Probing norepinephrine transporter (NET) structure-function. More selective drugs are needed to improve the treatment of a range of diseases including pain, depression and anxiety. This project will apply advanced molecular pharmacology approaches to better understand how the norepinephrine transporter functions and where small molecules and conotoxins bind to inhibit its activity.
Statistical methods for analysing maps in the visual brain. This project aims to apply Gaussian process methods, a Bayesian approach for data analysis, to analyse data from brain imaging experiments. Discovering the principles of functional brain architecture requires analysing data from functional imaging technologies. However, these technologies produce very noisy data which is difficult to interpret. This project will apply Gaussian process methods to study data from optical imaging and funct ....Statistical methods for analysing maps in the visual brain. This project aims to apply Gaussian process methods, a Bayesian approach for data analysis, to analyse data from brain imaging experiments. Discovering the principles of functional brain architecture requires analysing data from functional imaging technologies. However, these technologies produce very noisy data which is difficult to interpret. This project will apply Gaussian process methods to study data from optical imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging of the visual brain. This is expected to reveal critical information about how normal brain structure changes with development and sensory experience. The statistical methods developed should be applicable within and beyond neuroscience, and may ultimately help improve the diagnosis of human health disorders.Read moreRead less
Using toxins to understand the mechanisms of pain. Toxins have evolved in plants, animals and microbes as part of defensive and/or prey capture strategies, and have proven to be invaluable research tools as well as providing leads for potential new therapies. This project will use subtype-selective toxins to define the role of ion channels in pain, using novel pathway-specific and disease-specific animal models of pain. The findings from this project will provide significant insight into the ne ....Using toxins to understand the mechanisms of pain. Toxins have evolved in plants, animals and microbes as part of defensive and/or prey capture strategies, and have proven to be invaluable research tools as well as providing leads for potential new therapies. This project will use subtype-selective toxins to define the role of ion channels in pain, using novel pathway-specific and disease-specific animal models of pain. The findings from this project will provide significant insight into the neuropharmacology of pain, will lead to the identification of novel molecular targets with analgesic potential and is expected to provide novel treatment approaches for pain.Read moreRead less
Revealing how the human brain coordinates body movements for applications in health and technology. This project will extend the basic understanding about how the brain controls the movements of our bodies, and how it changes to allow us to adapt and refine our movements. This project will generate information that is critical for applications in the fields of health (e.g. rehabilitation) and technology (e.g. human-machine interfaces).
Brain mechanisms of learning in visually-guided movement. Each year 40,000 Australian suffer from stoke with many left with problems of limb function. In understanding and enhancing the conditions that promote motor adaptation, this research will make a significant contribution to the design of programs for rehabilitation of the upper limbs to enhance quality of life and reduced health care costs.
The plasticity of neural codes. Information about the world is represented in the brain by the combined activity of populations of many neurons. However, the basic principles underlying how such population activity codes information are largely unknown. Using the map from the eye to the brain of the zebrafish as a model, the project aims to combine experimental measurements of neural activity with mathematical modelling in order to discover these basic principles. Of particular interest is how t ....The plasticity of neural codes. Information about the world is represented in the brain by the combined activity of populations of many neurons. However, the basic principles underlying how such population activity codes information are largely unknown. Using the map from the eye to the brain of the zebrafish as a model, the project aims to combine experimental measurements of neural activity with mathematical modelling in order to discover these basic principles. Of particular interest is how these coding principles change during development and their plasticity after disruptions to the visual map. Besides improving our understanding of how brains process information, the knowledge gained could help optimise the design of brain-computer interfaces and artificial computing devices.Read moreRead less