Neural Circuits For Active Vision In The Primate Cerebral Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$632,938.00
Summary
This project will try to understand how we use visual information to identify objects by their shape and motion, in natural situations in which the eyes are moving all the time. This will be accomplished by recording the electrical activity of brain cells while a trained animal is performing different types of tasks, such as tracking a moving object or exploring a scene with its eyes.
Functional Anisotropies In The Processing Of Orientation And Direction-of-motion By Human Visual Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,164.00
Summary
We will study patterns of activity in the human brain to identify the cortical signature of normal visual function. The correspondences between patterns of brain activity and the structure and motion of the visual image in the normal human brain will provide data against which brain activity in a range of disorders from amblyopia to schizophrenia can be assessed.
Neural Circuits For Residual Vision After Damage To Striate Cortex
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$662,220.00
Summary
Brain cells have the ability to rearrange their connections to create alternate pathways, which compensate for loss of function following brain damage. To understand why some people become blind after damage to the visual cortex, and some don't, we will determine how neural connections change following lesions in different stages of life. The project will provide important information that may allow future development of treatments for blindness due to stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Neural Basis Of The Functions Of The Primary Visual Cortex: Roles Of Feedforward And Intracortical Inputs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$486,280.00
Summary
Signals from the eyes undergo extensive processing at the level of the primary visual cortex so that basic features in the scene such as lines, edges, colours and movement are coded in the activity of individual neurones. This project aims to further our understanding of this process at the basic cellular level. This will not only enable interventions that would help those with poor sight but also give us an insight into basic brain circuitry and its derangement in many neurological disorders.
Brain Pathways Serving Conscious And Sub-conscious Vision
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$571,444.00
Summary
In humans and other primates the visual system comprises evolutionary new pathways (called magnocellular or M, and parvocellular or P) superimposed on evolutionary old pathways (called koniocellular or K). These parallel pathways carry visual information from the retina, through a brain centre in the thalamus called lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), to the cerebral neocortex. Our aim is to study the role of the K pathway in visual processing.
Novel Functional Testing For Early Diabetic Retinopathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,578.00
Summary
About 7.5% of Australians have diabetes and 62% of them will have signs of damage to their eyes within 6 years of diagnosis. Diabetes is 2 to 3 times more common amongst Aboriginal Australians. A group of researchers at the Australian National University are collaborating to bring a new test for the severity of diabetic eye disease to the market within 3 years. The objective is to provide doctors with a rapid, cost-effective tool to help them recognize sight-threatening damage and to assist in t ....About 7.5% of Australians have diabetes and 62% of them will have signs of damage to their eyes within 6 years of diagnosis. Diabetes is 2 to 3 times more common amongst Aboriginal Australians. A group of researchers at the Australian National University are collaborating to bring a new test for the severity of diabetic eye disease to the market within 3 years. The objective is to provide doctors with a rapid, cost-effective tool to help them recognize sight-threatening damage and to assist in treatment.Read moreRead less
Longitudinal Communication Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$798,171.00
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability in young Australians. The condition frequently manifests in impaired verbal communication. Communication is essential to successful rehabilitation, and return to society. However, the critical time for delivery of optimal treatment for communication remains unknown. This prospective longitudinal study will examine communication recovery following (TBI) to identify predictors of recovery and the best time to offer treatment.
Premature Mortality Post Fracture:A NSW Linked Data Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,012.00
Summary
Osteoporotic fractures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Anti-osteoporosis medications reduce re-fracture and possibly morality, yet osteoporosis is poorly treated. This study will link information from >260,000 people (45&Up study) with hospital admissions, medications and deaths to create the largest, detailed dataset of its kind. We will be able to determine cause of any fracture-associated mortality and the effect of medication to improve osteoporosis management.
Mechanisms And Pathways Leading To Saccadic Suppression In Primate Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$858,086.00
Summary
Only the central few degrees of the visual field are viewed in high resolution. Consequently, the eyes must be pointed at targets of interest using saccadic eye movements. Each saccade generates potentially disturbing image motion but this is never perceived: saccadic suppression. This project aims to characterise the neural basis of saccadic suppression using modern techniques. As a result, a prime question in Neuroscience for over 100 years can now be answered.
Perinatal Stress Leads To Neurosteroid Deficits And Adverse Behavioural Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,198,042.00
Summary
This grant will examine the effect of psychosocial stress experienced after birth on the production and regulation of steroid hormones in the brain of newborn animals. The work will investigate how stress changes the levels these brain steroids and sensitivity to them and if these effects are remain into adulthood. The studies will then determine if these changes lead to adolescent behaviour disorders. The effectiveness of steroid therapies in treating these disorders will also be determined.