Psychiatric disorders are associated with considerable social and economic burden which could be reduced if we understood mental health outcomes in high risk populations. This fellowship will use advanced brain imaging to understand the development of mental health disorders in those at high risk of bipolar disorder and dementia.
Probing Neural Circuits Of Emotion With Ultrafast FMRI And Dynamic Natural Stimuli
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$306,012.00
Summary
Emotion is central to our everyday experience and forms the backbone of our social relationships. Our understanding on emotion, however, mostly relies on strictly controlled task designs, using highly simplified and/or artificial stimuli. In this project, we propose a new platform to study brain activity underlying natural emotional experience. The design and methodology developed in this proposal will provide fundamental outcomes for understanding emotion disturbances in mental disorders.
The amygdala is a part of the brain that processes and lays down emotional memories. Dysfunction in the amygdala is responsible for anxiety related disorders such post-traumatic stress disorder. I will study the neural circuits in the amygdala using innovative recordings and stimulation techniques. These studies will provide insight into the circuits that underpin anxiety related neurological disorders and provide targets for development of novel anxiolytic agents.
A Systematic Evaluation Of The Neurosurgical Application Of Peri-operative And Intra-operative MR Tractography In Different Paediatric Disease States
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$130,910.00
Summary
My research investigates changes in brain nerve fibre tracts/white matter in paediatric disease states and changes related to surgery by using nerve fibre tract imaging before, during and after surgery. It will also generate an imaging atlas to help understand white matter pathway development. It then serves as normative comparison to better understand aberrations in diseased neural pathways. The outcome will aid understanding in brain development, recovery and plasticity, and helps improve whit ....My research investigates changes in brain nerve fibre tracts/white matter in paediatric disease states and changes related to surgery by using nerve fibre tract imaging before, during and after surgery. It will also generate an imaging atlas to help understand white matter pathway development. It then serves as normative comparison to better understand aberrations in diseased neural pathways. The outcome will aid understanding in brain development, recovery and plasticity, and helps improve white matter lesion localisation.Read moreRead less
Understanding The Role Of Muscarinic Receptors In The Pathophysiology Of Depression And Bipolar Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$480,074.00
Summary
The causes of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, which effect many Australians, remain unknown. We have recently shown decreases in muscarinic receptors in the brain of people with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Muscarinic receptors are important in maintaining the functions of the brain that seem to be affected in people with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Here we seek to understand how changes in muscarinic receptors occur in both disorders.
Protecting Synaptic Connectivity In Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$573,573.00
Summary
In Alzheimer’s disease, connections between neurons (synapses) are progressively damaged. The BACE inhibitor class of drugs entering Phase III clinical trials may slow the pace of neurodegeneration in patients with dementia. However, these drugs may simultaneously have negative effects on synapse function, learning and memory. This study will assess the effect of BACE inhibition on synapse properties and cognition and identify the contribution of key proteins affected by this treatment.
Development Of Novel Biomarkers For Closed Loop Deep Brain Stimulation In The Management Of Parkinson’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$124,676.00
Summary
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is established therapy in advanced Parkinson’s disease, when medications are less efficient. We aim to identify biomarkers that correlate with symptom state, allowing tailoring of DBS to individual patient’s needs. This will potentially improve symptom control, device efficiency and quality of life, increasing the pool of patients suitable for DBS. Novel DBS systems will build technical expertise and expand Australia’s role in the medical device industry.
Relaxin-3/RXFP3 Signalling And Regulation Of Affective Behaviour _ Studies In Normal/transgenic Mice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,268.00
Summary
Mental illness is a significant social and economic burden worldwide and knowledge of the underlying causes and more effective therapies are required. Our research aims to use pre-clinical animal models to characterize a little studied brain neuronal network implicated in control of arousal and stress, which could lead to improved treatment of psychiatric disorders such as depression.
Neurobiology Of Relaxin-3/RXFP3 Systems: Anatomical And Functional Studies In Transgenic Mice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$94,242.00
Summary
Mental illness is an economic and health burden worldwide, with huge costs in medical spending, lost productivity, poor quality of life for sufferers and mortality. Relaxin-3 is a peptide that acts widely within neural circuits to modulate brain activity that is altered in conditions such as anxiety and mood/sleep disorders. Our research assessing the effect of genetic removal of relaxin-3 signaling on behaviour will add to our knowledge of brain function and improve mental health outcomes.
Thrombolysis is a method of dissolving the blood clot that is the cause of the majority of strokes in Australia. The first major trial to demonstrate benefit for this treatment was published some 11 years ago but treatment has not been widely implemented across Australia because of the difficulties in giving treatment within the very tight time window for which treatment is currently approved (patients must get to hospital, be scanned and start treatment within 3 hours of the onset of the stroke ....Thrombolysis is a method of dissolving the blood clot that is the cause of the majority of strokes in Australia. The first major trial to demonstrate benefit for this treatment was published some 11 years ago but treatment has not been widely implemented across Australia because of the difficulties in giving treatment within the very tight time window for which treatment is currently approved (patients must get to hospital, be scanned and start treatment within 3 hours of the onset of the stroke). Other factors which have limited implementation of treatment in Australia are continued debate over the trial data for this treatment as only one of the 5 major trials was positive. In addition, virtually no patients aged over 80 years old were included in the previous trials, and as this age group represents about a third of all stroke in Australia, new data in this age group is required. As a result of the difficulty in giving a treatment within such a tight time window and the ongoing debate about the trial data, few Australians are currently treated and thus the public health impact is negligible. In to change clinical practice, we need reliable data from a large convincing further trial of thrombolysis with the more realistic time window of 6 hours. The Third International Stroke Trial (IST-3) is a large international collaborative effort to determine whether thrombolysis treatment offered to a wider range of patients up to 6 hours from stroke onset results in an increase in long-term independent survival. Data from such a trial is most likely to change clinical practice and lead to an important public health benefit.Read moreRead less