Selective Modulation Of Neural Network Activity Using Focal Brain Stimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$531,496.00
Summary
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been touted as a viable treatment for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. However, the extent to which localised TMS influences widespread brain networks remains unknown. To fill this gap, we will combine neuroimaging and TMS in healthy adults. The project will provide a scientific foundation for the use of brain stimulation as an effective tool for improving function in a range of clinical conditions.
Patients with schizophrenia differ widely in their symptoms, long-term outcome and response to medication. However, most patients are treated with the same medications and interventions. This study aims to better facilitate the targeting of novel treatments to groups of patients (biotypes) that are likely to benefit most from a treatment. Groups of patients that share distinct patterns of deficits in brain connectivity will be delineated using state-of-the-art white matter imaging techniques.
Underlying Mechanims Of Thalamocortical Dysrhythmia In Chronic Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$393,817.00
Summary
Pain has a detrimental impact on ones quality of life and a significant financial impact on the community. It has recently been revealed that chronic pain is associated with altered electrical rhythms within the brain. Using human brain imaging, we aim to determine the underlying reason for this altered rhythm in humans with pain resulting from nervous system damage. Defining this mechanism will aid in the development of better treatment regimes.
Beyond The Connectome: Modelling Large-scale Brain Dynamics
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$419,847.00
Summary
Several very large international efforts are currently under way that aim to map brain anatomy and activity in unprecedented detail across the lifespan. But our understanding of how complex brain activity emerges from the anatomy has lagged far behind. We will address this problem using a novel combination of state-of-the-art structural connectivity data, cutting-edge modelling, and ultrafast high-resolution recordings of brain activity.
Pain has a detrimental impact on ones quality of life and a significant financial impact on the community. Although some of the pathways that code pain in the brain have been defined, it was recently proposed that there also exists a pain-specific pathway in humans. Using human brain imaging, we aim to determine if such a pathway exists and if it is altered in subjects with chronic pain. The existence of such a pathway would significantly aid in the development of better treatment regimes.
A Dimensional Approach To Mapping The Risk Mechanisms Of Mental Illness
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,677,975.00
Summary
There is ongoing debate about whether current definitions of mental disorders are accurate. We will use statistical techniques to identify the core dimensions of liability for mental illness, and map how genes and brain organization drive differences between people along each dimension.