The role of P2X7 and P2X4 receptor mediated innate phagocytosis in pathogenesis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This project will identify how inherited variation in two proteins of the brain can accelerate the removal of neurones and predispose to a range of neurodegenerative diseases. Knowledge of the biological basis of this finding will allow a search for new compounds which will slow and protect against this form of neurodegeneration.
Understanding the contribution of neuroinflammation in acute and chronic neural injury. A major focus of this project will be investigating the involvement of neuroinflammation in neural cell damage. It will explore how neuroinflammation contributes to this damage in both acute and chronic neuropathologies.
Learning from errors: examining the neural mechanisms underlying performance monitoring and adaptive behaviour. This project aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on how the brain mechanisms underlying error processing influence adaptive behaviour. Self-recognition of errors deteriorates in many clinical conditions and is a predictor of poor prognostic outcome. However, it remains unclear how such dysfunction leads to the failure to adapt behaviour.
Regulation of neuronal cell death signalling for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and motor neuron diseases, are often underpinned by neuronal cell death-signalling. This project aims to characterise molecules that regulate cell death signalling, thereby increasing our knowledge of how neuronal cell death can be inhibited.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100323
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The regulation by transcription factor phosphorylation upon the myelinating process. The project will investigate the novel molecular events that control the myelinating process, which is essential for normal nervous system function. Outcomes of this project may aid the development of novel interventions to improve control of demyelinating diseases, which represent a substantial socio-economic burden.
New tools to activate and silence neural circuits. Many neurological disorders occur as a result of neuron cell death that is initiated by excessive levels of excitatory activity in central nervous system neurons. This project will develop and validate a new treatment for these disorders that involves silencing excessive neuronal activity using a safe, commonly prescribed drug.
The role of actin in driving bulk endocytosis in neurons and neurosecretory cells. Synaptic release of neurotransmitter is essential for neuronal communication. Following fusion, synaptic vesicle membrane is incorporated into the plasma membrane and retrieved by endocytosis to recover both lipids and essential vesicular proteins. The project will characterise how the actin cytoskeleton perform this function.
AUSLearn: AUtomated Sample Learning for Object Recognition. This project aims to enable computers to learn how to effectively use training samples for object recognition. Training sample is the only source used by computers to learn recognising objects. This project creates a new research direction that will enable the first full exploration of the power of samples. The aims will be enabled by leveraging the recent advances in reinforcement learning, fast training algorithms, and by developing n ....AUSLearn: AUtomated Sample Learning for Object Recognition. This project aims to enable computers to learn how to effectively use training samples for object recognition. Training sample is the only source used by computers to learn recognising objects. This project creates a new research direction that will enable the first full exploration of the power of samples. The aims will be enabled by leveraging the recent advances in reinforcement learning, fast training algorithms, and by developing novel deep learning algorithms. The new algorithms will benefit a wide range of applications, e.g. to effectively use car crash training samples for accurately identifying potential road crashes in transport and to effectively use rare medical imaging training data for robustly diagnosing diseases in health.Read moreRead less
Investigating the neuroprotective actions of metallo-complexes. Metal-based drugs offer an exciting new approach to treatment of neurodegeneration. However, little is known about how cells metabolise these drugs: information that is critical for further drug development. This project will determine how metal-based drugs are metabolized by neuronal cells and how this may result in therapeutic benefit.
Gene-environment interactions mediating experience-dependent plasticity in the healthy and diseased brain. The aim of this project is to understand how genes and environment combine to affect susceptibility to various brain disorders, using models of human diseases and manipulating environmental factors such as mental and physical activity. The project's focus is on neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Huntington's disease, depression, schizophrenia and autism.