Understanding the mechanisms of GABA type-A receptor activation and drug modulation. There is currently little understanding of how sedative and anxiolytic drugs, including valium, interact with their receptors in the brain. This project will dramatically increase our understanding of how these receptors work and how drugs affect their activity. This will provide new insights into drug discovery and design.
Computational neuroanatomy: analysis of neural connections in the primate brain. This project will map the full network of connections between brain cells, using a computer graphics database that will consolidate data from hundreds of experiments. This will allow the first realistic simulations of neural activity, and will provide new insights about the structure and function of the nervous system.
Understanding complex networks of connections in the primate cerebral cortex. The most fundamental characteristic of brain cells is that they can interchange information through electrical pulses, which run along cable-like membrane specialisations. This creates a hugely complex network of cell-to-cell connections. Understanding this network is necessary to allow new insights on how the brain works as an integrated system, and on how information processing in the brain changes as result of disea ....Understanding complex networks of connections in the primate cerebral cortex. The most fundamental characteristic of brain cells is that they can interchange information through electrical pulses, which run along cable-like membrane specialisations. This creates a hugely complex network of cell-to-cell connections. Understanding this network is necessary to allow new insights on how the brain works as an integrated system, and on how information processing in the brain changes as result of diseases and normal ageing. This project will produce the first comprehensive digital map of the connections in a primate brain. This project will use advanced statistical techniques to determine how to best subdivide the brain into processing nodes, and the logic behind the network of connections that integrates these nodes. Read moreRead less
Action-related learning and plasticity in the cortico-striatal network. This project focuses on the neural bases of adaptive behaviour, specifically on the neural processes through which new actions are acquired. This project aims to establish the neural networks involved as well as the locus of the critical cellular plasticity mediating this learning process in the brain.
Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction in the mammalian brain. The brain is a remarkable machine that coordinates all aspects of our daily lives including the storage and retrieval of memories. Given that many age-related degenerative disorders are associated with marked changes in learning and memory it also has implications for Australia's National Research Priority 2 "Ageing well and ageing productively". This research aims to discover the basic mechanisms that underlie memory storage an ....Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction in the mammalian brain. The brain is a remarkable machine that coordinates all aspects of our daily lives including the storage and retrieval of memories. Given that many age-related degenerative disorders are associated with marked changes in learning and memory it also has implications for Australia's National Research Priority 2 "Ageing well and ageing productively". This research aims to discover the basic mechanisms that underlie memory storage and how these are modulated in an emotional context. It will also shed light on states such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, enhancing our ability to identify new therapeutic targets for such disorders.Read moreRead less
Understanding brain mechanisms that control autonomic function. This project aims to understand the how the brain regulates sympathetic nerve activity, thereby increasing our understanding of the biology and function of nascent neurons on the adult brain stem. This challenges the current notion that new neurons are only made during development. The project will also determine how brain inflammation impacts blood-brain barrier function and affects sympathetic nerve regulation. The basic fundament ....Understanding brain mechanisms that control autonomic function. This project aims to understand the how the brain regulates sympathetic nerve activity, thereby increasing our understanding of the biology and function of nascent neurons on the adult brain stem. This challenges the current notion that new neurons are only made during development. The project will also determine how brain inflammation impacts blood-brain barrier function and affects sympathetic nerve regulation. The basic fundamental insights and conceptual advances into how autonomic function is controlled by the brain will provide a better understanding of these fundamental processes and will contribute to Australia’s priority research areas to improve health and advance product development.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102883
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Understanding the function of a visual pathway to the limbic cortex. This project will study an area located deep in the brain, about which very little is known. Based on recent studies, it is suspected that this area is important for visual perception. By understanding the patterns of electrical activity of cells in this region, the project aims to decipher its contribution to cognition and emotion.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100992
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The role of neuropeptides driving plasticity in the control of blood pressure and breathing. This project aims to understand how pathways in the brain, that control blood pressure, develop 'memory' after repeated episodes of low oxygen, as occurs in sleep apnoea. Based on the assumption that long-lasting excitatory actions are responsible for this change in nerve behaviour this project will increase knowledge about how the brain controls blood pressure.
From gene to duty: the emergence of the complex brain. This project aims to determine the molecular code (genes and their products) responsible for the expansion of the nonhuman primate visual cortex, which underpins the formation of discrete functional and anatomical areas. The project will detail all the genes expressed at key stages of brain development and how interfering with their expression inhibits the normal formation of areas. The expected outcomes are a chronological and functional ma ....From gene to duty: the emergence of the complex brain. This project aims to determine the molecular code (genes and their products) responsible for the expansion of the nonhuman primate visual cortex, which underpins the formation of discrete functional and anatomical areas. The project will detail all the genes expressed at key stages of brain development and how interfering with their expression inhibits the normal formation of areas. The expected outcomes are a chronological and functional map of the molecular code that underpins the formation of the complex primate visual cortex. This will contribute to defining the mechanisms leading to the evolution of the complex primate visual brain and complement the numerous brain connectome studies being undertaken globally.Read moreRead less
‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of anima ....‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of animal taxa, and show how animals with 4 or 5 spectral channels integrate or partition visual information to perceive colour. The Fellowship will provide new biological models for the development of next-generation multispectral cameras used in medical, military, security and remote sensing applications.Read moreRead less