, blood vessels within the retina proliferate, haemorrhage or cause retinal detachment. The underlying changes within the retina that lead to the proliferation of blood vessels are not well understood. One of the factors that leads to changes in retinal blood vessels is an increase in growth factors from cells within the retina called Muller cells. Muller cells are vital for the normal function of ....Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population. In some patients with diabetes, blood vessels within the retina proliferate, haemorrhage or cause retinal detachment. The underlying changes within the retina that lead to the proliferation of blood vessels are not well understood. One of the factors that leads to changes in retinal blood vessels is an increase in growth factors from cells within the retina called Muller cells. Muller cells are vital for the normal function of the retina and are known to be abnormal late in diabetes. They may also be dysfunctional early in diabetes and could play a significant role in causing the early changes seen in diabetes. Therefore a good understanding of how Muller cells change and the time at which they change is vitally important to gain a better understanding of the defects that are associated with diabetes. Furthermore, an understanding of the basic underlying cellular changes that occur in dibaetes will aid the development of more specific therapeutic agents in the future.Read moreRead less
Deciphering The Mechanisms For Constructing The Olfactory System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,321.00
Summary
The olfactory (smell) system is a unique part of the nervous system; nerve cells are generated throughout life and it can regenerate even after injury. It therefore provides an excellent model for examining the growth, development and maintenance of nerve cells. This project will examine the effects on the organisation of the olfactory system when some guidance signals are altered. Information we obtain about how this system develops and regenerates may be useful in treating brain disorders and ....The olfactory (smell) system is a unique part of the nervous system; nerve cells are generated throughout life and it can regenerate even after injury. It therefore provides an excellent model for examining the growth, development and maintenance of nerve cells. This project will examine the effects on the organisation of the olfactory system when some guidance signals are altered. Information we obtain about how this system develops and regenerates may be useful in treating brain disorders and spinal injuries The results of these experiments will provide important information on the the initial growth and targeting of these nerve cells which may have implications for regeneration of these as well as other nerve cells.Read moreRead less
How Does Inflammation Of The Gut Change Its Sensory Innervation?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$613,767.00
Summary
A large number of patients that are referred to gastroenterologists for pain and discomfort from the bowel are offered no effective treatment. This has a large impact on quality of life and often involves invasive tests to rule out inflammatory or cancerous causes. These patients are classified as suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients who have diagnosable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) where colonoscopy is positive may suffer similar symptoms but also have no treatment for th ....A large number of patients that are referred to gastroenterologists for pain and discomfort from the bowel are offered no effective treatment. This has a large impact on quality of life and often involves invasive tests to rule out inflammatory or cancerous causes. These patients are classified as suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients who have diagnosable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) where colonoscopy is positive may suffer similar symptoms but also have no treatment for this type of symptom. It is becoming apparent that a large subgroup of IBS patients have undergone prior infection or inflammation, and that there are in fact changes in the types of cells in biopsies from their gut. Thus there are common features to IBS and inflammation. These may provide a means for us to find new treatments for IBS and IBD symptoms. Mice develop similar microscopic changes in the colon after experimental inflammation to those seen in humans, so we can discover more from this model. We have recently established that there are several types of sensory nerve fibres from the mouse colon and rectum that convey information about contractions, distension and chemical mediators released from tissue to the central nervous system. These are almost certainly responsible for generating symptoms in patients. We aim in this project to discover how these sensory nerves change in their responsiveness to mechanical and chemical stimuli in experimental inflammation. Importantly we shall investigate the mediators that are present in the tissue which may activate sensory nerves and-or the receptors on sensory nerves that may be increased. These experiments we hope will provide a target at which to aim novel drug treatments for symptoms of IBS and IBD.Read moreRead less