What is the functional significance of mirror neurons? Contrasting the adaptation and association models of the mirror neuron system. Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that are thought to underlie empathy and cause autism. Alternatively, however, mirror neurons might instead arise from repeated associations between what we see and what we do. This study uses brain stimulation and neuroimaging techniques to determine the function of mirror neurons.
Multimodal testing for a fast subcortical route for salient visual stimuli. This project aims to uncover links between underlying brain circuitry, uncertainty and consciousness, and perceptions of fear. The project will use a multi-modal combination of brain imaging and neural recording techniques to generate new knowledge about the brain’s processing of biologically relevant information. The expected outcomes will enhance our knowledge of how the brain rapidly and non-consciously prepares the ....Multimodal testing for a fast subcortical route for salient visual stimuli. This project aims to uncover links between underlying brain circuitry, uncertainty and consciousness, and perceptions of fear. The project will use a multi-modal combination of brain imaging and neural recording techniques to generate new knowledge about the brain’s processing of biologically relevant information. The expected outcomes will enhance our knowledge of how the brain rapidly and non-consciously prepares the body for potential escape behaviours and of the brain pathways engaged in fear perception. The outcomes have the potential to inform strategies for overcoming anxiety and its effects on daily life, social interactions and workplace productivity.Read moreRead less
Cannabis and the brain: the good, the bad and the unknown. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug but much remains unknown about how it affects the brain. This research will examine effects on brain cells through to whole brain function in humans to determine how cannabis use may lead to impaired thinking or psychological symptoms and why cannabis might affect individuals in different ways.
Neural network underlying memory erasure. Memory expression can easily be reduced through the process of extinction, which involves repeated presentations of cues involved in that memory but without any outcome. In adult animals (including humans), it is widely accepted that extinction leads to a temporary inhibition of the original memory that remains largely unaltered. Remarkably, extinction causes erasure in juvenile rodents so that the original memory is permanently reduced. This is because ....Neural network underlying memory erasure. Memory expression can easily be reduced through the process of extinction, which involves repeated presentations of cues involved in that memory but without any outcome. In adult animals (including humans), it is widely accepted that extinction leads to a temporary inhibition of the original memory that remains largely unaltered. Remarkably, extinction causes erasure in juvenile rodents so that the original memory is permanently reduced. This is because the normal maturational changes in the brain result in fundamental developmental differences in the neural network underlying extinction. This project aims to map out this network across life, and also to reproduce the juvenile network in adult rats to erase memories via extinction in adulthood.Read moreRead less