How The Lateral Habenula Integrates Behavioral And Autonomic Functions: The VTA Dopamine Connection
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$819,904.00
Summary
When adverse events occur, the lateral habenula, an old brain nucleus, helps calculate the wisest corrective action by contributing to the “brake” that controls the brain’s dopamine reward system. Our research will show how the lateral habenula links corrective changes in behavior with coordinated changes in temperature. Understanding this link will greatly contribute to understanding the brain mechanisms that regulate our physiology during stressful situations and as part of mental illness.
Bitter Taste As A Mediator Of Food Intake And Postprandial Glycaemia In Health And Type 2 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$735,430.00
Summary
The gut “tastes” contents passing through it in a similar manner to the tongue. Recent evidence suggests that bitter substances in the gut can reduce appetite and slow the emptying of meals from the stomach, by stimulating gastrointestinal hormone release. We propose studies to understand how this system functions in health and type 2 diabetes, and whether it can be targeted to provide new diabetes treatments
Examining The Impact Of Language Reclamation On Social And Emotional Well Being Among The Barngarla
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,111,633.00
Summary
Indigenous Australians are at high risk of experiencing mental illness. For many, it is the loss of land, culture, and identity that are causes of ill health. The Barngarla people of South Australia seek to reclaim their language due to its potential reinvigorating cultural identity and wellbeing. This offers a unique opportunity to document the links between language reclamation and wellness in Aboriginal people for the first time.
Pregnancy And Neonatal Diabetes Outcomes In Remote Australia (PANDORA) Cohort
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,395,410.00
Summary
The PANDORA study is a longitudinal birth cohort study recruited from a clinical register of Northern Territory women with diabetes in pregnancy (DIP). We will also recruit a comparator group of mothers without DIP and babies. Follow-up of mothers and infants to 3 years post-delivery will be from medical records, questionnaires and clinical assessment. Rates of progression to type 2 diabetes will be assessed among mothers, and growth, feeding patterns and diabetes risk markers among infants.