Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100741
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$342,996.00
Summary
Harnessing neural plasticity with brain stimulation. This project aims to investigate the links between the molecular mechanisms underlying brain plasticity and the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. It will use a novel approach that integrates genetics, electrophysiology and biological modelling. Plasticity underpins all learning, memory and aging. Brain stimulation can drive plasticity in humans, but these effects are extremely difficult to harness and vary widely between people. Expec ....Harnessing neural plasticity with brain stimulation. This project aims to investigate the links between the molecular mechanisms underlying brain plasticity and the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. It will use a novel approach that integrates genetics, electrophysiology and biological modelling. Plasticity underpins all learning, memory and aging. Brain stimulation can drive plasticity in humans, but these effects are extremely difficult to harness and vary widely between people. Expected outcomes include a critical understanding of the fundamental mechanisms governing plasticity. This will provide significant benefits such as the development of individually optimised brain stimulation protocols, enabling tailored, reliable approaches to address brain function and cognition.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101102
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,536.00
Summary
Memory Engram Storage and Retrieval. This project aims to probe how long-term memory is stored in the brain. Recently, memory engram-labelling technology has revolutionised the way memory can be experimentally studied. It is now known that sparse populations of neurons that were active during a defined training window are both sufficient and necessary for retrieval of specific memories, and that activation of hippocampal engram causes further downstream activity in connected engram cells of othe ....Memory Engram Storage and Retrieval. This project aims to probe how long-term memory is stored in the brain. Recently, memory engram-labelling technology has revolutionised the way memory can be experimentally studied. It is now known that sparse populations of neurons that were active during a defined training window are both sufficient and necessary for retrieval of specific memories, and that activation of hippocampal engram causes further downstream activity in connected engram cells of other brain regions. However, it is unknown whether engram cell connectivity is important for memory function. The project aims to test this question. Understanding more about memory function in normal conditions may help us to understand and treat disorders of memory.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100389
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,603.00
Summary
Effort for reward – neural processes underlying human motivation. This project aims to characterise the neurobiology of motivation by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, economics, computational modelling and neuroimaging. This project will provide novel mechanistic insights into the brain processes underlying motivation. It will form the basis for international collaborations that significantly advance the frontier field of decision neuroscience, and lay the foundation for future i ....Effort for reward – neural processes underlying human motivation. This project aims to characterise the neurobiology of motivation by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, economics, computational modelling and neuroimaging. This project will provide novel mechanistic insights into the brain processes underlying motivation. It will form the basis for international collaborations that significantly advance the frontier field of decision neuroscience, and lay the foundation for future interventions to improve motivation. The results from this project will therefore have wide-ranging translational implications for improving health and socioeconomic outcomes, including workplace productivity and quality of life.Read moreRead less
Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial ....Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial asymmetries. By interfacing electrophysiology with genetic, neurochemical and brain imaging methods, this project will comprehensively map the biology of spatial asymmetry. This knowledge is vital to developing effective treatments for disorders where atypical patterns of spatial asymmetry index neurological vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100588
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,220.00
Summary
Gene-environment interactions in the regulation of neuroplasticity and cognitive function . This project will study the effects of different housing conditions on neuroplasticity-related cognitive function by combining an innovative operant conditioning behavioural test (computerised touch-screen technology) and new molecular approaches. Potential gene-environment interactions will be revealed using genetically targeted mice which have never been assessed in that context (mutants with altered gl ....Gene-environment interactions in the regulation of neuroplasticity and cognitive function . This project will study the effects of different housing conditions on neuroplasticity-related cognitive function by combining an innovative operant conditioning behavioural test (computerised touch-screen technology) and new molecular approaches. Potential gene-environment interactions will be revealed using genetically targeted mice which have never been assessed in that context (mutants with altered glucocorticoid and serotonin signalling). This project will study whether specific stages of the neuroplasticity process are differentially modulated through gene-environment interactions, ultimately resulting in changes to behaviour and cognitive functions. This will lead to a better understanding of the potential approaches that could be used to improve cognitive function.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668421
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,000.00
Summary
A MEG-based cognitive neuroscience laboratory. At present there is no MEG system in Australia, whereas MEG systems are currently springing up in research institutions in many other countries across the globe. This project will enable Australia to remain at the forefront of research in the cognitive neurosciences, as well as provide training opportunities to Australian doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in the use of MEG in research. Finally, the MEG laboratory will allow Australian resea ....A MEG-based cognitive neuroscience laboratory. At present there is no MEG system in Australia, whereas MEG systems are currently springing up in research institutions in many other countries across the globe. This project will enable Australia to remain at the forefront of research in the cognitive neurosciences, as well as provide training opportunities to Australian doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in the use of MEG in research. Finally, the MEG laboratory will allow Australian researchers to fill important gaps in our understanding of several areas of cognitive neuroscience, including basic auditory and visual processing, the study of cognitive processing in schizophrenia and in children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment.Read moreRead less
Establishing how head and face movement properties contribute to the perception of speech and identity. The proposed studies provide an extensive research program into audio-visual speech processing and person identification: key components of face-to-face communication. The likely impact and benefits of the project concern its contribution to perceptual theory (linking signal, brain and behaviour) and its practical implications: For determining the viability of multimodal biometric identificati ....Establishing how head and face movement properties contribute to the perception of speech and identity. The proposed studies provide an extensive research program into audio-visual speech processing and person identification: key components of face-to-face communication. The likely impact and benefits of the project concern its contribution to perceptual theory (linking signal, brain and behaviour) and its practical implications: For determining the viability of multimodal biometric identification procedures by assessing the distinctiveness and permanence of AV speech characteristics. In the development of a visual dubbing technique that has potential for communication in noisy environments (and for the deaf) and for the development of a morphable model for AV presentation that has application for both first and second language learning.Read moreRead less
Phenotypic differences in behaviour, brain function and structure of genetically dissimilar forms of intellectual disability. How is the brain of someone with intellectual disability different from that of a normal person? Are behavioural phenotypes such as intellectual disability more related to similarities in brain structure and function than to the genotypic anomaly? This project will use neuroscience techniques of psychophysics, electrophysiology and fMRI to probe these questions. The ben ....Phenotypic differences in behaviour, brain function and structure of genetically dissimilar forms of intellectual disability. How is the brain of someone with intellectual disability different from that of a normal person? Are behavioural phenotypes such as intellectual disability more related to similarities in brain structure and function than to the genotypic anomaly? This project will use neuroscience techniques of psychophysics, electrophysiology and fMRI to probe these questions. The benefit of this project is that cortical flattening fMRI techniques together with new and efficient stimulus paradigms will result in a functional landmark mapping tool capable of application to many other brain genotype-phenotype questions. Also, the functional brain basis of intellectual disability will be further revealed.Read moreRead less
Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contri ....Neural and cognitive studies of reward sensitivity and its influence on addiction-related behaviour. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on the influence of reward sensitivity on cognitive performance. Cognitive neuroscience research on this relationship is of major scientific interest because heightened reward sensitivity is a significant predictor of risk for a number of Australia's major social and economic problems. The findings of this project will contribute to the debate about how to manage such problems.Read moreRead less
Examining the relationship between error processing, cognitive control and emotion: a cognitive neuroscience approach. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on how the processing of errors influences self-monitoring and cognitive performance. The ability to monitor one's cognitive performance deteriorates with normal ageing, and is particularly affected in a range of clinical conditions, where it is a reliable predictor of a poor prognostic outcome. This project ....Examining the relationship between error processing, cognitive control and emotion: a cognitive neuroscience approach. The proposed research aims to contribute to current scientific thinking on how the processing of errors influences self-monitoring and cognitive performance. The ability to monitor one's cognitive performance deteriorates with normal ageing, and is particularly affected in a range of clinical conditions, where it is a reliable predictor of a poor prognostic outcome. This project aims to clarify understanding of the cognitive and neural processes underlying self-monitoring, as an important first step to improving rehabilitation and management methods for age-related impairments such as Alzheimer's disease, and prominent mental health conditions such as schizophrenia.Read moreRead less