The amygdala is a region of the brain involved in assinging emotional salience to our sensory world. Disorders of amygdala function lead to a range of anxiety related disorders. In this grant we aim to understand the neural circuits that are invovled in one form of learning that engages the amygdala - fear conditioning.
Role Of Calcium-activated Potassium Channels In Neuronal Excitability, Synaptic Plasticity And Sensory Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,272.00
Summary
Disturbances in brain function, as occur in diseases such as epilepsy and schizophrenia, are associated with abnormal electrical activity. This electrical activity leads to increases in calcium inside nerve cells. In this project we plan to investigate how changes in calcium inside nerve cells regulates electrical activity, and how this impacts on the capacity of the brain to process and learn new information.
Targeting The Synaptic Actin Cytoskeleton In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$840,741.00
Summary
Dementias have become one of the fastest growing sources of major disease burdens in developed countries with about one in fifteen Australians older than 65 being affected. We will study how pathological stimuli disrupt nerve cell connections in the brain by impacting on the cellular architecture at these connections. Findings from our study will provide profound new insights in how nerve cells communicate with each other and how this communication is breaking down in disease.
Regulation Of Glutamate Receptor Trafficking By The Calcium- And Lipid-binding Protein, Copine-6
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$548,690.00
Summary
Abnormal levels of cell surface receptors in neurons can lead to a variety of debilitating neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. These levels are tightly regulated through the orchestrated movements of receptors from inside the neuron to the cell surface. In this project we will examine how the transport of cell surface receptors is regulated by an intracellular signalling molecule, called copine, which is important in both epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
Learning And Network Plasticity In A Primitive Sensory Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,557.00
Summary
Our brain is a uniquely powerful supercomputer, in part because it is ‘plastic’ -- that is, it can change itself when we adapt or learn something new. An understanding of the causes of brain plasticity is an essential part of any quest to understand the brain in sickness and in health. This research uses a laser microscope to ‘read the minds’ of mice as they learn about odours. By observing plasticity in action, we will gain deeper insights into normal brain function.
Properties Of Dendritic Spines And Their Role In Synaptic Plasticity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$336,767.00
Summary
Connections between nerve cells in the brain often occur onto enlarged protrusions called dendritic spines. This proposal will investigate the properties of dendritic spines, and relate differences in spine properties to synaptic plasticity. This information can be used to better understand and treat neurological disorders associated with spine malfunction, as occur in some forms of mental retardation, and may help with understanding the memory loss that occurs during ageing and dementia.
SEZ6 AND NEURONAL CALCIUM SIGNALLING IN SYNAPSE DEVELOPMENT
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$617,685.00
Summary
Inappropriate development and function of neuronal circuits is a universal feature of neurological disorders of cognition such as Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders and Fragile X mental retardation, epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer�s disease. In these diseases, neurons exhibit abnormal neuronal branches (dendrites) and abnormal connections on dendritic spines. This research is aimed at understanding the mechanisms controlling dendrite development that underpin proper neuronal wiring.