Probing cross modal interactions in the perception of object motion and self-motion. How the brain integrates information from the different senses is not yet understood. This project aims first, to uncover how the brain integrates sound and visual information when perceiving moving objects and second, to probe more complex sensory interactions between sound, vision, and our vestibular senses when perceiving self-motion. This project will expand Australia's knowledge base, strengthen collabora ....Probing cross modal interactions in the perception of object motion and self-motion. How the brain integrates information from the different senses is not yet understood. This project aims first, to uncover how the brain integrates sound and visual information when perceiving moving objects and second, to probe more complex sensory interactions between sound, vision, and our vestibular senses when perceiving self-motion. This project will expand Australia's knowledge base, strengthen collaborative ties between Australia and Japan, and provide unique training opportunities for Australian and Japanese students. Publication of research in top-ranking journals will further promote Australian science abroad. Results will lead to improvements in the design of human-machine interfaces in both industry and entertainment.Read moreRead less
The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime posi ....The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime position to make early inroads into an important technology-based commercial enterprise. The interdisciplinary approach has important ramifications for training Australian PhD students and postdoctoral fellows and for attracting overseas research fellows. Read moreRead less
INVESTIGATING PROPRIOCEPTION AND SENSORIMOTOR CONTROL IN HUMANS DEVOID OF FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE SPINDLES
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,983.00
Summary
Specific genetic mutations can lead to widespread changes in the body. Here we are looking at congenital Hereditary and Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy type III (HSAN III). Affected individuals have difficulty walking, which progressively worsens over time. This series of experiments aims to increase our understanding of the underlying neurophysiological disturbances in HSAN III.
Mechanisms Of Body Representation And The Sensory Consequences Of Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,842.00
Summary
How does the brain control movement without vision? We cannot see our mouth but can easily put food in it. The brain uses a combination of sensory signals and stored models of the body, to control movement. The body models, and their interaction with sensory information, is not well understood. but they are disrupted by common clinical disorders. This research project investigates unsolved questions about the body model including how it is affected by stroke.
Neuronal Activity And Variability Underlying Perception And Action
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$349,802.00
Summary
Perception and behaviour are often unpredictable. We do not identically perceive repeated stimuli, and even professional athletes cannot precisely replicate their actions. This project compares variations in the activity of motion-sensitive neurons in the brain with variability in motion perception and eye movements. This should give insights into how neuronal activity underlies conscious perception and eye movements and may ultimately help treat conditions with impaired control of movement.
Mechanisms of learning at the interface between perception and action. Using the latest in brain imaging and simulator technology, this project will advance understanding of how experience shapes the visual centres of our brain. It will also support partnerships with construction, mining and health services by developing real and virtual machine interfaces and tools to enhance the outcome of simulator-based training.
Creating new methods to study structure vision. The majority of the structure within natural images is due to third to fifth order correlations between image points. Research has shown that sensitivity to this higher order structure, provides so called Structure Vision. Research has also shown that as few as three to four brain mechanisms are involved, and these may be related to the Minkowski functionals, which in turn are related to the structural and surface properties of real materials. This ....Creating new methods to study structure vision. The majority of the structure within natural images is due to third to fifth order correlations between image points. Research has shown that sensitivity to this higher order structure, provides so called Structure Vision. Research has also shown that as few as three to four brain mechanisms are involved, and these may be related to the Minkowski functionals, which in turn are related to the structural and surface properties of real materials. This project aims to build on recent discoveries of new stimuli to implement objective tests with which to study structure vision with the Partner Organisation. The project aims to also expand on realistic models of how Structure Vision may be computed by just a few coupled cortical pyramidal cells.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Organisation Of The Medial Parietal Cortex: Sensorimotor Integration For Goal-directed Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,862.00
Summary
Reaching and grasping are of obvious significance for a productive life, and many of the brain areas known to be involved in the direction of arm movements are located in the parietal lobe. Stroke affecting this part of the brain causes disability, as people become unable to reach accurately, or to close their hands around objects with appropriate strength. This project will combine modern physiological and anatomical methods to reveal the brain circuitry responsible for such crucial skills.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101468
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,614.00
Summary
Context matters: from sensory processing to decision making. Contextual modulation refers to prominent changes in the processing of information in brain and perception caused by interactions across space and time. Over the past two decades, an enormous amount of work has shown that spatial contextual effects occur throughout the sensory processing hierarchy. However, there has been little work examining how temporal context effects affect information processing and operate for high-level attribu ....Context matters: from sensory processing to decision making. Contextual modulation refers to prominent changes in the processing of information in brain and perception caused by interactions across space and time. Over the past two decades, an enormous amount of work has shown that spatial contextual effects occur throughout the sensory processing hierarchy. However, there has been little work examining how temporal context effects affect information processing and operate for high-level attributes of stimuli as well as interactions of self and environment. The project aims to fill this gap to further understand the nature and mechanisms of temporal contextual modulation on sensory information processing, perception, perceptual judgement and decision making at cellular, circuit and cognitive levels.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,288.00
Summary
The influence of naturalistic context on visual short-term memory. This project aims to understand visual short-term memory in natural visual environments using a combination of behavioural and brain data. Visual short-term memory is thought to be critical to complex cognitive tasks such as learning and problem solving, but how low-level image context and high-level semantic information influence short-term memory is poorly understood. This project will use advanced computational image processin ....The influence of naturalistic context on visual short-term memory. This project aims to understand visual short-term memory in natural visual environments using a combination of behavioural and brain data. Visual short-term memory is thought to be critical to complex cognitive tasks such as learning and problem solving, but how low-level image context and high-level semantic information influence short-term memory is poorly understood. This project will use advanced computational image processing tools, neuro-imaging, and psychophysical experiments to provide a comprehensive analysis of short-term memory in naturalistic images. The expected outcome is a better understanding of the neural bottlenecks that limit short-term memory, and a model that predicts memory constraints in natural visual environments.Read moreRead less