Defining The Mechanisms That Control Exocytosis And Cell Signalling In Health And Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,477.00
Summary
This research focuses on pathways regulating nervous communication and hormone release. It centres on proteins that regulate this process and on the function of specific endocrine cells in health and disease. It uses unique research tools developed in this laboratory enabling the study of mechanisms regulating cell signalling. Through this research I aim to identify how the cells in our body communicate with each other and how this relates to diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Distinguishing Self From World: Understanding The Neural Basis Of Schizophrenia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$453,307.00
Summary
Self-generated sensations - such as tickling oneself - typically evoke less activity in the EEG than physically identical, externally-produced sensations. Schizophrenia patients do not exhibit this “electrophysiological self-suppression” (ESS), which accounts for their characteristic tendency to misattribute their own thoughts and actions to other people. This project aims to rectify ESS levels in schizophrenia by artificially altering patients’ sensory feedback to self-generated actions.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac rhythm disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is four times more common among patients with AF than without. OSA has been associated with a greater recurrence rate of AF after initially successful treatment of AF and treatment of OSA reduces recurrence of AF. To identify the underlying mechanisms, we aim to determine effects of OSA on atrial electrical activation and to characterize sleep apnea in AF patients in a more precise way.
Exploring The Neuropathophysiology Of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$417,939.00
Summary
There are currently no validated biomedical techniques for diagnosing or treating autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This project will use cutting-edge neuroscience techniques to better understand the neurobiology of ASD and how neurobiological impairments relate to specific symptoms. These results will promote a better understanding of the brain basis of ASD, and may provide realistic targets for the development of new biomedical methods for diagnosis and treatment.