Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides ....Neural mechanisms for human form perception. This project aims to determine if there is a single cortical mechanism underlying the human ability to discriminate and recognise objects. It has been speculated that different classes of objects, or forms require different processes. Demonstrating a single process would be a significant advance towards understanding the neural mechanisms giving rise to our ability to segment visual fields into meaningful objects and background. This research provides a means for testing models of the neural interactions thought to be generating human form perception and will help us discover how the visual cortex converts raw sensory input into object and form perception.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100235
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
A novel approach to modelling nicotine dependence in the rat. With repeated exposure, tobacco smoking can rapidly develop into a habit. How this happens is poorly understood. This project will model the changes to the brain and behaviour of rats during the development of nicotine-seeking habits with a view to better understanding how to reduce tobacco dependence.
Testing posterior parietal cortex contributions to human episodic memory. This project aims to determine the involvement of parietal brain regions for episodic memory. Using novel experimental tasks and multimodal neuroimaging techniques in young and healthy aging, this project expects to clarify the role of posterior parietal structures, and their interactions with core memory structures, during memory retrieval. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of how we remember the past in ri ....Testing posterior parietal cortex contributions to human episodic memory. This project aims to determine the involvement of parietal brain regions for episodic memory. Using novel experimental tasks and multimodal neuroimaging techniques in young and healthy aging, this project expects to clarify the role of posterior parietal structures, and their interactions with core memory structures, during memory retrieval. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of how we remember the past in rich contextual detail, and how such processes are altered in healthy aging. This potentially provides significant benefits in predicting and treating memory dysfunction due to brain injury or neurodegeneration.Read moreRead less
Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under ....Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under different memory conditions and how these functions change with age. The intended outcome of this proposal is to provide the foundations for the first integrated model of human memory and its biological basis and to generate a benchmark against which future development of memory interventions and retraining can be measured.Read moreRead less
Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into ....Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into the relationship between confidence, memory success and memory quality, and the underlying neural substrates of these processes. This work will provide the essential empirical foundation to augment memory function, ensuring that older adults can continue to participate as active members of society.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100055
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical proces ....State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical processes which will be facilitated by the new equipment will contribute to the priority area Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will underpin an array of subsequent medical research. The new equipment will extend capabilities and training in signal analysis, biomedical engineering and biomedicine, contributing to the priority area Frontier technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less
Neural substrates of higher-order conditioned fear. Higher-order conditioning processes are thought to contribute to the maintenance of maladaptive behaviours such as clinical anxiety, however, little is known about the psychological and neural processes by which this conditioning occurs. Accordingly, this project uses an animal model to investigate these substrates.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100790
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,308.00
Summary
Understanding how the brain combines sensory information. The ease with which we perceive the external world belies the complexity involved in integrating different sensory inputs. How does the brain achieve this fundamental operation? The project will address this question using a multidisciplinary approach that combines computational modelling, brain imaging, and psychophysical techniques. The expected outcomes of the project are a better understanding of how people perceive the world through ....Understanding how the brain combines sensory information. The ease with which we perceive the external world belies the complexity involved in integrating different sensory inputs. How does the brain achieve this fundamental operation? The project will address this question using a multidisciplinary approach that combines computational modelling, brain imaging, and psychophysical techniques. The expected outcomes of the project are a better understanding of how people perceive the world through optimal integration of sensory cues. In addition to advancing basic scientific knowledge, the findings will illuminate perceptual anomalies in normally developing children and will provide a foundation for reducing a debilitating side effect of virtual reality systems known as ‘cybersickness’.Read moreRead less
How Stenolemus Assassin Bugs Crack Spider Codes. This unique study of sophisticated behavioural flexibility and dynamic sensory exploitation in an insect will provide novel insights into how simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex problems. These insights are important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. This will be the first study of flexible aggressive mimicry in an insect and will attract considerable international attention, raise the profile of Austra ....How Stenolemus Assassin Bugs Crack Spider Codes. This unique study of sophisticated behavioural flexibility and dynamic sensory exploitation in an insect will provide novel insights into how simple cognitive architecture can be used to solve complex problems. These insights are important for the development of artificial intelligence systems. This will be the first study of flexible aggressive mimicry in an insect and will attract considerable international attention, raise the profile of Australian science and support numerous students. We will make the first use in Australia of state-of-the-art vibration recording and interactive playback techniques. Making these powerful experimental tools available in Australia will enable other many additional innovative lines of research.Read moreRead less
Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by exce ....Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be reversed.Read moreRead less