Site-specific Tau Phosphorylation To Treat And Understand Alzheimer’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$943,902.00
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Unfortunately, current therapies are ineffective. Our laboratory has made an important contribution to understanding the events that lead to brain cell malfunction in AD. I recently found a novel concept that changes the view of AD completely. In the next 3 years, I aim to develop therapeutic tools based on this novel concept and find out more about how it can protect brains from AD.
Novel Pathomechanisms And Therapeutic Approaches In Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$804,106.00
Summary
Currently, over 200,000 Australians are affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), causing a huge socio-economic damage. To overcome the lack of effective treatments, we need to understand the underlying causes and translate them into therapy. Using state-of-the-art cell culture and genetic mouse models, I will reveal fundamental processes in AD and related dementias, and develop tailored treatments to battle these devastating disorders.
New Projection Neurons Are Added To The Brain Throughout Life – Identifying Their Source And Function.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$505,991.00
Summary
Scientists aim to use our body’s own stem cells to make new nerve cells for brain repair. There are two major types of nerve cell: long range and short range; and until now we did not know how to make new long range nerves. I recently discovered that a special type of brain stem cell, the OPC, makes new long range nerves throughout life. We are building on this discovery by trying to understand the signals that control this process in order to direct OPCs towards nerve regeneration.
Myelin Remodelling: A Novel Form Of Neural Plasticity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$605,849.00
Summary
Myelin is the insulation of the central nervous system (CNS). We have demonstrated that CNS insulation is not fixed. It changes throughout life. This project aims to find out why this happens. In particular we will investigate the role of dynamic insulation in learning and memory, and examine the role of nervous system activity in promoting the addition of new insulation. This research will provide valuable insight into multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's dementia and mental health disorders.
A New Animal Model Of The Prodrome In Schizophrenia. Enhanced Dopamine In Prodromal Schizophrenia (EDiPs)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$571,990.00
Summary
Psychiatrists now recognize a pre-symptomatic stage is present in people at risk of developing schizophrenia. Using new brain imaging techniques we now know that some of these individuals have changes in a major neurotransmitter, dopamine, prior to being diagnosed. We have developed a new model in animals, which recreates these exact same changes at a comparable age. We want to now understand what are the broader effects in the brain and try and block these changes in dopamine with new drugs.
Neuroprotection Against Parkinson’s Disease With Remote Photobiomodulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,818.00
Summary
Treating the head of rodents with low-intensity 670nm light protects against Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the large size of the human skull and brain precludes clinical translation of this treatment. We have discovered that the brain is also protected when light is targeted at peripheral tissues (e.g. a limb), overcoming problems of delivery. This project aims to optimise this treatment and better understand how it works, to lay the scientific basis for a clinical trial.
This Project will produce the first map of the brain mechanisms that motivate unhealthy food choices in obesity. This outcome can inform the development of novel treatment approaches for obesity that modify the preference for high-calorie, unhealthy foods by changing the neural bases of such preferences.
Dopamine Neuron Ontogeny: Convergent Neurobiological Pathway For Risk Factors Of Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$337,214.00
Summary
Schizophrenia is associated with changes in dopamine (a signalling molecule in the brain). These changes are present prior to psychosis, suggesting they begin early in development. Our aims are to manipulate key factors in the development of brain dopamine systems to clarify their role in psychosis and schizophrenia. This work has the potential to identify early brain changes that lead to schizophrenia, which in turn may generate better diagnoses and outcomes for people with this disorder.
Mapping The Neural Circuits Involved In Appetite And Feeding Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,892.00
Summary
My research project involves deconstructing the neural circuitry underlying feeding behaviour using innovative genetically-based methods. I aim to identify and characterise the major projections of the oxytocin-expressing neurons in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, which have recently been identified as critical in the feeding neurocircuitry. This emerging field of research is predicted to transform our understanding and treatment of disorders such as obesity and anorexia nervosa.
This is an application for reappointment as a Principal Research Fellow. My primary area of research is preclinical studies of addiction, with a particular emphasis on relapse. I am increasingly engaged in translational studies.