Position perception, attention, object motion, and action. The research will achieve a deeper understanding of the neural processing of the visual perception of position, and of the associated behavioural limits. This will provide a foundation for the development of a range of technologies to assist disabled and elderly people. The results will help reveal the link between the perception of moving objects and the capacity for visually guided movement. This link will benefit areas such as enginee ....Position perception, attention, object motion, and action. The research will achieve a deeper understanding of the neural processing of the visual perception of position, and of the associated behavioural limits. This will provide a foundation for the development of a range of technologies to assist disabled and elderly people. The results will help reveal the link between the perception of moving objects and the capacity for visually guided movement. This link will benefit areas such as engineering of vehicles and road systems, and the design of telepresence systems. The first applications are likely to be in the rehabilitation of brain injury and the decline of mental function with age.Read moreRead less
The psychobiology of forgetting: Opioid receptors and inhibitory constraints on storage of long-term memory. This project has four main national benefits. First, it addresses a fundamental scientific and practical issue: the psychobiology of forgetting. Second, it will provide important insights into variations in memory functioning across the lifespan. A significant challenge facing Australia is understanding, and where possible alleviating, the decline in mental function that occurs with age. ....The psychobiology of forgetting: Opioid receptors and inhibitory constraints on storage of long-term memory. This project has four main national benefits. First, it addresses a fundamental scientific and practical issue: the psychobiology of forgetting. Second, it will provide important insights into variations in memory functioning across the lifespan. A significant challenge facing Australia is understanding, and where possible alleviating, the decline in mental function that occurs with age. This project may help identify targets to alleviate age-related impairments in memory. Third, this project will contribute to Australia's international reputation in behavioural neuroscience. Fourth, this project will provide outstanding training opportunities for Australian undergraduate and postgraduate research students in behavioural neuroscience.Read moreRead less
Models of adolescent drug use and its consequences. Recent concerns surround the impact of drug abuse - particularly binge drinking, inhalant abuse and cannabis use - on the mental health of adolescents. Early drug use is associated with mental health problems although the mechanisms involved are not well characterised. The present proposal aims to use animal models to characterise substance abuse that occurs during the adolescent period and to investigate its effects on brain and behaviour. Inc ....Models of adolescent drug use and its consequences. Recent concerns surround the impact of drug abuse - particularly binge drinking, inhalant abuse and cannabis use - on the mental health of adolescents. Early drug use is associated with mental health problems although the mechanisms involved are not well characterised. The present proposal aims to use animal models to characterise substance abuse that occurs during the adolescent period and to investigate its effects on brain and behaviour. Increasing our knowledge of the causes and consequences of adolescent drug abuse will improve Australia's ability to confront this problem and to develop early interventions and treatments that minimise associated harms.Read moreRead less
The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of co ....The effect of cochlear implants on cognitive decline in ageing Australians. This project aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implants on cognitive function in elderly people with deafness. Deafness has been found to be independently associated with a 30–40 per cent accelerated rate of cognitive decline in elderly adults. There is currently no effective treatment for cognitive decline. The intended outcomes of this observational study will help us to understand the biological process of cognitive decline, whether hearing loss is causal, and whether the process can be altered. These findings should be applicable to all individuals with hearing loss. If cochlear implants delay cognitive decline, this would significantly affect policy, quality of life for the elderly, and the cost to society.Read moreRead less
Age-dependent effects of cannabinoids on emotion, cognition and vulnerablity to addiction. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia so understanding the effects of this drug is of great importance. There is little of no basic research on cannabis currently occurring in Australia. Yet such research is critical in resolving the ambiguities and difficulties inherent in our understanding of the drug. The importance of increasing our understanding of the long-term effects of the dr ....Age-dependent effects of cannabinoids on emotion, cognition and vulnerablity to addiction. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia so understanding the effects of this drug is of great importance. There is little of no basic research on cannabis currently occurring in Australia. Yet such research is critical in resolving the ambiguities and difficulties inherent in our understanding of the drug. The importance of increasing our understanding of the long-term effects of the drug on young developing brains is particularly evident. The information gained in the current project will serve to inform medical and scientific communities, government policy makers, as well as the broader Australian community. Read moreRead less
Validation of a New Conceptual Model of ADHD based on Underlying Central Nervous System Dysfunction. ADHD is a debilitating problem that affects 5% of children and approximately half as many adults. ADHD causes substantial problems at school and if untreated, predisposes the individual to increased drug and alcohol use, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. One problem is that we do not fully understand what are the causes of the disorder. This project w ....Validation of a New Conceptual Model of ADHD based on Underlying Central Nervous System Dysfunction. ADHD is a debilitating problem that affects 5% of children and approximately half as many adults. ADHD causes substantial problems at school and if untreated, predisposes the individual to increased drug and alcohol use, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. One problem is that we do not fully understand what are the causes of the disorder. This project will test the validity of several models of brain dysfunction in ADHD which have been influential in the literature, but poorly tested. Through better understanding of the basic underlying problems, more effective intervention can be developed.Read moreRead less
Brain circuits for parsing aversion. This project aims to map the brain mechanisms by which adverse events shape our decisions and behaviour. It combines cutting-edge neuroscience techniques with advanced approaches from experimental psychology. This project expects to provide new knowledge about how we learn about avoidable and unavoidable danger to guide behaviour, from critical neurotransmitter systems to specific brain circuits. Expected outcomes include significant advancements in our under ....Brain circuits for parsing aversion. This project aims to map the brain mechanisms by which adverse events shape our decisions and behaviour. It combines cutting-edge neuroscience techniques with advanced approaches from experimental psychology. This project expects to provide new knowledge about how we learn about avoidable and unavoidable danger to guide behaviour, from critical neurotransmitter systems to specific brain circuits. Expected outcomes include significant advancements in our understanding of aversive learning processes, motivation and decision-making. Alongside theory development, the outcomes of this project can be used to benefit the development of treatments for depression and anxiety disorders, of which dysfunctions in aversion are a defining feature.Read moreRead less
The role of context in the acquisition, extinction and reinstatement of fear. Behavioural studies have identified a role for context in the development, extinction and reactivation of fear memories. Although there has been significant progress in delineating the neural pathways for fear conditioning, less is known about the substrates that represent the context of conditioning. This project studies the neural substrates of the processes by which context controls the acquisition, extinction and r ....The role of context in the acquisition, extinction and reinstatement of fear. Behavioural studies have identified a role for context in the development, extinction and reactivation of fear memories. Although there has been significant progress in delineating the neural pathways for fear conditioning, less is known about the substrates that represent the context of conditioning. This project studies the neural substrates of the processes by which context controls the acquisition, extinction and reactivation of fear memories. Specifically, it examines the role of information flow between the dorsal subiculum and the accumbens nucleus in the processes by which rats learn about environmental context and the control exerted by such contexts on fear memories.Read moreRead less
Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the matu ....Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the maturational abnormalities in brain function that occur from childhood through to adulthood in this disorder. Better understanding of the normal developmental paths of this disorder will have major clinical benefits as it will allow the development of more optimal treatment plans for these children.Read moreRead less
Are there common mechanisms for the inhibition of fear? Disorders of fear and anxiety affect up to 28% of Australians across their lives. This project studies how the brain inhibits fear and anxiety. It has four National Benefits. First, the knowledge generated by this project will contribute to coherent theoretical accounts of fear inhibition. Second, it will increase Australia's competitiveness and reputation in experimental psychology and behavioural neuroscience. Third, it will provide novel ....Are there common mechanisms for the inhibition of fear? Disorders of fear and anxiety affect up to 28% of Australians across their lives. This project studies how the brain inhibits fear and anxiety. It has four National Benefits. First, the knowledge generated by this project will contribute to coherent theoretical accounts of fear inhibition. Second, it will increase Australia's competitiveness and reputation in experimental psychology and behavioural neuroscience. Third, it will provide novel insights into ways of reducing anxiety and fear among sufferers of clinical anxiety disorders. Finally, it will provide internationally competitive training opportunities for Australian students.
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