Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms Of Axon Guidance In The Vertebrate Nervous System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$447,750.00
Summary
There are, at least, two major obstacles that have to be overcome in the design of therapies to assist the repair of injured brain tissue. First, the nerve cells that are damaged have to be encouraged to regrow - typically this regrowth is inhibited in the brain; and second, this regrowth has to be directed so that the correct connections are re-established. This project will begin to unravel some of the mechanisms that nerve cells use to wire up together during development. This information can ....There are, at least, two major obstacles that have to be overcome in the design of therapies to assist the repair of injured brain tissue. First, the nerve cells that are damaged have to be encouraged to regrow - typically this regrowth is inhibited in the brain; and second, this regrowth has to be directed so that the correct connections are re-established. This project will begin to unravel some of the mechanisms that nerve cells use to wire up together during development. This information can be used to assist in trying to modulate and facilitate directed regrowth following injury.Read moreRead less
Suppressor Of Cytokine Signalling-2 (SOCS2) And Its Role In Neuronal Development And Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,980.00
Summary
Injury to the brain or spinal cord at present often results in permanent damage, such as paralysis, which is largely due to a failure of neurons to regrow at the injury site. In order to overcome this, we are trying to find ways of making new neurons grow, either from stem cells present in the nervous system or transplanted from cells grown in tissue culture. However, little is known about how a neural stem cell decides to become a neuron or another cell type, such as a glial cell and so we are ....Injury to the brain or spinal cord at present often results in permanent damage, such as paralysis, which is largely due to a failure of neurons to regrow at the injury site. In order to overcome this, we are trying to find ways of making new neurons grow, either from stem cells present in the nervous system or transplanted from cells grown in tissue culture. However, little is known about how a neural stem cell decides to become a neuron or another cell type, such as a glial cell and so we are examining factors which influence this process, which is called differentiation. Growth factors are important mediators of this process and suppressor of cytokine signalling (SOCS) proteins are important in determining how cells respond to growth factors. The overall aims of this project are to determine the role that SOCS genes and in particular, SOCS2 play in neural stem cell differentiation into neurons and glia, neuron process outgrowth and neuronal and glial injury responses in the nervous system. This will be examined in normal cells and cells which over-express or do not express SOCS2 genes. Understanding the biology of neural growth factor responsiveness may eventually allow us to devise therapeutic strategies for use following brain-spinal injury or disease, including generation of neurons from stem cells.Read moreRead less
Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms Of Axon Growth And Guidance In The Vertebrate Nervous System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$467,545.00
Summary
There are millions of nerve cells in the vertebrate brain, each forming very precise and specific connections within neural circuits. During development of the embryo most of these cells are wired together. A Telstra technician will use the different colours of telephone cables to correctly connect them. Likewise, the growing processes of nerve cells in the brain use specific markers or labels as cues to establish the correct wiring. The aim of the present project is to characterize the specific ....There are millions of nerve cells in the vertebrate brain, each forming very precise and specific connections within neural circuits. During development of the embryo most of these cells are wired together. A Telstra technician will use the different colours of telephone cables to correctly connect them. Likewise, the growing processes of nerve cells in the brain use specific markers or labels as cues to establish the correct wiring. The aim of the present project is to characterize the specific role of some of these labels on nerve cells during development. This project will provide new fundamental knowledge about how brain cells are wired together during development of the embryo. This knowledge is essential for establishing strategies to enhance repair of brain cells following ischemic, excitotoxic or mechanical injury.Read moreRead less
Prof Paxinos ‘s work is involved in understanding brain organisation and function through the fusion of the fields of molecular genetics, comparative and developmental neuroanatomy and Neuro informatics
Role Of ABCA-G Transporters In Neuronal Cholesterol Regulation And Alzheimers Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$557,582.00
Summary
Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevalence is rising and the contributing factors are poorly understood. Recent research shows that cholesterol regulates the production of neurotoxic amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta). We will study a class of proteins, ABC transporters, that we believe regulate neuronal cholesterol and Abeta metabolism. We will use isolated brain cells, human brain tissue and genetically engineered mice in order to define how cholesterol influences AD and identify new treatment options.
The research described in this Project Grant application should help to us understand how our brains make memories. Our brains contain billions of interconnected nerve cells forming unimaginable numbers of possible networks. Previous research indicates that repetitive activation of individual networks can lead to changes in the strength of connections between nerve cells. These changes in connection strength are thought to underlie learning and memory. The experiments described in this proposal ....The research described in this Project Grant application should help to us understand how our brains make memories. Our brains contain billions of interconnected nerve cells forming unimaginable numbers of possible networks. Previous research indicates that repetitive activation of individual networks can lead to changes in the strength of connections between nerve cells. These changes in connection strength are thought to underlie learning and memory. The experiments described in this proposal will address the mechanisms underlying changes in the strength of connections between nerve cells. As most of the inputs nerve cells receive from other nerve cells are made onto their dendrites (small branching processes that extend from the cell body), the main objective is to investigate the interactions at the dendritic level responsible for changes in connection strength. The results of this work will raise our understanding of how memories are formed, which will be essential if we are to understand the cellular processes disrupted during memory dysfunction in neurological disorders such as dementia.Read moreRead less
Neuroprotection By Ndfip1 In Brain Injury - Identifying Targets And Understanding Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$836,225.00
Summary
Brain injury from trauma and motor vehicle accidents is a serious health issue, affecting approximately 30,000 Australians per year. About 10% of the victims suffer serious long term consequences, including mental, physical and behavioural impairment. We have discovered a new brain protein capable of preventing neurons from dying following injury. This grant will improve our understanding of how this protein works, and provide a scientific foundation for devising therapies.
Post Synaptic Density Scaffold Proteins In The Growth Cone: Homer And Shank, Crucial For Calcium Signaling.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$237,909.00
Summary
Our brain is a complex, yet precise electrical circuit. Understanding how the embryonic brain is wired has direct implications for all aspects of life, from the growing foetus in mother's womb, to learning algebra and for maintaining the active memories of our ageing population. This project aims to provide new insight into understanding how the embryonic brain is wired, crucial information for future pharmacological or gene therapy approaches to mental illness, ageing, and neuronal injury.
Characterisation Of Neural Stem Cells In The Ageing Mammalian Brain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$182,411.00
Summary
Due to their relatively recent discovery, little is known about how stem cells in the brain are affected by age. This work will initially focus on understanding how age affects the number of stem cells found in the brain, and how their normal function and regenerative capacity are compromised with increasing age. The second phase of this study will examine how we can slow or even reverse these age-related changes on stem cells by environmental manipulation.