Dissecting The Role Of Cortico-striatal Circuitry On Habit Formation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,768.00
Summary
Decisions are made based on actions and outcomes, but over time repeated actions become habits. They are no longer determined by outcomes and are dysfunctional in many disorders such as OCD, addiction and Tourette’s syndrome. How the brain changes during habit formation is not known. I will characterise the role of a specific neural circuit to determine how it influences habit development. This will improve our knowledge of normal learning processes and help us understand habitual dysfunction.
Using Reward-based Biomarkers To Improve The Early Detection Of Bipolar Disorder In Individuals Seeking Treatment For Depression
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,252.00
Summary
Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as unipolar major depression, which can have disastrous clinical consequences. Emerging evidence indicates that individuals with bipolar disorder show particular dysfunctions within brain regions involved in processing reward. This research will use cutting-edge neuroscience methodologies to investigate reward processing in these two disorders, with the objective of identifying biological markers that help distinguish bipolar from unipolar depression.
Determining Neuronal Connections Involved In Parkinson's Disease And Cocaine Addiction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$343,300.00
Summary
Addictive behaviours in response to cocaine use and fine motor coordination that is affected in Parkinson's disease are both controlled by the same type of cells/neurons, i.e., dopamine neurons. However, the circuitry of these neurons varies from where they originate and the type of connections they make. By understanding the neuronal circuitry of these two circuitries in concert we will be able to gain important insight into their roles in adaptive and pathological brain function.
Neuro-protection In The Preterm Brain - A New Role For Dopamine Therapy?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$183,975.00
Summary
Brain injury in premature babies leads to long term adverse outcome. Preliminary data show that dopamine improves brain oxygen. Our study will define effects of dopamine in preventing injury in the immature brain, using animal studies. In immature lambs receiving dopamine, we will test the protective effect of dopamine on brain oxygenation during hypoxia. Outcome will be measured by examining cell injury on lamb brain slices.
Impaired Decision-Making And The Role Of Dopamine In Modulating Executive Function In Parkinson’s Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,468.00
Summary
Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) often experience significant impairments in their ability to make decisions, even in the earliest stages of the disease. This project will use a combination of psychophysics, pharmacotherapy and functional neuroimaging to examine the decision-making impairments that occur in PD, and how they are modulated by dopamine. We anticipate our findings will lead to improvements in the diagnosis and management of the syndromes of executive dysfunction seen in PD.