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
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
Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, ....Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, and performance for an individual, requiring only a simple activity/light sensor and an assessment of the body clock's sensitivity to light. The new model would revolutionise fatigue management and make safer work environments for millions of shift workers. Read moreRead less
Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and ....Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and functional analyses. The outcomes of this project are expected to improve our understanding of how specific brain pathways govern maternal behaviour. The novel insight gained is expected to advance theories regarding the organisation of maternal care and enable their practical testing.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
Charting the human brain connectome over the lifespan. This project aims to develop neuroimaging reference charts for the human connectome and track the vast individual variability in brain connectivity across the life course. Connectomes will be mapped using tractography and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data for 40,000 individuals, establishing the largest connectome biobank to date. Expected outcomes include an innovative lifespan brain charting platform, new paradigms to model individ ....Charting the human brain connectome over the lifespan. This project aims to develop neuroimaging reference charts for the human connectome and track the vast individual variability in brain connectivity across the life course. Connectomes will be mapped using tractography and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging data for 40,000 individuals, establishing the largest connectome biobank to date. Expected outcomes include an innovative lifespan brain charting platform, new paradigms to model individual brain variability and knowledge of how cognition, lifestyle and environment shape brain ageing. Brain charting will usher in a new era of precision connectomics, paving the way towards neuroscience-based personalisation of pathways in education, employment and wellbeing. 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
Improving cognitive function in the elderly. The ageing population has been identified as one of the major issues facing contemporary Australian society. For Australia, human ageing has significant societal, economic and, importantly, personal/human costs. The economic costs associated with ageing reflect decreased productivity as well as a higher incidence of a variety of illnesses including cardiovascular and respiratory disease and, importantly, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's dis ....Improving cognitive function in the elderly. The ageing population has been identified as one of the major issues facing contemporary Australian society. For Australia, human ageing has significant societal, economic and, importantly, personal/human costs. The economic costs associated with ageing reflect decreased productivity as well as a higher incidence of a variety of illnesses including cardiovascular and respiratory disease and, importantly, neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We will complete two large scale studies examining the efficacy of twelve months administration of two pharmacologically active supplements in reducing the cognitive effects of aging in elderly participants.
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Examining the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and its application to clinical syndromes featuring dyscontrol. This project will examine the cognitive control and its underlying neural mechanisms. Understanding this relationship is of major scientific interest because cognitive control dysfunction is related to a number of Australia's major social and economic problems, including drug dependence.