Social buffering of fear inhibition in adolescent rats. Adolescence is an important time when individuals learn to manage stress-related emotions like fear. Peers can help, or hinder, individuals to regulate fear. This project aims to understand how, when, and for whom social buffering of fear regulation occurs during adolescence. It uses a behavioural, pharmacological, and neural approach to explore these issues. The project aims to close the gap in understanding of how social companions affect ....Social buffering of fear inhibition in adolescent rats. Adolescence is an important time when individuals learn to manage stress-related emotions like fear. Peers can help, or hinder, individuals to regulate fear. This project aims to understand how, when, and for whom social buffering of fear regulation occurs during adolescence. It uses a behavioural, pharmacological, and neural approach to explore these issues. The project aims to close the gap in understanding of how social companions affect basic learning and memory processes in an understudied population of adolescents. The expected outcomes of this project include a richer knowledge of how peers shape emotional regulation during development, which will ultimately inform social-based approaches for improving emotion regulation in youth.
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Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural a ....Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural and computational neuroscience, that will in turn provide significant benefits through greater insight into brain functions essential for survival, with long ranging implications for performance optimisation and brain-inspired computing. Read moreRead less
Midbrain hunger signalling modifies decision making under conflict. Decision-making is one of the most important and fundamental biological processes executed by the mammalian brain. Environmental threats and physiological pressures, such as hunger, can influence decision-making processes skewing the risk/reward ratio, yet how the brain integrates these conflicting goals to determine action selection is unknown. This project aims to investigate brain chemistry and circuitry controlling decision ....Midbrain hunger signalling modifies decision making under conflict. Decision-making is one of the most important and fundamental biological processes executed by the mammalian brain. Environmental threats and physiological pressures, such as hunger, can influence decision-making processes skewing the risk/reward ratio, yet how the brain integrates these conflicting goals to determine action selection is unknown. This project aims to investigate brain chemistry and circuitry controlling decision making under conflict using a multidisciplinary approach combining behaviour, pharmacogenetics, and sophisticated molecular and functional profiling. The expected outcomes will advance theories regarding the neural organisation and computation of decision making under conflict.Read moreRead less
The impact of circadian and sleep factors on neurodevelopment. This project aims to longitudinally examine the contributions of multiple circadian and sleep factors on the development of the teen brain. Adolescence is associated with a change in the internal body clock, leading to later bed and wake times and loss of sleep. It is also a time when the teenage brain is rapidly maturing to support learning. Despite the known importance of sleep in adolescence we know little about how the circadian ....The impact of circadian and sleep factors on neurodevelopment. This project aims to longitudinally examine the contributions of multiple circadian and sleep factors on the development of the teen brain. Adolescence is associated with a change in the internal body clock, leading to later bed and wake times and loss of sleep. It is also a time when the teenage brain is rapidly maturing to support learning. Despite the known importance of sleep in adolescence we know little about how the circadian clock and sleep impacts the developing brain. Our project expects to advance understanding of the importance of sleep and circadian timing for healthy brain and cognitive development. This knowledge will inform policy and prevention/intervention programs to benefit individuals, parents and the community.Read moreRead less
Prefrontal dopamine in the dynamic processes of learning across lifetime. To facilitate age-specific adaptive action in a changing environment, how we learn changes not only as we grow, but also as we age. However, the neurobiological processes in these age-related changes are poorly studied. This is a significant knowledge gap that needs to be addressed to promote healthy cognitive development and ageing. This research program aims to examine the contribution of prefrontal dopamine and its rece ....Prefrontal dopamine in the dynamic processes of learning across lifetime. To facilitate age-specific adaptive action in a changing environment, how we learn changes not only as we grow, but also as we age. However, the neurobiological processes in these age-related changes are poorly studied. This is a significant knowledge gap that needs to be addressed to promote healthy cognitive development and ageing. This research program aims to examine the contribution of prefrontal dopamine and its receptors D1 and D2 in associative learning and its inhibition at 9 distinct ages spanning development to ageing in male and female rats. The outcomes will provide a new neuroscientific framework to understand learning and memory throughout life, which will foster new research opportunities and inform our education and health.Read moreRead less