Revealing the beneficial effects of acoustic stimulation on the human brain. This project aims to provide greater understanding of the neural mechanisms by which initiation of motor responses can be improved by unexpected auditory stimulation. Initiating motor actions appears natural and effortless, but is underpinned by complex neural mechanisms that are not well understood. Using novel brain stimulation techniques, the project aims to assess the potential for properly timed strong sensory stim ....Revealing the beneficial effects of acoustic stimulation on the human brain. This project aims to provide greater understanding of the neural mechanisms by which initiation of motor responses can be improved by unexpected auditory stimulation. Initiating motor actions appears natural and effortless, but is underpinned by complex neural mechanisms that are not well understood. Using novel brain stimulation techniques, the project aims to assess the potential for properly timed strong sensory stimulation during movement preparation to induce neural plasticity and motor learning. This knowledge would have important implications across a number of fields, including neuroscience, sports science, and applied ergonomics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100653
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The predictive brain and control of anticipatory actions. The ability to predict events in a dynamic environment is an important skill for survival as it can guide our actions when time pressures are severe. How predictions come about to guide our actions is not clear and project results will have great theoretical significance to understand how we generate them.
The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsych ....The genetic and diagnostic relationship between motor control and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have comorbid Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). This project will utilise the expertise of leading researchers in Australia and the Netherlands to investigate the genetic and diagnostic relationship between these two disorders utilising a large sample of twins and their siblings. We will examine the neuropsychological functioning in these groups of children in order to gain a better understanding of their genetic relationship. These findings will provide insight into the current DSM-IV classification of these disorders compared with other models used to investigate the relationship between poor motor coordination and ADHD.Read moreRead less
Functional Assessment of Head-eye Coordination during Driving. 238 people per 100,000 population were hospitalized and 9 people per 100,000 died as a result of road-transport related injury in Australia in 2002. We will address this issue by assessing the head eye coordination strategies for young drivers, for proficient drivers and for aged drivers to determine those behaviors and strategies that are associated with various levels of performance. This insight could be affectively communicated t ....Functional Assessment of Head-eye Coordination during Driving. 238 people per 100,000 population were hospitalized and 9 people per 100,000 died as a result of road-transport related injury in Australia in 2002. We will address this issue by assessing the head eye coordination strategies for young drivers, for proficient drivers and for aged drivers to determine those behaviors and strategies that are associated with various levels of performance. This insight could be affectively communicated to others and would provide the basis for educational material and methods that would improve operator skill, safety, and performance. These individual improvements would provide overall benefits such as improved transport efficiency, reduced accident rates, saved lives and a reduction in related social costs.Read moreRead less
How brain oscillations influence our behaviour. This project aims to reveal how sudden, intense stimuli impair or facilitate concurrent actions. Startling sounds can disrupt the execution of movements and distract attention from vital events in the environment, with potential disastrous consequences when handling complex equipment such as airplanes, cars and trucks, or surgical instruments. This project will combine classic experimental and novel neuro-modulatory techniques with the measurement ....How brain oscillations influence our behaviour. This project aims to reveal how sudden, intense stimuli impair or facilitate concurrent actions. Startling sounds can disrupt the execution of movements and distract attention from vital events in the environment, with potential disastrous consequences when handling complex equipment such as airplanes, cars and trucks, or surgical instruments. This project will combine classic experimental and novel neuro-modulatory techniques with the measurement of oscillatory brain activity. Expect outcomes will inform theories of cognitive function and the design of interventions to reduce the negative effects of sudden, distracting events.Read moreRead less
Intracortical inhibition evaluated by paired-pulse TMS during choice and simple reaction time tasks. The research will investigate the neurophysiological processes responsible for the selection and initiation of movement in response to an external stimulus. Slowness in the initiation and execution of movement is a common feature of 'neurological aging', neurodegenerative disease, and brain injury. Understanding the brain mechanisms involved in response selection and movement initiation will pro ....Intracortical inhibition evaluated by paired-pulse TMS during choice and simple reaction time tasks. The research will investigate the neurophysiological processes responsible for the selection and initiation of movement in response to an external stimulus. Slowness in the initiation and execution of movement is a common feature of 'neurological aging', neurodegenerative disease, and brain injury. Understanding the brain mechanisms involved in response selection and movement initiation will provide information for the development of specific intervention techniques to improve motor function in these groups.Read moreRead less
Preparatory processes in rapid interceptive action. This project investigates the nature of the processes involved in preparing to act in response to a moving object: actions that elite sportspeople perform with amazing precision: timing to within a few thousandths of a second is routine when hitting a ball in tennis and cricket. The average person can be capable of something similar and it means being ready to make the right movement at the right time. Understanding the preparatory processes in ....Preparatory processes in rapid interceptive action. This project investigates the nature of the processes involved in preparing to act in response to a moving object: actions that elite sportspeople perform with amazing precision: timing to within a few thousandths of a second is routine when hitting a ball in tennis and cricket. The average person can be capable of something similar and it means being ready to make the right movement at the right time. Understanding the preparatory processes involved will be a significant scientific advance and knowledge of their workings and limits can contribute to the development of strategies for improving safety in dynamic environments such as city roads. This project will put an Australian laboratory at the cutting edge in this area of research.Read moreRead less
Determining the neural mechanisms of visual stimuli and motor responses. This project aims to determine how we select actions to visual cues rapidly, unconsciously and automatically. Learning associations between visual stimuli and motor responses is part of normal development and continues throughout life. Rapid deployment of these actions is often critical for safety yet we have limited knowledge of how the human brain does this. This project will use neuroimaging tools to characterise the spa ....Determining the neural mechanisms of visual stimuli and motor responses. This project aims to determine how we select actions to visual cues rapidly, unconsciously and automatically. Learning associations between visual stimuli and motor responses is part of normal development and continues throughout life. Rapid deployment of these actions is often critical for safety yet we have limited knowledge of how the human brain does this. This project will use neuroimaging tools to characterise the spatial and temporal neural architecture underlying these processes and determine how the dorsal and ventral streams of visual processing, specialised for motor control and recognition respectively, interact in vision-based actions as these actions become learned.Outcomes will provide new frameworks for driving improvement in any domain in which goal-directed actions depend on the rapid processing of visual information, including human-machine interfaces for defence, economic development, education, health, science and technology.Read moreRead less
Neural correlates of performance trade-offs and interference in dual-task performance. Our daily lives are characterised by our ability to produce and sustain a wide range of different movement patterns and to deliberately change patterns as the situation demands. In this project we seek to understand the relationship between brain processes, attentional demands, and the control and learning of coordinated behaviour. A further aim will be to examine how this relationship may be altered as a re ....Neural correlates of performance trade-offs and interference in dual-task performance. Our daily lives are characterised by our ability to produce and sustain a wide range of different movement patterns and to deliberately change patterns as the situation demands. In this project we seek to understand the relationship between brain processes, attentional demands, and the control and learning of coordinated behaviour. A further aim will be to examine how this relationship may be altered as a result of aging, degenerative disease, or brain damage. This research will provide a foundation upon which rehabilitation strategies can be developed for the movement impaired.Read moreRead less
Experimental and computational assessment of the mechanical, musculo-skeletal and neuromuscular contributions to rhythmic multi-joint arm movements. The human body is a complex mechanical system that is controlled by a vast neural network comprising many millions of connections. To date, realistic descriptions of the interactions between these neuro-mechanical features have proved elusive. This project seeks to develop a mathematical model that accurately describes the essential features of the ....Experimental and computational assessment of the mechanical, musculo-skeletal and neuromuscular contributions to rhythmic multi-joint arm movements. The human body is a complex mechanical system that is controlled by a vast neural network comprising many millions of connections. To date, realistic descriptions of the interactions between these neuro-mechanical features have proved elusive. This project seeks to develop a mathematical model that accurately describes the essential features of the control system for human movement, and yet is simple enough to inform the design of artificial devices to generate or assist movement. The knowledge derived should improve mechanical and neural prosthetic systems, and guide rehabilitation protocols. The work will ultimately provide a considerable benefit to the community by reducing the social cost of a range of movement disorders.Read moreRead less