Evaluating the Network Neuroscience of Human Cognition to Improve AI. This project will translate the brain’s inherent complexity into a set of explorable networks that will test the network theory of intelligence, and also be used to drive advances in next generation artificial neural networks. Our approach will catalyse new knowledge regarding how the complexity of the brain gives rise to cognition using innovative analyses inspired by physics and engineering. This fresh perspective on cogniti ....Evaluating the Network Neuroscience of Human Cognition to Improve AI. This project will translate the brain’s inherent complexity into a set of explorable networks that will test the network theory of intelligence, and also be used to drive advances in next generation artificial neural networks. Our approach will catalyse new knowledge regarding how the complexity of the brain gives rise to cognition using innovative analyses inspired by physics and engineering. This fresh perspective on cognition will accelerate understanding of normal cognitive function and also advance the development of advances in artificial neural network performance. Expected outcomes include methods to describe the computational signature of how cognition emerges from dynamic brain network activity and novel AI algorithms. Read moreRead less
Comparative analysis of sensor noise for target detection in dragonfly eyes. Dragonflies hunt tiny prey in the low-light conditions of late dusk, a signal-to-noise problem that challenges any engineered system. Using a comparative approach across dragonfly species, we aim to use novel optical and physiological measures to determine how sensors with noise underlie target-detection, in varying scene brightness. The project outcomes will be a comparative characterisation of signal-to-noise measures ....Comparative analysis of sensor noise for target detection in dragonfly eyes. Dragonflies hunt tiny prey in the low-light conditions of late dusk, a signal-to-noise problem that challenges any engineered system. Using a comparative approach across dragonfly species, we aim to use novel optical and physiological measures to determine how sensors with noise underlie target-detection, in varying scene brightness. The project outcomes will be a comparative characterisation of signal-to-noise measures of dragonfly eye optics (including eye size) and early sensory neurons. We will match detection thresholds with downstream target-detecting neurons and dragonfly behaviour. This will provide insight into signal detection, which is a ubiquitous problem across information processing, computer vision and autonomous systems.Read moreRead less
Decoding the brain network of memory formation. This project aims to uncover how the brain network supports the formation of long-lasting memory using cutting-edge imaging, intervention and computational modelling. The project is anticipated to generate new knowledge of the neural activity and circuitry that facilitate memory formation, and targets for modulating network activity and behaviour. This will have significant benefits for neuroscience, engineering and imaging, as well as future appli ....Decoding the brain network of memory formation. This project aims to uncover how the brain network supports the formation of long-lasting memory using cutting-edge imaging, intervention and computational modelling. The project is anticipated to generate new knowledge of the neural activity and circuitry that facilitate memory formation, and targets for modulating network activity and behaviour. This will have significant benefits for neuroscience, engineering and imaging, as well as future applications in humans with technology for detecting, predicting and modulating cognitive performance.Read moreRead less
The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime posi ....The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime position to make early inroads into an important technology-based commercial enterprise. The interdisciplinary approach has important ramifications for training Australian PhD students and postdoctoral fellows and for attracting overseas research fellows. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453073
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$129,485.00
Summary
Establishment of a South Australian rTMS Facility. It is proposed to establish a South Australian Facility for rapid rate transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which will be the only one in Australia. This Facility will provide enormous opportunities for collaborative cutting edge investigations into the role of the human cortical areas in a diverse range of tasks. For example, projects have been identified projects employing rTMS to study sensorimotor cortical plasticity, facilitate functiona ....Establishment of a South Australian rTMS Facility. It is proposed to establish a South Australian Facility for rapid rate transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which will be the only one in Australia. This Facility will provide enormous opportunities for collaborative cutting edge investigations into the role of the human cortical areas in a diverse range of tasks. For example, projects have been identified projects employing rTMS to study sensorimotor cortical plasticity, facilitate functional recovery following stroke and investigate the mechanisms of savant behaviour. Provision of this Facility will provide further support for this productive and internationally renowned group of scientists to develop their research programs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101468
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,614.00
Summary
Context matters: from sensory processing to decision making. Contextual modulation refers to prominent changes in the processing of information in brain and perception caused by interactions across space and time. Over the past two decades, an enormous amount of work has shown that spatial contextual effects occur throughout the sensory processing hierarchy. However, there has been little work examining how temporal context effects affect information processing and operate for high-level attribu ....Context matters: from sensory processing to decision making. Contextual modulation refers to prominent changes in the processing of information in brain and perception caused by interactions across space and time. Over the past two decades, an enormous amount of work has shown that spatial contextual effects occur throughout the sensory processing hierarchy. However, there has been little work examining how temporal context effects affect information processing and operate for high-level attributes of stimuli as well as interactions of self and environment. The project aims to fill this gap to further understand the nature and mechanisms of temporal contextual modulation on sensory information processing, perception, perceptual judgement and decision making at cellular, circuit and cognitive levels.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
Honeybee Navigation: Low-level and Cognitive Mechanisms. Anyone watching a honeybee find its way back home effortlessly after flying several kilometres in search of nectar would know that these insects are excellent navigators, despite their diminutive brains and relatively simple nervous systems. The aim of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which bees navigate repeatedly to an attractive food source, and recruit their nestmates to visit it. The findings should ....Honeybee Navigation: Low-level and Cognitive Mechanisms. Anyone watching a honeybee find its way back home effortlessly after flying several kilometres in search of nectar would know that these insects are excellent navigators, despite their diminutive brains and relatively simple nervous systems. The aim of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which bees navigate repeatedly to an attractive food source, and recruit their nestmates to visit it. The findings should illuminate important principles of animal navigation, as well as suggest novel strategies for robot navigation.Read moreRead less
How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at ....How do myelinating cells alter brain circuits to facilitate learning? This project aims to identify the brain circuits that receive new insulation and characterise the molecular mediators of this process. This project will apply innovative technologies to understand how the nervous system remains adaptable throughout life. This new knowledge, of the cellular mechanisms that allow brain circuits to remain adaptable throughout life, may have application in the development of interventions aimed at improving educational outcomes or counteracting age-related memory decline. Potential future benefits include facilitating the development of drugs to circumvent memory loss resulting from brain diseases, and improving the design of neuromorphic hardware for computing.Read moreRead less
Understanding how the primate brain processes visual information. Being able to see is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, which happens so effortlessly that it tends to be taken for granted. In comparison with other animals and artificial systems, the primate visual cortex is unsurpassed in its capacity to interpret complex and dynamic environments, in a manner that is fast and computationally robust. Discovering how this happens in terms of interactions between cells in the brain can help us ....Understanding how the primate brain processes visual information. Being able to see is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, which happens so effortlessly that it tends to be taken for granted. In comparison with other animals and artificial systems, the primate visual cortex is unsurpassed in its capacity to interpret complex and dynamic environments, in a manner that is fast and computationally robust. Discovering how this happens in terms of interactions between cells in the brain can help us design more efficient artificial systems capable of vision. This in turn can have profound implications for the creation of new technologies such as artificial eyes, autonomous robots, and intelligent sensors, and may also result in future benefits for medical science.Read moreRead less