This project examines the types of computations used by brain cells to combine two types of sensory information, in a way that allow us to reach better decisions in everyday life. To address this general problem, we will perform experiments that explore the combination of signals from vision and hearing. The ability to combine sensory information is vital to our mental health, and this process is compromised in a range of psychological, psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Effects Of Increased Endolymph Volume On Cochlear And Vestibular Function And Morphology Of Inner Ear Tissues
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$313,391.00
Summary
Our recent research suggests that the vertigo attacks associated with enlarged fluid volumes in the inner ear, in diseases such as Ménière's Disease, maybe triggered when the fluid pressure forces open tissue valves located in the fluid-ducts connecting the hearing and balance organs. This project aims to identify the functional role of these valves, and to develop an animal model of abrupt changes in vestibular activity due to hydrops, to allow future treatments to be developed.
Identification Of Heterogeneity In Vasodilator Function In Human And Rat Resistance Vessels: Potential Drug Targets?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$595,330.00
Summary
The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not w ....The balance between the ways that blood vessels decrease in size (constrict) and increase in size (dilate) determine how blood vessels normally function. There are many differences in the ways that blood vessels control this balance in different parts of the body. Such differences are altered in vascular diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, which are prevalent in obesity, such that constriction generally outweighs dilation. However, what these differences are and how they occur are not well understood. While current drugs for treating vascular disease either reduce vessel constriction or increase dilation, they are not specific for individual arteries; a situation that would allow us to control vascular diseases in a very specific manner. Recently, we have described differences between the ways that individual vessels are controlled. These changes relate to differences in the way that different vessels dilate. AIMS - To further understand normal blood vessel function and the changes that occur in blood vessels in cardiovascular disease, with a focus on the ways that blood vessels dilate in normal states and in obesity-related diseases, such as in hypertension and diabetes. - The eventual aim is to identify the specific ways that arteries function, so that artery-specific drug targets can be identified to treat disease-related changes in cardiovascular disease in a very specific manner. EXPECTED OUTCOMES This project will contribute to understanding blood vessel function in health and disease. The expected eventual outcome is the identification of the mechanisms that underlie the function of different arteries in different parts of the body, so that specific individual vessel function can be targeted to treat vascular disease. Additionally, this work will also verify the relevance of the diet-induced obesity animal model, in terms of the characteristics and causes of human obesity and related cardiovascular disease.Read moreRead less