The Pulvinar Is Instrumental In The Development Of Visual Cortical Networks
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,192,911.00
Summary
This Project will elucidate the mechanisms and brain structures involved in visual system development and how their perturbation in early life can lead to neurodevelopmental and cognitive brain disorders, such as Williams and fragile-X syndromes as well as dyslexia. Furthermore, it will demonstrate how the visual brain has a greater capacity to compensate and achieve preservation of vision following an injury in early life.
The Role Of Chemokine Signalling In Maintenance Of The Latent HIV Reservoir
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$92,161.00
Summary
HIV cure research aims to eliminate cells with HIV in their DNA. These cells have higher levels of a receptor, CCR6, signalling through which causes migration to and concentration in the gut. This gut migration may help to maintain the HIV reservoir by bringing susceptible cells close to infected cells. We will assess the effect of blocking CCR6 signalling on the ability to infect these cells with HIV in the laboratory and its effect on the reservoir of an analogous virus in macaques.
A New Map Of The Human Cerebral Cortex To Assist The Interpretation Of FMRI And PET Studies
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$264,307.00
Summary
The cortex is the brain structure most intimately involved in cognition, motivation and emotion. It is thought to be the principal area affected in diseases such as schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. An enormous and costly effort is expended in functional neuroimaging with PET and fMRI to establish the relation between cortical regions and neurologic and psychiatric dysfunction. Unfortunately due to the unavailability of an accurate map of the human cortex, the researcher is left only with ....The cortex is the brain structure most intimately involved in cognition, motivation and emotion. It is thought to be the principal area affected in diseases such as schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. An enormous and costly effort is expended in functional neuroimaging with PET and fMRI to establish the relation between cortical regions and neurologic and psychiatric dysfunction. Unfortunately due to the unavailability of an accurate map of the human cortex, the researcher is left only with crude estimates of the location of normal and abnormal cortical activity. Further, there is limited ability to relate the human data to the wealth of knowledge available on non-human primate brains. Conversely, researchers using animal models of human cortical pathology cannot readily relate their data to humans because the similarities between the brains of experimental animals and humans have not yet been comprehensively established. The present project will establish the similarities between the cortex of humans and rhesus monkeys. By revealing comprehensively the location of cortical areas this project will provide the context within which hypotheses of cortical function and dysfunction can be tested. The applicants were the first to use the distribution of chemical substances in the brain to construct a comprehensive map of the rat brain. This work is the only Australian publication ranked amongst the 50 most cited items in the history of science. They wish to apply similar techniques to study the least understood part of the human brain, the cortex. The research proposed herein will not examine human tissue from individuals who suffered from depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, or Parkinson's disease. However, the outcomes of the proposed research will be of assistance to virtually everyone who studies the relation between these diseases and the brain.Read moreRead less
The Role Of Oocyte-secreted Proteins In Primate Follicular Cell Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$176,320.00
Summary
Mammalian eggs grow and develop in fluid filled sacks in the ovary called follicles. These structures nurture the egg for prolonged periods preparing it for ovulation and fertilisation. It has been known for some time that the quality of the follicular environment determines, in part, the developmental potential of the egg. Recent studies in mice have shown that the interaction between the egg and the follicle is in fact a two-way process, and that the egg is able to influence development of the ....Mammalian eggs grow and develop in fluid filled sacks in the ovary called follicles. These structures nurture the egg for prolonged periods preparing it for ovulation and fertilisation. It has been known for some time that the quality of the follicular environment determines, in part, the developmental potential of the egg. Recent studies in mice have shown that the interaction between the egg and the follicle is in fact a two-way process, and that the egg is able to influence development of the follicle. This project proposes to investigate these processes further in the laboratory mouse using new reagents available to us, and to extend these findings by investigating this communication pathway for the first time in a primate species. Because of the difficulty of undertaking such research using human material, we will use the marmoset monkey as a model. This exciting new development has important implications for women's health because it may help us understand why some women suffer from premature menopause or cystic ovaries, and in the longer term could help in the development of new types of contraceptives.Read moreRead less