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
Next Generation Brain-Machine Interface: Minimally-Invasive Endovascular Stent-Electrode Array For Robotic Limb Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,735,574.00
Summary
Persons affected by quadriplegia and hemiplegia from stroke and spinal cord injury have few treatment options. Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs) reconnect brain to a prosthetic limb, bypassing damaged nervous system. Our group has developed a BMI that can be implanted minimally-invasively, inside a blood vessel within the brain. We propose to evaluate this device in animal studies, and continue on to a human clinical trial pilot study. The aim is to restore mechanical control over the physical env ....Persons affected by quadriplegia and hemiplegia from stroke and spinal cord injury have few treatment options. Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs) reconnect brain to a prosthetic limb, bypassing damaged nervous system. Our group has developed a BMI that can be implanted minimally-invasively, inside a blood vessel within the brain. We propose to evaluate this device in animal studies, and continue on to a human clinical trial pilot study. The aim is to restore mechanical control over the physical environment for a paralysed patient.Read moreRead less
Ascending Neural Networks And Behavioural State Control
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$727,758.00
Summary
Our research aims to describe and understand newly identified nerve pathways or 'networks' in brain that control physiological homeostasis or balance and complex behaviours, including levels of arousal and motivation, sleep/wake patterns, learning and memory, and emotions such as fear and anxiety
The advantage of being magnocellular: the role of the dorsal visual stream in object identification. The primary benefit of this project is to basic science and tertiary teaching globally. Visual processing and how it activates attention and operates to guide actions and cognitive behaviour is fundamental to our understanding of life and brain evolution. In particular this new knowledge will further understanding of many cognitive symptoms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and in the ....The advantage of being magnocellular: the role of the dorsal visual stream in object identification. The primary benefit of this project is to basic science and tertiary teaching globally. Visual processing and how it activates attention and operates to guide actions and cognitive behaviour is fundamental to our understanding of life and brain evolution. In particular this new knowledge will further understanding of many cognitive symptoms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and in the future should lead to design of better educational technologies for such children. Similarly understanding of temporal sequencing of vision has commercial implications for design of bionic eyes and robotic vision processing.Read moreRead less
Complexity in a mesoscopic model of brain dynamics. Research into how the brain work remains at the frontier of human knowledge. We possess only the vaguest idea how the brain is able to generate memories, perceptions and behaviour. This research proposal concerns new approaches aimed at bridging this gap in our understanding by developing and studying detailed theories of the brain's electrical activity. The outcomes of this work will not only suggest improved diagnostic methods and treatments ....Complexity in a mesoscopic model of brain dynamics. Research into how the brain work remains at the frontier of human knowledge. We possess only the vaguest idea how the brain is able to generate memories, perceptions and behaviour. This research proposal concerns new approaches aimed at bridging this gap in our understanding by developing and studying detailed theories of the brain's electrical activity. The outcomes of this work will not only suggest improved diagnostic methods and treatments but contribute vital knowledge about how to control and predict the behaviour of complex systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0452971
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$102,900.00
Summary
Optical imaging of brain activity: Studies of the neural basis of sensory perception, plasticity and behaviour. Basic to the understanding of the brain is to know how the overall architecture of the nervous system relates to its function. We propose to study this by directly visualising the regions that are functionally active in the living brains of animals, down to resolution limits of less than 100 micrometres. Such "optical imaging" will be done by recording light reflected from the surfac ....Optical imaging of brain activity: Studies of the neural basis of sensory perception, plasticity and behaviour. Basic to the understanding of the brain is to know how the overall architecture of the nervous system relates to its function. We propose to study this by directly visualising the regions that are functionally active in the living brains of animals, down to resolution limits of less than 100 micrometres. Such "optical imaging" will be done by recording light reflected from the surface of the brain, which in turn depends upon activity-dependent intrinsic signals (eg. degree of oxygenation of haemoglobin). These signals will be recorded by a special camera and amplified using the requested system.Read moreRead less
Processing of social communication calls in primate auditory cortex. This research will advance our understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in perception of sound. This will help to understand disorders of speech and hearing following brain damage and may assist in efforts to develop better hearing aids, as well as other speech recognition technologies. In addition, we will develop a primate for studying processing of sound in the brain that will be useful in future research to develop ....Processing of social communication calls in primate auditory cortex. This research will advance our understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in perception of sound. This will help to understand disorders of speech and hearing following brain damage and may assist in efforts to develop better hearing aids, as well as other speech recognition technologies. In addition, we will develop a primate for studying processing of sound in the brain that will be useful in future research to develop improved cochlear implants.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354800
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Brain and Behaviour Network. The Brain and Behaviour Network is concerned with understanding the underlying mechanisms which determine how we behave. It encompasses many disciplines including anthropology, education, ethology, neurology, neuroscience, philosophy and psychology. The Network will bring these disciplines together to create a forum to discuss and integrate the knowledge into a framework for understanding the mechanisms of behaviour and to stimulate cross-disciplinary research. The f ....Brain and Behaviour Network. The Brain and Behaviour Network is concerned with understanding the underlying mechanisms which determine how we behave. It encompasses many disciplines including anthropology, education, ethology, neurology, neuroscience, philosophy and psychology. The Network will bring these disciplines together to create a forum to discuss and integrate the knowledge into a framework for understanding the mechanisms of behaviour and to stimulate cross-disciplinary research. The framework of knowledge will lead to a greater understanding of how we behave and will improve knowledge in areas which have a major behavioural component, such as in human development and education, psychological well-being, psychiatric problems and ageing.Read moreRead less