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
Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to ....Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to investigate a broad range of cognitive and communication functions. Benefits will include potential technologies and algorithms to assist listening (in devices such as hearing aids), language development and reading.Read moreRead less
CD1C-LIPID-REACTIVE T CELLS. The immune system patrols our body examining molecules such as proteins and lipids that signal whether or not everything is ok. While protein recognition by the immune system is well understood, our knowledge of the fundamental features of lipid detection is poor. This project will investigate the detection of lipid molecules that are presented to the immune system in association with a molecule known as CD1c. The aims are to understand: 1. The cells that respond to ....CD1C-LIPID-REACTIVE T CELLS. The immune system patrols our body examining molecules such as proteins and lipids that signal whether or not everything is ok. While protein recognition by the immune system is well understood, our knowledge of the fundamental features of lipid detection is poor. This project will investigate the detection of lipid molecules that are presented to the immune system in association with a molecule known as CD1c. The aims are to understand: 1. The cells that respond to these lipids; 2. The cellular receptors that bind to these lipids; 3. The types of lipids involved in this process. This work is essential for us to understand lipid-based immunology which is critical if we ultimately wish to harness this to improve human health.Read moreRead less
Understanding the generation of hypothalamic sleep neurons. This Project aims to investigate the mechanisms controlling the formation of the sleep neurons in the hypothalamus. We all sleep, and normal sleep-wake cycles play a central role in our biology. The functional role of these sleep neurons in the mature brain are well established. However, how the neurons are generated during development is very poorly defined. This project aims to address this critical knowledge gap, and will greatly inc ....Understanding the generation of hypothalamic sleep neurons. This Project aims to investigate the mechanisms controlling the formation of the sleep neurons in the hypothalamus. We all sleep, and normal sleep-wake cycles play a central role in our biology. The functional role of these sleep neurons in the mature brain are well established. However, how the neurons are generated during development is very poorly defined. This project aims to address this critical knowledge gap, and will greatly increase our understanding of how the development of this critical aspect of organismal function is orchestrated during development. This project will also develop bioinformatics tools with broad utility within the biosciences field and enhance the capacity for interdisciplinary international collaborations.Read moreRead less
Creating subject-specific mathematical models to understand the brain. This project aims to develop a mathematical framework that bridges the different scales of brain activities to provide a new tool for understanding the brain. Methods will be developed that unify individual neural activity with large scale brain activity. The approach will be validated by comparing predictions of interconnected models of neural populations (called mean-field models) to experimental data. The creation of subje ....Creating subject-specific mathematical models to understand the brain. This project aims to develop a mathematical framework that bridges the different scales of brain activities to provide a new tool for understanding the brain. Methods will be developed that unify individual neural activity with large scale brain activity. The approach will be validated by comparing predictions of interconnected models of neural populations (called mean-field models) to experimental data. The creation of subject-specific models from data is important, as there is large variability in neural circuits between individuals despite seemingly similar network activity. The intended outcome is new insights into the processes that govern brain function and methods for improving functional imaging of, and interfacing to, the brain.Read moreRead less
Antigen selection mechanisms control T cell immunity against bacteria. CD4+ T (T helper) cells are required to control many important bacterial infections. This Project aims to identify the key targets of CD4+ T cells responding to a model bacterial infection, and to correlate potential antigen effectiveness with native expression, antigen presentation, and the function of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells over time. Our validated experimental 'pipeline' has unprecedented potential to define potent ....Antigen selection mechanisms control T cell immunity against bacteria. CD4+ T (T helper) cells are required to control many important bacterial infections. This Project aims to identify the key targets of CD4+ T cells responding to a model bacterial infection, and to correlate potential antigen effectiveness with native expression, antigen presentation, and the function of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells over time. Our validated experimental 'pipeline' has unprecedented potential to define potent CD4+ T cell antigens within the thousands of proteins expressed by a bacterial pathogen. Our unbiased analysis may help establish the rules that define effective antigenicity. Our work will improve the understanding of bacterial immunity, and inform future design of T-cell based vaccines in the agricultural sector.Read moreRead less
Deciphering novel cross-talk between innate cytokine receptors. Understanding the basic functions of interferons, how they signal to cells, is central to understanding fundamental immunity. Interferons are crucial molecules of the immune system that are important for normal cell development and they protect the body from viral infection and cancer but can be deleterious in different autoimmune diseases and trauma settings. Preliminary Data shows there is a pathway of interferon signalling that h ....Deciphering novel cross-talk between innate cytokine receptors. Understanding the basic functions of interferons, how they signal to cells, is central to understanding fundamental immunity. Interferons are crucial molecules of the immune system that are important for normal cell development and they protect the body from viral infection and cancer but can be deleterious in different autoimmune diseases and trauma settings. Preliminary Data shows there is a pathway of interferon signalling that has previously been overlooked. This project aims to understand how this pathway works and how it contributes to the normal workings of cells. This fundamental science has future consequences for the design of vaccines and for the design of therapeutics to treat diseases that show defective interferon signalling.Read moreRead less
Motion-adaptive PET technology for brain imaging of freely moving mice. This project aims to develop new brain imaging technology that adapts to and corrects for the motion of a responsive, freely moving mouse. Current technology requires the subject to be unconscious, precluding the use of imaging to study signalling pathways activated by external stimuli during cognitive and behavioural tasks. By harnessing new radiation detector, motion tracking and computational technologies, the project exp ....Motion-adaptive PET technology for brain imaging of freely moving mice. This project aims to develop new brain imaging technology that adapts to and corrects for the motion of a responsive, freely moving mouse. Current technology requires the subject to be unconscious, precluding the use of imaging to study signalling pathways activated by external stimuli during cognitive and behavioural tasks. By harnessing new radiation detector, motion tracking and computational technologies, the project expects to bridge this technology gap and provide significant technical and conceptual advances in the field. This will provide important benefits, such as equipping neuroscientists with new tools to answer fundamental questions about how the mammalian brain regulates behavioural adaptation to a changing environment.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101145
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$414,662.00
Summary
Investigating novel neurobiological mechanisms in rabies infection. This project aims to better understand the biology and functioning of the nervous system using an innovative multi-disciplinary approach informed by the rabies virus. The study intends to identify the molecular mechanism responsible for self-destruction in neurons. The project aims to gain this new knowledge by investigating the novel natural ability of rabies virus to subdue self-destruction mechanism in neurons. The principal ....Investigating novel neurobiological mechanisms in rabies infection. This project aims to better understand the biology and functioning of the nervous system using an innovative multi-disciplinary approach informed by the rabies virus. The study intends to identify the molecular mechanism responsible for self-destruction in neurons. The project aims to gain this new knowledge by investigating the novel natural ability of rabies virus to subdue self-destruction mechanism in neurons. The principal benefit is the gain of detailed knowledge about a fundamental biological mechanism at the intersection of neurobiology and virology. This has the potential to inform future research in areas such as the maintenance of neuronal health in ageing and better control of rabies infections. Read moreRead less
Central Representation of Electroacoustic Stimuli. Cochlear implantation, initially only provided to profoundly deaf individuals, is now routine in people with substantial residual hearing. Although stimulation via a cochlear implant and hearing aid in the same ear has been shown to improve speech understanding, particularly in noise, and to increase the aesthetic quality of sound, almost nothing is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying these benefits. The broad aim of our project ....Central Representation of Electroacoustic Stimuli. Cochlear implantation, initially only provided to profoundly deaf individuals, is now routine in people with substantial residual hearing. Although stimulation via a cochlear implant and hearing aid in the same ear has been shown to improve speech understanding, particularly in noise, and to increase the aesthetic quality of sound, almost nothing is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying these benefits. The broad aim of our project is to address this deficiency by measuring the patterns of neural activity evoked by speech sounds across the tonotopic axis in the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex and assess the extent to which the pattern of neural activity allows discrimination between the different speech sounds.Read moreRead less