New research with scanning techniques has confirmed older ideas about the complementary functions of the two hemispheres of the human brain. One major contrast between the two hemispheres concerns their cognitive and emotional styles. The left hemisphere plans and confidently smooths over discrepancies that do not fit the plan while the right hemisphere looks at all possibilities and cautiously highlights the discrepancies. This research project studies the switch between the two hemispheres tha ....New research with scanning techniques has confirmed older ideas about the complementary functions of the two hemispheres of the human brain. One major contrast between the two hemispheres concerns their cognitive and emotional styles. The left hemisphere plans and confidently smooths over discrepancies that do not fit the plan while the right hemisphere looks at all possibilities and cautiously highlights the discrepancies. This research project studies the switch between the two hemispheres that alternately activates these contrasting, but equally valid, viewpoints. The switch is studied directly by optical recording from animal brains. The switch can also be studied in humans using a recent discovery from our laboratory:- that the perceptual rivalries are mediated by a hemispheric switch mechanism. Perceptual rivalry is a phenomenon where continuous, but ambiguous, stimulation leads to a back-and-forth alternation of complementary percepts, a phenomenon that fascinated Salvador Dali and is featured in many of his paintings. The nature of the perceptual switch during rivalry has been debated for centuries. New experiments link perceptual rivalry to the switch of attention between the hemispheres. Using perceptual rivalry as an indirect way to monitor hemispheric switching in humans, we discovered a remarkable feature. The back-and-forth switching process of perceptual rivalry is significantly slower in subjects with bipolar disorder (manic depression), even when they are between episodes and their mood is normal. The timing of the switching process is very stable in an individual, and appears to be similar in identical twins. The speed of the switch mechanism may therefore be inherited. Altered neural rhythms may underly the predisposition, known to run in familes, from which bipolar disorder can be triggered. The aim of the project is to test these propositions about the basis of this common disorder, affecting 1-2% of the population..Read moreRead less
The immune system plays an important role in protecting us from infectious diseases. To do this it regulates a series of cell types that must decide upon an appropriate course. In general, this response is successful and protective. However, occasionally the cells make an inappropriate decision leading to problems. For example, allergies are an incorrect response against pollens and dust mites. Similarly, autoimmune disease such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis result from inappropriate attack ....The immune system plays an important role in protecting us from infectious diseases. To do this it regulates a series of cell types that must decide upon an appropriate course. In general, this response is successful and protective. However, occasionally the cells make an inappropriate decision leading to problems. For example, allergies are an incorrect response against pollens and dust mites. Similarly, autoimmune disease such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis result from inappropriate attack upon our own tissues. Despite the clear importance of immune regulation for health, the complexity of its behaviour has made it difficult to predict and control. In this research program a new theory of immune regulation with clear implications for rational intervention and beneficial manipulation of the immune system will be developed.Read moreRead less
Cell Division And The Regulation Of Immunoglobulin Switch Recombination At The Molecular Level
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$392,545.00
Summary
The B lymphocyte is an important cell in the immune response as it generates protective antibody against invading pathogens. The effectiveness of an antibody response partly depends on the type of antibody made (there are eight different types). This attribute alters as the immune response progresses in a poorly understood and highly complex way. However, our recent studies have revealed a simple underlying order that can be dissected using new methods. The key to the underlying simplicity is a ....The B lymphocyte is an important cell in the immune response as it generates protective antibody against invading pathogens. The effectiveness of an antibody response partly depends on the type of antibody made (there are eight different types). This attribute alters as the immune response progresses in a poorly understood and highly complex way. However, our recent studies have revealed a simple underlying order that can be dissected using new methods. The key to the underlying simplicity is a cell division clock used to relate and promote cell changes. Here we intend to apply this new concept and the new methods to dissecting the molecular events associated with linking division to the changing properties of antibody selection. Our aim is to accurately model the process of changing antibody types at both the molecular and whole tissue levels. These studies will give us new insights into how the immune response may be directed to make the most appropriate (effective) response during infection and vaccination.Read moreRead less
STUDIES OF NF-E4, A NOVEL FETAL/ERYTHROID SPECIFIC FACTOR INVOLVED IN FETAL GLOBIN GENE REGULATION
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$753,810.00
Summary
Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia are the commonest genetic disorders worldwide. Those affected suffer devastating clinical sequelae and mortality in the first twenty years of life remains high. A cure for these diseases is dependent on the replacement of the affected or absent hemoglobin protein chains with normally functioning hemoglobins. This is evident in rare patients who co-inherit a natural mutation which elevates fetal hemoglobin (HbF), as these patients have a dramatically ameliorated ....Sickle cell anemia and thalassemia are the commonest genetic disorders worldwide. Those affected suffer devastating clinical sequelae and mortality in the first twenty years of life remains high. A cure for these diseases is dependent on the replacement of the affected or absent hemoglobin protein chains with normally functioning hemoglobins. This is evident in rare patients who co-inherit a natural mutation which elevates fetal hemoglobin (HbF), as these patients have a dramatically ameliorated clinical course. Therefore, treatment strategies which could reactivate fetal globin gene expression after birth should be explored for these diseases. To achieve this goal we must further our understanding of the normal mechanisms of developmental regulation of globin gene expression. To this end we have recently identified a novel gene which is critical for fetal globin expression. The studies we propose here will further define the function of this gene and assess its potential for gene therapy for sickle cell disease and thalassemia.Read moreRead less