Dopaminergic mechanisms of visual selective attention in the fly. What we pay attention to guides our behaviour. There is increasing evidence that even the smallest animals, such as insects, have a selective attention. Neuromodulators such as dopamine (DA) regulate general arousal states in flies as well as humans, but it is not well understood how DA modulates selective attention. This project will genetically manipulate DA in the fly Drosophila in order to study its role in visual selective at ....Dopaminergic mechanisms of visual selective attention in the fly. What we pay attention to guides our behaviour. There is increasing evidence that even the smallest animals, such as insects, have a selective attention. Neuromodulators such as dopamine (DA) regulate general arousal states in flies as well as humans, but it is not well understood how DA modulates selective attention. This project will genetically manipulate DA in the fly Drosophila in order to study its role in visual selective attention, by: examining neural circuits; attention behaviour; and, brain recordings. Our work will reveal whether DA mainly controls general responsiveness levels, or whether DA is also involved in coordinating attention dynamics. This study has important implications for understanding attention disorders.Read moreRead less
‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of anima ....‘Super-human’ colour vision: how does it improve animal visual performance? Colour vision enables animals to find food, attract mates and avoid predators. Many animals, including fish, birds and insects, have ‘super-human’ colour vision systems and process colour using 4 or 5 spectral channels, instead of our 3. Yet we do not know how information is combined across these different channels to achieve colour vision. This project will develop new technology to measure UV vision in a range of animal taxa, and show how animals with 4 or 5 spectral channels integrate or partition visual information to perceive colour. The Fellowship will provide new biological models for the development of next-generation multispectral cameras used in medical, military, security and remote sensing applications.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of monoaminergic transmission in Central Amygdala. This project will identify the distribution and function of dopamine, serotonin and noradrenalin receptors on the various cell types and their inputs, in the medial, lateral and capsular divisions of Central Amygdala (CeA). We will test for tonic endogenous activation of monoaminergic receptors and synaptic release from electrically stimulated fibers terminating in CeA. Using paired recordings and calcium imaging, we will invest ....Characterisation of monoaminergic transmission in Central Amygdala. This project will identify the distribution and function of dopamine, serotonin and noradrenalin receptors on the various cell types and their inputs, in the medial, lateral and capsular divisions of Central Amygdala (CeA). We will test for tonic endogenous activation of monoaminergic receptors and synaptic release from electrically stimulated fibers terminating in CeA. Using paired recordings and calcium imaging, we will investigate intracellular mechanisms underlying monoamine receptor mediated effects. These findings when correlated with published behavioural studies will provide greater understanding of the role of the divisions of CeA and the inputs they receive, in the function of the amygdala.Read moreRead less
Visual guidance of flight in birds. Birds flying rapidly amidst the branches of trees engage continually in a three-dimensional slalom. This project will study birds flying through tunnels and gaps, to understand how they use their eyes and wings to achieve this agility. The results could suggest better designs for unmanned aerial vehicles operating in dense urban environments.
Neural mechanisms of attention in the honeybee and Drosophila melanogaster. By examining convergent neural mechanisms of attention in insects and comparing these mechanisms to those found in vertebrates, we may uncover basic principles of how attention operates in widely divergent systems. This type of basic scientific research could be used to provide a framework to develop better approaches for treatment for individuals with defects in attention. Such defects are symptoms of several psycholo ....Neural mechanisms of attention in the honeybee and Drosophila melanogaster. By examining convergent neural mechanisms of attention in insects and comparing these mechanisms to those found in vertebrates, we may uncover basic principles of how attention operates in widely divergent systems. This type of basic scientific research could be used to provide a framework to develop better approaches for treatment for individuals with defects in attention. Such defects are symptoms of several psychological conditions, including attention deficit disorder, autism, and schizophrenia, which have major social and economic costs in Australia. Therefore, by expanding our understanding of how attention operates at the level of neurons, we can begin to develop targeted treatments for addressing these conditions. Read moreRead less
HIDE AND SPEAK - COLOUR COMMUNICATION IN REEF FISH. Fish play an important role in many Australian's lives, they are a source of recreation for scuba divers, snorkelers and fishermen, they are a draw card for tourists as well as a healthy source of food. This project will investigate the visual world of fish, unravelling their use of colour communication, thereby identifying environmental factors affecting successful communication. Such a study will provide insight into the impact on reef fish o ....HIDE AND SPEAK - COLOUR COMMUNICATION IN REEF FISH. Fish play an important role in many Australian's lives, they are a source of recreation for scuba divers, snorkelers and fishermen, they are a draw card for tourists as well as a healthy source of food. This project will investigate the visual world of fish, unravelling their use of colour communication, thereby identifying environmental factors affecting successful communication. Such a study will provide insight into the impact on reef fish of changes in water quality (e.g. river runoff) and temperature (e.g. bleaching events), as well as factors that affect the successful rearing of fish in aquaculture.
Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354494
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
BRAINnet:
Brain Research And Integrative Neuroscience Network. The brain is the ultimate frontier of science, and its complexity requires an integrative approach to neuroscience. This initiative will facilitate a unique integration of disciplines (biological, physical, computational) and scales of focus (single neurons to networks to whole-brain), within a high profile Network of Australian and international players. The Network will be harnessed by a centralized hub for sharing of data and tec ....BRAINnet:
Brain Research And Integrative Neuroscience Network. The brain is the ultimate frontier of science, and its complexity requires an integrative approach to neuroscience. This initiative will facilitate a unique integration of disciplines (biological, physical, computational) and scales of focus (single neurons to networks to whole-brain), within a high profile Network of Australian and international players. The Network will be harnessed by a centralized hub for sharing of data and techniques, and mentoring of early career researchers. The principal socio-economic and discovery outcomes will flow from the exceptionally strong foundations in fundamental and applied science, established collaboration, and demonstrated capacity for development and commercialization of frontier biotechnologies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100433
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,058.00
Summary
Cortical layer specific functional imaging of the human brain. This project aims to record layer specific cortical activity in humans by leveraging ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging. It expects to yield robust techniques for the general analysis of neuroimaging-based, layer-specific measurements. This project will progress the fields of cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging as well as bring the field of neuroimaging closer to that of neurophysiology and thus facilitate collaboration ....Cortical layer specific functional imaging of the human brain. This project aims to record layer specific cortical activity in humans by leveraging ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging. It expects to yield robust techniques for the general analysis of neuroimaging-based, layer-specific measurements. This project will progress the fields of cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging as well as bring the field of neuroimaging closer to that of neurophysiology and thus facilitate collaboration among researchers.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101393
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Neurobiological mechanisms of decision under uncertainty. The purpose of this project is to understand the behavioural and brain mechanisms underlying decision under uncertainty. This research will uncover the effect that normal variation in brain networks has on choice and contribute to a better understanding of disorders linked to intolerance of uncertainty.
Wiring up the nervous system: how do axons detect molecular gradients? This project will improve our understanding of how the nervous system
becomes wired up during development. This will ultimately allow better
therapies for some types of developmental disorders, and for repairing
damaged connections for instance in the spinal cord. The theoretical
models developed will improve our understanding of the computations
necessary to generate appropriate wiring of the nervous system, which
may ....Wiring up the nervous system: how do axons detect molecular gradients? This project will improve our understanding of how the nervous system
becomes wired up during development. This will ultimately allow better
therapies for some types of developmental disorders, and for repairing
damaged connections for instance in the spinal cord. The theoretical
models developed will improve our understanding of the computations
necessary to generate appropriate wiring of the nervous system, which
may facilitate the development of self-organizing computing
devices. The project will also provide unique research training at the
interface of biology and computation, building capacity for such
interdisciplinary research throughout Australia.
Read moreRead less