Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural a ....Neural circuit control of effort under stress . This Project aims to investigate how the ‘decision’ to persist in exerting effort to obtain a reward is encoded in the the brain and affected by stress. This work will generate new knowledge on the neural mechanisms through which stress modifies neural activity to control decision making processes underpinning adaptive behaviours essential for survival. The expected outcomes of this work include enhanced capacity at the interface of behavioural and computational neuroscience, that will in turn provide significant benefits through greater insight into brain functions essential for survival, with long ranging implications for performance optimisation and brain-inspired computing. Read moreRead less
Dissecting the Brain Circuitry Shaping Fear Regulation Across Development. Adolescence is an important time when individuals learn to manage stress-related emotions like fear. This project aims to understand how maturational changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain hinder adolescents when learning to reduce reactivity to threats. It aims to do so by dissecting the brain circuitry shaping learning, memory, and emotional regulation across pre-adolescence, adolescence, and adulthood. The proje ....Dissecting the Brain Circuitry Shaping Fear Regulation Across Development. Adolescence is an important time when individuals learn to manage stress-related emotions like fear. This project aims to understand how maturational changes in the prefrontal cortex of the brain hinder adolescents when learning to reduce reactivity to threats. It aims to do so by dissecting the brain circuitry shaping learning, memory, and emotional regulation across pre-adolescence, adolescence, and adulthood. The project expects to generate new knowledge about why developmental changes in the brain are necessary for mature forms of learning and memory. The expected outcomes of this project include a significantly richer knowledge of the developing brain, which will ultimately inform approaches for improving emotion regulation in youth.Read moreRead less
Investigating the role of Zona Incerta RXFP3+ cells in learning and memory. Learning and memory are fundamental to human and animal behaviour. We identified a specific population of cells in the zona incerta of the brain, where activation inhibits expression of memory, and facilitates the acquisition of new learning. Aside from our observations, nothing is currently known about the anatomy and function of these cells. This project aims to map how they connect to the rest of the brain, to observe ....Investigating the role of Zona Incerta RXFP3+ cells in learning and memory. Learning and memory are fundamental to human and animal behaviour. We identified a specific population of cells in the zona incerta of the brain, where activation inhibits expression of memory, and facilitates the acquisition of new learning. Aside from our observations, nothing is currently known about the anatomy and function of these cells. This project aims to map how they connect to the rest of the brain, to observe how these connections are recruited during learning and memory, and then to test their function experimentally. The outcomes will extend the known neural circuitry that controls learning by defining how and where these unexplored pathways fit within it; thus advancing knowledge regarding neural regulation of behaviour.
Read moreRead less
Hunger flexibly modifies hypothalamic neural circuits responding to threat. Animal and human behaviour frequently involves a choice between actions or goals with conflicting positive and negative outcomes. However, the appropriate action or goal in conflicting situations often depends on physiological pressures like hunger, stress and mating opportunities. For example, the need for resources within an environment, such as food, drives approach behaviour, whereas threats to survival, such as pred ....Hunger flexibly modifies hypothalamic neural circuits responding to threat. Animal and human behaviour frequently involves a choice between actions or goals with conflicting positive and negative outcomes. However, the appropriate action or goal in conflicting situations often depends on physiological pressures like hunger, stress and mating opportunities. For example, the need for resources within an environment, such as food, drives approach behaviour, whereas threats to survival, such as predator cues, enhance avoidance behaviour. This project will uncover the neural circuitry and endocrine mechanisms through which hunger influences hypothalamic threat-detecting circuits that suppress food intake. These studies provide a new hypothalamic model to understand risk/reward decision in the brain.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,133,659.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Cognitive Computing for Medical Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Cognitive Computing for Medical Technologies aims to create a workforce that is expert in developing, applying and interrogating cognitive computing technologies in data-intensive medical contexts. This will facilitate the next generation of data-driven and machine learning-based medical technologies. The Centre will provide a world-class industry-driven research training environment for PhD students ....ARC Training Centre in Cognitive Computing for Medical Technologies. The ARC Training Centre in Cognitive Computing for Medical Technologies aims to create a workforce that is expert in developing, applying and interrogating cognitive computing technologies in data-intensive medical contexts. This will facilitate the next generation of data-driven and machine learning-based medical technologies. The Centre will provide a world-class industry-driven research training environment for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. These researchers will lead the medical technology industry into a new era of data-driven personalised and precision medical devices and applications. The Centre will result in the development of capabilities in the core technologies of machine learning and the practical application of cognitive computing in the area of health.Read moreRead less