Visuomotor Integration In The Medial Parietal Cortical Areas
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$665,163.00
Summary
This project will find out how the electrical activity of brain cells is used to direct the arms to a specific position in the space around a person's body. By understanding the code used by brain cells to perform this control of the arms, we will be able to "read" the brain activity directly, and use it to allow control of artificial arms by people who have been paralysed or had amputations.
Understanding The Organisation Of The Medial Parietal Cortex: Sensorimotor Integration For Goal-directed Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$551,862.00
Summary
Reaching and grasping are of obvious significance for a productive life, and many of the brain areas known to be involved in the direction of arm movements are located in the parietal lobe. Stroke affecting this part of the brain causes disability, as people become unable to reach accurately, or to close their hands around objects with appropriate strength. This project will combine modern physiological and anatomical methods to reveal the brain circuitry responsible for such crucial skills.
Mechanisms And Pathways Leading To Saccadic Suppression In Primate Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$858,086.00
Summary
Only the central few degrees of the visual field are viewed in high resolution. Consequently, the eyes must be pointed at targets of interest using saccadic eye movements. Each saccade generates potentially disturbing image motion but this is never perceived: saccadic suppression. This project aims to characterise the neural basis of saccadic suppression using modern techniques. As a result, a prime question in Neuroscience for over 100 years can now be answered.
Role Of Neurogenesis In Clinical Recovery From Depression During ECT: Application Of A Novel In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Technology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$587,478.00
Summary
Neurogenesis refers to the generation of new brain cells, which is now known to continue well into adulthood. On the basis of animal studies, deficiencies in neurogenesis have been implicated in development of depression, and stimulation of neurogenesis proposed as one of the ways that anti-depressants may work. Using the latest technological advances in brain imaging, we will for the first time assess the merit of these theories in humans with depression before and after treatment.
Disruption Of The Ability To Simulate One’s Personal Future: Insights From Epilepsy And Implications For Neurosurgical Planning And Presurgical Counselling
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,711.00
Summary
The human memory system supports not only recollecting the past but also imagining the future (prospection). This is an important skill, enabling us to envision the consequences of alternative courses of action. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) frequently experience memory problems, suggesting that they will show parallel difficulties with prospection. We will study prospection in TLE patients before and after temporal lobe surgery, and the clinical implications thereof.