Wiring the gut's nervous system: formation and maturation of synapses. This project aims to determine how nerve circuits controlling intestinal functions develop; specifically how communication between specific nerve cells is established once they appear in the embryonic gut. It will fill a major hole in existing knowledge of mechanisms regulating the development of normal digestive behaviours.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100223
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Characterisation of visceral afferent spinal cord pathways. Sensory nerves in the gut wall are key mediators of chronic visceral pain. This project will characterise how sensory nerves supplying the bowel connect to the spinal cord and the spinal circuits mediating pain perception, providing information to identify sensory pathways underlying visceral pain.
Cellular bases of enteric neural circuitry underlying gut propulsion. This project aims to investigate the neural bases of behaviour in the mammalian gut. The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) plays a critical role in the propulsion of intestinal contents. This project expects to establish how specific functional classes of enteric neurons control propulsion along the gut. By recording the simultaneous neural activity from hundreds of different functional classes of enteric nerve cells simultaneously ....Cellular bases of enteric neural circuitry underlying gut propulsion. This project aims to investigate the neural bases of behaviour in the mammalian gut. The Enteric Nervous System (ENS) plays a critical role in the propulsion of intestinal contents. This project expects to establish how specific functional classes of enteric neurons control propulsion along the gut. By recording the simultaneous neural activity from hundreds of different functional classes of enteric nerve cells simultaneously, whilst recording intestinal muscle electrical activity and the movements of the gut wall, the project expects to identify which enteric neurochemical classes of neurons generate specific motor patterns along the intestine.Read moreRead less