Pathologies Of Action Control: Amygdala-striatal Interactions And The Development Of Habits.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$431,867.00
Summary
Changes in basal ganglia function, whether produced by neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, injury or disease, can produce pathological changes in action control. This proposal will assess the role of amygdala afferents on basal ganglia structures, most notably the dorsal striatum, in this process. Using an animal model we will compare the role of central and basolateral amygdala inputs to striatum in decision-making, choice and the transition of actions to reflexive, habitual responses.
Infant Motor Development Between 0-4 Months: A New Look At The Effect Of The ‘back To Sleep’ Program
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$107,182.00
Summary
An unexpected consequence of the Back to Sleep program is an increased incidence of deformational plagiocephaly (DP), or “flat head syndrome”, and concern about delayed development. It is not clear whether the current recommendation to provide ‘tummy-time’ play for infants when awake is the best way to prevent DP. Development of typical infants 0-4 months and infants with DP will be investigated and parents surveyed as a basis for development and trialling of a new DP prevention initiative.
Early Diagnosis And Management Of Vestibular Neuritis.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$174,107.00
Summary
Acute Vestibular Neuritis is a common and self-limiting cause of disabling vertigo lasting >24 hours. Posterior Circulation Stroke is a less common but life-threatening disorder that presents with the same symptoms. These two disorders are separable by three key examination findings: the Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Tests of Skew ("HINTS). This fellowship will implement effective separation of the common harmless cause of vertigo from life-threatening strokes and ensure early treatment of Neuriti ....Acute Vestibular Neuritis is a common and self-limiting cause of disabling vertigo lasting >24 hours. Posterior Circulation Stroke is a less common but life-threatening disorder that presents with the same symptoms. These two disorders are separable by three key examination findings: the Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Tests of Skew ("HINTS). This fellowship will implement effective separation of the common harmless cause of vertigo from life-threatening strokes and ensure early treatment of Neuritis with steroids and home rehabilitation.Read moreRead less
Strabismus is the pathological misalignment of the eyes associated with loss of binocular vision and is one of the most common human ophthalmological disorders. Patients with comitant strabismus have full eye movements, whereas patients with incomitant strabismus have limited eye movements, which causes the angle of strabismus to vary with gaze direction. This project aims to define genetic contributors to comitant congenital strabismus.
Eye Movements And The Neural Representation Of Visual Space
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$459,061.00
Summary
This project will investigate the brain mechanisms that underlie our ability to perceive the locations of objects using vision. This fundamental ability supports a range of important functions including visually-guided reaching, navigation during walking, and spatial awareness, but remains poorly understood. Using physiological, behavioural, and analytical methods, this project will fill a key knowledge gap in visual neuroscience and form a basis for a range of clinical and biomedical advances.
The Neuro-ophthalmological Manifestations Of Human Mitochondrial Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,675.00
Summary
Human mitochondrial diseases often result in neuro-ophthalmological abnormalities. We aim to examine a cohort of patients with mitochondrial disease and document the type and degree of neuro-ophthalmological abnormality. We will provide detail on the retina, optic nerve, oculomotor function, eyelids and visual acuity. We will examine the optic nerve in detail and perform optical coherence tomography and visual evoked potentials on each patient. We will compare results to age-matched controls.
Ictal Characteristics Of Common Vestibular Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$281,573.00
Summary
vertigo is a disabling symptom affecting 1 million Australians at any given time. Acute vertigo is associated with abnormal eye movements or nystagmus, the pattern of which points to its origin. In this project, we extract the unique characteristics of distinct vertigo syndromes to enable their separation
Spatial Coding In The Primate Cortex During Eye Movements.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,720.00
Summary
Every time we move our eyes, objects in the world change their positions on the retina, yet to us, their positions remain perceptually unchanged. This project seeks to understand how neurons in the primate brain combine visual input with signals about eye position to construct this stable representation of external space. The findings will help us understand and-or rehabilitate a host of nervous system dysfunctions, including schizophrenia, stroke, and paraplegia.
More than half of the people living with Alzheimer’s disease experience visual impairments. These impairments may appear before memory problems begin to surface. This research investigates how those at risk of dementia explore the world visually, and how this changes over time. The findings will inform the design of dementia-friendly environments and answer the question whether the assessment of eye movement adds to the diagnosis and prognosis of cognitive impairments.