Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100235
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
A novel approach to modelling nicotine dependence in the rat. With repeated exposure, tobacco smoking can rapidly develop into a habit. How this happens is poorly understood. This project will model the changes to the brain and behaviour of rats during the development of nicotine-seeking habits with a view to better understanding how to reduce tobacco dependence.
Testing posterior parietal cortex contributions to human episodic memory. This project aims to determine the involvement of parietal brain regions for episodic memory. Using novel experimental tasks and multimodal neuroimaging techniques in young and healthy aging, this project expects to clarify the role of posterior parietal structures, and their interactions with core memory structures, during memory retrieval. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of how we remember the past in ri ....Testing posterior parietal cortex contributions to human episodic memory. This project aims to determine the involvement of parietal brain regions for episodic memory. Using novel experimental tasks and multimodal neuroimaging techniques in young and healthy aging, this project expects to clarify the role of posterior parietal structures, and their interactions with core memory structures, during memory retrieval. Expected outcomes include advanced understanding of how we remember the past in rich contextual detail, and how such processes are altered in healthy aging. This potentially provides significant benefits in predicting and treating memory dysfunction due to brain injury or neurodegeneration.Read moreRead less
Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under ....Human hippocampus subregions organisation and associative memory processes. This proposal will investigate the hippocampus, a highly inter-connected structure containing many subregions. Although considered the memory centre of the brain, we still do not know the exact roles of these subregions during memory processes. Using novel brain neuroimaging acquisition methods and analyses, this project aims to map the internal structure and functions of the hippocampus and its functional networks under different memory conditions and how these functions change with age. The intended outcome of this proposal is to provide the foundations for the first integrated model of human memory and its biological basis and to generate a benchmark against which future development of memory interventions and retraining can be measured.Read moreRead less
Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into ....Charting age-related changes in the quality of episodic memory. As we get older, our capacity to remember events in rich detail becomes less efficient. The mechanisms driving these changes remain unclear, severely limiting our capacity to accurately assess and optimise memory function in later years. This project aims to determine how memory accuracy and memory quality change across the adult lifespan using cutting-edge experimental and neuroimaging techniques. It will deliver new insights into the relationship between confidence, memory success and memory quality, and the underlying neural substrates of these processes. This work will provide the essential empirical foundation to augment memory function, ensuring that older adults can continue to participate as active members of society.Read moreRead less
Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, ....Individualised predictions of circadian timing, sleep, and performance. The body's 24-hour clock regulates when we feel sleepy or alert. In shift workers, disrupted sleep and rhythms leads to fatigue and costly, often deadly, workplace accidents. Existing methods for measuring body clock timing are costly, impractical for operational settings, and do not work in real time. Using a shift-worker population, this project will develop models that accurately predict body timing, sleep/wake patterns, and performance for an individual, requiring only a simple activity/light sensor and an assessment of the body clock's sensitivity to light. The new model would revolutionise fatigue management and make safer work environments for millions of shift workers. Read moreRead less
Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and ....Neural circuitry of maternal behaviour. Elaborate maternal care is a defining characteristic of mammalian species, suggesting conserved brain pathways evolved to orchestrate these responses. The neural substrates underscoring maternal behaviour have not been fully elucidated. This project aims to investigate the brain circuitry underpinning maternal care using a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioural assays and pharmacogenetic manipulations in mice alongside sophisticated molecular and functional analyses. The outcomes of this project are expected to improve our understanding of how specific brain pathways govern maternal behaviour. The novel insight gained is expected to advance theories regarding the organisation of maternal care and enable their practical testing.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100389
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$366,603.00
Summary
Effort for reward – neural processes underlying human motivation. This project aims to characterise the neurobiology of motivation by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, economics, computational modelling and neuroimaging. This project will provide novel mechanistic insights into the brain processes underlying motivation. It will form the basis for international collaborations that significantly advance the frontier field of decision neuroscience, and lay the foundation for future i ....Effort for reward – neural processes underlying human motivation. This project aims to characterise the neurobiology of motivation by combining cutting-edge techniques in psychology, economics, computational modelling and neuroimaging. This project will provide novel mechanistic insights into the brain processes underlying motivation. It will form the basis for international collaborations that significantly advance the frontier field of decision neuroscience, and lay the foundation for future interventions to improve motivation. The results from this project will therefore have wide-ranging translational implications for improving health and socioeconomic outcomes, including workplace productivity and quality of life.Read moreRead less
The genetic basis of human memory. This project will examine the relationship between genetic variation and performance of normal individuals on a comprehensive range of memory test indicators. Results of the study will clarify the genetic basis of human memory and provide a better understanding of this important function.
Neural substrates of higher-order conditioned fear. Higher-order conditioning processes are thought to contribute to the maintenance of maladaptive behaviours such as clinical anxiety, however, little is known about the psychological and neural processes by which this conditioning occurs. Accordingly, this project uses an animal model to investigate these substrates.
Drivers and constraints of romantic partner choice. This project aims to illuminate how genetic and environmental factors drive and constrain romantic partner choice. This choice can be the most significant in people’s lives, but how it works is not scientifically understood. This project will analyse the preferences and actual partners of thousands of twins using multivariable statistics and theoretic models of partner choice. The project aims to reveal why some people pair with incompatible pa ....Drivers and constraints of romantic partner choice. This project aims to illuminate how genetic and environmental factors drive and constrain romantic partner choice. This choice can be the most significant in people’s lives, but how it works is not scientifically understood. This project will analyse the preferences and actual partners of thousands of twins using multivariable statistics and theoretic models of partner choice. The project aims to reveal why some people pair with incompatible partners, and the consequences of partner mismatch for psychological wellbeing and for evolutionary processes driven by mate selection. This could lead to more effective relationship management.Read moreRead less