The Effect Of Stress And Hypercortisolaemia On Limbic Epileptogenesis & Affective Disorder.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$380,714.00
Summary
This project has the potential to provide novel insights about the causal connections between stress, psychiatric illness (specifically anxiety and depression) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) - the most common form of medical refractory epilepsy in the community. Up to 50% of patients with TLE suffer from anxiety and-or depression. Until relatively recently it had been widely assumed that this was a consequence of the chronic epileptic condition. However, recent evidence suggests that there is ....This project has the potential to provide novel insights about the causal connections between stress, psychiatric illness (specifically anxiety and depression) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) - the most common form of medical refractory epilepsy in the community. Up to 50% of patients with TLE suffer from anxiety and-or depression. Until relatively recently it had been widely assumed that this was a consequence of the chronic epileptic condition. However, recent evidence suggests that there is a bi-directional relationship, with the psychiatric conditions and stress also acting to aggravate the seizures and even predispose to the development of the epilepsy itself. Apart from gaining insights into causes of TLE, anxiety and depression, this framework has potential public health relevance suggesting approaches to the eventual primary and secondary prevention of both MTLE and its associated psychiatric co-morbidities, a neglected area at present. The use of an animal model allows investigation of aetiological processes that extend over the lifetime, which is exceptionally difficult to achieve in humans. Retrospective studies, such as case-control studies, although an indispensable research methods, are subject to bias and imprecision when it comes to measuring remote past exposures to stress, abuse, and deprivation. If the results of these experiments are consistent with our hypotheses, a very strong case would exist for exploring this relationship in human studies. The data would also provide a strong rationale for more aggressive detection and treatment of these psychiatric co-morbidities in TLE patients, in order to potentially modify the progression of the disorder as well as improve the quality of life of sufferers. The results of intervention studies in animal models may suggest specific mode of treatment to achieve this.Read moreRead less
Why Does Early Life Stress Aggravate Limbic Epileptogenesis?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$540,116.00
Summary
High rates of anxiety and depression occur in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the most common form of focal epilepsy in adults. Rats that have experienced early life stress show increased anxiety, decreased seizure thresholds and accelerated epilepsy as adults. We have important leads to mechanisms. The proposed study will better understand the mechanisms connecting early life stress and psychiatric disease to adult TLE, and to test interventions that may counteract these effects.
Construction methods and analysis tools for repeat-accumulate error correction codes. Error correction codes play an integral role in digital communications systems, enabling technologies such as compact-disk players, hard-disk drives, high-speed modems, digital audio broadcasting and deep-space communications. This project develops the techniques which underlie the success of next-generation error correction technologies and thus addresses an important and fundamental problem in the area of inf ....Construction methods and analysis tools for repeat-accumulate error correction codes. Error correction codes play an integral role in digital communications systems, enabling technologies such as compact-disk players, hard-disk drives, high-speed modems, digital audio broadcasting and deep-space communications. This project develops the techniques which underlie the success of next-generation error correction technologies and thus addresses an important and fundamental problem in the area of information and communications technology (ICT). The nature of the project presents significant potential for project outcomes to be beneficial to the Australian telecommunications industry in a wide range of application areas including wireless networks, mobile communications, and data storage.
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Optimising Cooperation in Multiterminal Wireless Networks. With more and more of our communications networks becoming wireless, new technologies are required to ensure optimal use of limited resources. This project develops and optimises cooperation for multiterminal wireless networks to increase the transmission rate and / or lower the power consumption of wireless networks. Benefits of this research are efficient deployment and operation of high-speed wireless networks such as broadband Inter ....Optimising Cooperation in Multiterminal Wireless Networks. With more and more of our communications networks becoming wireless, new technologies are required to ensure optimal use of limited resources. This project develops and optimises cooperation for multiterminal wireless networks to increase the transmission rate and / or lower the power consumption of wireless networks. Benefits of this research are efficient deployment and operation of high-speed wireless networks such as broadband Internet and digital television, and improved lower-power wireless sensor networks for applications such as remote monitoring bushfire early warning systems.Read moreRead less
Iterative coding for next generation networks. The demands on next generation telecommunication networks can be extrapolated from the increasing use of Voice Over IP (e.g., Skype), real-time streaming media (e.g., live sporting events), and downloaded movies (e.g., the iTunes Music Store). In this data-rich environment, it is necessary to utilise the network itself intelligently. This project draws together ideas from error correction and network coding to provide the technologies that will un ....Iterative coding for next generation networks. The demands on next generation telecommunication networks can be extrapolated from the increasing use of Voice Over IP (e.g., Skype), real-time streaming media (e.g., live sporting events), and downloaded movies (e.g., the iTunes Music Store). In this data-rich environment, it is necessary to utilise the network itself intelligently. This project draws together ideas from error correction and network coding to provide the technologies that will underpin next generation communication networks. With a focus on implementable technologies, this project presents significant potential for project outcomes to impact the Australian information economy, spawning new businesses, transforming established industries, and creating new jobs. Read moreRead less
Structured low-density parity-check codes for next-generation digital communications. The promise of essentially error-free information transmission is a cornerstone of digital communications. Next-generation applications demand increasingly effective error correction, yet traditional systems fall well short of fundamental capacity limits established some fifty years ago. Exciting breakthroughs in the mid-1990s delivered capacity-approaching codes on graphs employing iterative decoding algorithm ....Structured low-density parity-check codes for next-generation digital communications. The promise of essentially error-free information transmission is a cornerstone of digital communications. Next-generation applications demand increasingly effective error correction, yet traditional systems fall well short of fundamental capacity limits established some fifty years ago. Exciting breakthroughs in the mid-1990s delivered capacity-approaching codes on graphs employing iterative decoding algorithms, including low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. This project applies techniques from discrete mathematics to design structured LDPC coding schemes for widespread implementation. Outcomes of this research will be new LDPC codes, encoding algorithms and analysis techniques for applications including wireless networks, data storage and Internet communications.Read moreRead less
Design of MIMO Spatial Division Multiple Access Techniques for Multi-User Wireless Data Services. The project aims at developing novel wireless techniques to enable a breakthrough in multi-user multimedia services in the ICT industry sector. The Australian research community will benefit from the new theoretical techniques, design and deployment of next-generation wireless systems, while wireless users will benefit from improved quality, high data rates and low cost of services. Other benefits ....Design of MIMO Spatial Division Multiple Access Techniques for Multi-User Wireless Data Services. The project aims at developing novel wireless techniques to enable a breakthrough in multi-user multimedia services in the ICT industry sector. The Australian research community will benefit from the new theoretical techniques, design and deployment of next-generation wireless systems, while wireless users will benefit from improved quality, high data rates and low cost of services. Other benefits include training researchers and industrial innovators, generation of valuable intellectual property and patent outcomes, which may help Australian telecommunication and information industry to become a leader in wireless ICT based technologies, ensure Australian ICT companies to gain commercial advantages, and contribute to national economy.Read moreRead less
Spectrum Agile Radio Communication Techniques for Future Wireless Broadband Networks. The project aims at developing novel cognitive spectrum access, transmission and receiving technologies, which allow unlicensed devices to use the unoccupied spectrum of licensed users in an intelligent way. The project outcomes will break the spectrum-availability bottleneck and significantly improve the spectrum utilisation in Australia. Potential applications of the project outcomes allow co-existence of var ....Spectrum Agile Radio Communication Techniques for Future Wireless Broadband Networks. The project aims at developing novel cognitive spectrum access, transmission and receiving technologies, which allow unlicensed devices to use the unoccupied spectrum of licensed users in an intelligent way. The project outcomes will break the spectrum-availability bottleneck and significantly improve the spectrum utilisation in Australia. Potential applications of the project outcomes allow co-existence of various wireless communication systems working in the same spectrum band, which can lead to new services and open markets for new players. In addition, the Australian research community will benefit from the new theory and techniques while wireless users will benefit from improved high data rates and lower cost of services.Read moreRead less
Design of Cooperative Communication Techniques for the 4th Generation Mobile Networks. The project aims at developing novel wireless techniques that will enable breakthroughs in multi-user multimedia services in the ICT industry sector. The Australian community will benefit from the design and deployment of the next-generation wireless mobile systems we will develop. These new systems will possess greatly improved quality, high data rates and low cost of services. Other benefits generated by thi ....Design of Cooperative Communication Techniques for the 4th Generation Mobile Networks. The project aims at developing novel wireless techniques that will enable breakthroughs in multi-user multimedia services in the ICT industry sector. The Australian community will benefit from the design and deployment of the next-generation wireless mobile systems we will develop. These new systems will possess greatly improved quality, high data rates and low cost of services. Other benefits generated by this research include the training of new innovators, and the generation of valuable intellectual property and patent outcomes. This work will help Australian telecommunication and information industries become leaders in wireless ICT based technologies, and contribute to the national economy.Read moreRead less
Dynamical systems and iterative decoding of low-density parity-check codes. Modern telecommunication systems are increasingly built on principles of iteration and feedback. By contributing to the knowledge base of iterative telecommunication systems, this project addresses important fundamental problems in the area of telecommunications. The Federal Government has clearly indicated that it recognises the importance that information and communications technology (ICT) plays in the economic and so ....Dynamical systems and iterative decoding of low-density parity-check codes. Modern telecommunication systems are increasingly built on principles of iteration and feedback. By contributing to the knowledge base of iterative telecommunication systems, this project addresses important fundamental problems in the area of telecommunications. The Federal Government has clearly indicated that it recognises the importance that information and communications technology (ICT) plays in the economic and social fabric of Australia, through the recent Innovation Action Plan, Backing Australia's Ability. These technologies are key drivers of the information economy, the spawning of new businesses, the transformation of established industries, the opening up of new export markets, and the creation of new jobs.Read moreRead less