Pathophysiological Decision-making In Children With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder And Tic Disorders: Action-selection And Imaging Correlates
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,676.00
Summary
Why is it that a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has trouble deciding whether or not to wash their hands? We scanned the brains of teenagers with OCD while they made decisions and found that they had difficulty using cues in their environment to direct choices. This may be an early vulnerability for the development of the disorder that could guide prevention. We plan to check if that difficulty is present in younger children with OCD and their family members.
The Neurochemical Basis Of Behavioural Control: Relevance For Addiction, OCD And Tourette Syndrome.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,225.00
Summary
Both the control of voluntry responses over reflexive habits, and the ability to direct voluntary responses appropriately when there are conflicting choices present in the world, are thought to be important in mental disorders such as drug addiction, tic disorders such as Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. This project will examine the brain neurochemistry that underpins our ability to control voluntary responses, providing insight into potential pharmacological interventions.
The Nutritional Geometry Of Ageing In A Rodent Model
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$979,269.00
Summary
A central belief in ageing research is that eating fewer calories prolongs life, and that the source of calories (carbohydrate, fat or protein) is irrelevant. However, a critical assessment indicates that this conclusion is premature. We will use recent techniques in nutrition to define for the first time in mammals the relationship between diet and ageing in a normal and a prematurely ageing strain of mice. The project will provide a novel nutritional approach for promoting healthy ageing.
Improving Breathing Support For Newborn Infants In Non-Tertiary Centres: The HUNTER Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,203,844.00
Summary
Every year in Australia, thousands of newborn babies have breathing difficulties. Our trial will study a new, simple method of providing breathing support to newborn babies in special care nurseries, called high-flow (HF). HF is cheaper, easier to use, and more comfortable for babies than the current standard treatment, called CPAP. If HF is as good as CPAP at supporting babies' breathing, it will change practice in Australia and around the world.
My projects are associated with three research themes: psychological stress, obesity and hypertension. While these projects may appear diverse they are linked, both in terms of the significant co morbidity that they share, and that the underlying pathologies are initiated and sustained, at least in part, by disturbances in sympathetic nervous regulation. My research program will focus on these conditions and, in their content, will aim to develop and implement improved treatment srategies in the ....My projects are associated with three research themes: psychological stress, obesity and hypertension. While these projects may appear diverse they are linked, both in terms of the significant co morbidity that they share, and that the underlying pathologies are initiated and sustained, at least in part, by disturbances in sympathetic nervous regulation. My research program will focus on these conditions and, in their content, will aim to develop and implement improved treatment srategies in these areas of major clinical need.Read moreRead less
Old age is the main risk factor for atherosclerosis, which is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in the World. We found age-related changes in the microcirculation of the liver called pseudocapillarization that provide a mechanism linking old age with atherosclerosis. Pores in the endothelium called fenestrations disappear, impairing the ability of the liver to breakdown fats. New therapies to treat and prevent age-related pseudocapillarization are being developed.
Investigating Role Of Insulin Resistance And Sympathetic Nervous System In Metabolic Features Of PCOS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,468.00
Summary
PCOS affects 9-18% of Australian reproductive aged women. Whilst reproductive features are prominent, PCOS has major psychological and metabolic consequences. Emerging data implicate the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in PCOS. The aim of this PhD is to investigate the role of the sympathetic nervous system in insulin resistance and other metabolic features of PCOS and determine whether modification of this system's activity will favorably influence the metabolic consequences assoc ....PCOS affects 9-18% of Australian reproductive aged women. Whilst reproductive features are prominent, PCOS has major psychological and metabolic consequences. Emerging data implicate the involvement of the sympathetic nervous system in PCOS. The aim of this PhD is to investigate the role of the sympathetic nervous system in insulin resistance and other metabolic features of PCOS and determine whether modification of this system's activity will favorably influence the metabolic consequences associated with PCOS.Read moreRead less
Genetic And Molecular Dissection Of Laterality In The Developing Heart
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,370.00
Summary
Vertebrate animals display an external bilateral symmetry. However, most internal organs are located asymmetrically and show profound left-right structural asymmetries during development. For each species, these laterality characteristics are constant. Inherited laterality disorders occur in humans and, although rare, are associated with high mortality rates due to discordant cardiovascular development. Moreover, subtle anomalies of laterality may underlie a host of congenital heart abnormalitie ....Vertebrate animals display an external bilateral symmetry. However, most internal organs are located asymmetrically and show profound left-right structural asymmetries during development. For each species, these laterality characteristics are constant. Inherited laterality disorders occur in humans and, although rare, are associated with high mortality rates due to discordant cardiovascular development. Moreover, subtle anomalies of laterality may underlie a host of congenital heart abnormalities. In early embryogenesis, the newly-formed heart tube loops to the right, an event which establishes the correct alignment of the future cardiac chambers. The direction of heart looping is determined by genetic pathways that establish laterality in the early embryo. A component of this pathway is a TGFbeta-family signalling molecule, nodal, which is activated on the left side of the forming heart and other organs. Nodal then activates the transcription factor gene Pitx2. The aim of this project is to examine the consequences of genetic inactivation of the mouse nodal and Pitx2 genes in the heart, and to discover cardiac genes downstream of these genes. We will specifically test the hypothesis that laterality contributes to heart chamber formation in addition to setting the direction of looping. Ablation of these genes in the whole embryo leads to complex defects that preclude analysis of their functions in the heart. To achieve heart-specific deletion, we will use a conditional gene ablation technology that exploits the bacteriophage recombinase, Cre. Genes downstream of Pitx2 and Nodal will be discovered using microarray technology, which allows us to screen exhaustively for changes in gene expression between different tissues. This project will help us solve the complex genetic basis of congenital cardiac abnormalities in humans, and will contribute to our understanding of how heart chambers form, potentially useful in stem cell-based therapies for the failing heart.Read moreRead less