Deep Brain Stimulation For Severe Generalised Epilepsy Of Lennox-Gastaut Phenotype
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$897,972.00
Summary
Deep Brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment for epilepsy, recently approved for use in Australia on the basis of trials in focal epilepsy showing benefit. The role of DBS in generalised epilepsy is currently unclear. This study tests the effectiveness of DBS in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe, medication-resistant generalised epilepsy syndrome.
Caress The Detail: A Comprehensive MRI Atlas Of The In Vivo Human Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,978.00
Summary
This project will construct a detailed MRI atlas of the living human brain. The atlas will be online and compatible with tablet computers to provide a convenient, powerful reference tool for researchers and clinicians. It is a collaboration between George Paxinos, a leader in brain cartography, and Mark Schira, an emerging scientist in MRI technology. They will use high resolution in vivo MR images obtained at the University of Queensland Centre for Advanced Imaging.
Thalamocortical Neural Circuits In Higher Order Cognitive And Sensory Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,860.00
Summary
Schizophrenia, depression and dementia are devastating disorders with problems in thinking and sensory perception, but the neural circuits causing these symptoms are not known. I will use new optical and genetic tools in mice to identify the cortical and subcortical circuits required for complex touchscreen tasks, the same tasks to assess patients. Identification of neural circuits that underlie clinical symptoms will increase our understanding of these disorders and improve treatments.
Pain has a detrimental impact on ones quality of life and a significant financial impact on the community. Although some of the pathways that code pain in the brain have been defined, it was recently proposed that there also exists a pain-specific pathway in humans. Using human brain imaging, we aim to determine if such a pathway exists and if it is altered in subjects with chronic pain. The existence of such a pathway would significantly aid in the development of better treatment regimes.