Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,000.00
Summary
Facilities for automated high-throughput slide scanning and stereology. The equipment requested will facilitate the work of the Australian Mouse Brain Mapping Consortium, a consortium of Australian research groups collaborating to provide the only mouse model brain mapping capability in the country. The consortium brings together laboratory, neuroimaging and computational expertise in a comprehensive framework for imaging the mouse brain. This will help researchers to study mouse models of genet ....Facilities for automated high-throughput slide scanning and stereology. The equipment requested will facilitate the work of the Australian Mouse Brain Mapping Consortium, a consortium of Australian research groups collaborating to provide the only mouse model brain mapping capability in the country. The consortium brings together laboratory, neuroimaging and computational expertise in a comprehensive framework for imaging the mouse brain. This will help researchers to study mouse models of genetic and acquired disorders across the life-span. Remote viewing and analysis capabilities will help overcome the 'tyranny of distance', increasing national access to the facility. Repositories of digitised images will increase the availability of valuable research material to other Australian and international researchers.Read moreRead less
Assessing the physiological roles of ubiquitination in regulating neuronal ion channels, receptors and transporters. Significant alterations in the activity neuronal transporters and receptors occur during tissue injury and regeneration as well as in many neurodegenerative disease states. Modulation of the pathways that control these transporters is an emerging therapeutic target, however, the molecular basis of these control mechanisms remain poorly understood. The outcome of this project will ....Assessing the physiological roles of ubiquitination in regulating neuronal ion channels, receptors and transporters. Significant alterations in the activity neuronal transporters and receptors occur during tissue injury and regeneration as well as in many neurodegenerative disease states. Modulation of the pathways that control these transporters is an emerging therapeutic target, however, the molecular basis of these control mechanisms remain poorly understood. The outcome of this project will be a thorough characterisation of a novel regulatory paradigm in neurons that is likely to be crucial for neuronal development and regeneration, and will potentially provide novel therapeutic targets for various neuronal diseases.Read moreRead less
G-protein coupled receptor-mediated calcium signalling in parasympathetic neurons. External chemical stimuli act on specific cell-surface receptors of neurons resulting in an increase in the intracellular calcium ion concentration which acts as a second messenger to alter neuronal excitability. There are, however, many receptors acting through a number of closely related proteins involving complex intracellular signalling pathways which remain poorly understood. This project uses molecular, elec ....G-protein coupled receptor-mediated calcium signalling in parasympathetic neurons. External chemical stimuli act on specific cell-surface receptors of neurons resulting in an increase in the intracellular calcium ion concentration which acts as a second messenger to alter neuronal excitability. There are, however, many receptors acting through a number of closely related proteins involving complex intracellular signalling pathways which remain poorly understood. This project uses molecular, electrical and fluorescence techniques to elucidate the molecular basis for these interactions by identifying the roles individual proteins play in integrating diverse extracellular stimuli and neuronal excitablility in the peripheral nervous system.Read moreRead less
Functional ubiquitination of neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. Alterations in the electrical properties of excitable cells occur during tissue injury and regeneration as well as many disease states. Preventing or controlling these changes is a key strategic therapeutic aim. It is, however, only through a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular excitability that we can identify these therapeutic targets. The major outcome of this project will be a thor ....Functional ubiquitination of neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels. Alterations in the electrical properties of excitable cells occur during tissue injury and regeneration as well as many disease states. Preventing or controlling these changes is a key strategic therapeutic aim. It is, however, only through a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular excitability that we can identify these therapeutic targets. The major outcome of this project will be a thorough characterisation of a novel pathway that is potentially crucial in the development, homeostasis and regeneration of the nervous system. Disruption of normal function of this system may underlie the hyperexcitability observed in mannu neurodegenerative conditions.Read moreRead less
Sustaining neuronal communication through bulk endocytosis. Brain activities such as learning and memory rely on the ability of neurons to communicate. This research will improve our understanding of how synaptic vesicles recycle during periods of intense synaptic activity. This is a fundamental process relevant to neuronal communication, insulin release, hormone secretion, and allergic responses in health and disease and therefore has broad significance. This work will enhance Australia's exist ....Sustaining neuronal communication through bulk endocytosis. Brain activities such as learning and memory rely on the ability of neurons to communicate. This research will improve our understanding of how synaptic vesicles recycle during periods of intense synaptic activity. This is a fundamental process relevant to neuronal communication, insulin release, hormone secretion, and allergic responses in health and disease and therefore has broad significance. This work will enhance Australia's existing strength in cell biology and neuroscience and provide high quality training for an undergraduate student and post-doctoral scientist.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882275
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, pro ....Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, provide infrastructure to test current models on brain functions, and support the development of new compounds to treat these disorders, thus resulting in significant national and community benefits in improved health outcomes and increased work productivity.Read moreRead less
Assembly of neural circuits during development. This program aims to understand how nerve cells wire up accurately during development. Specifically, the program will determine how neuronal connections are established in the retina to produce a sensory structure essential for vision. The program will also generate innovative tools for watching in live animals, the making and breaking of connections during normal and abnormal development. Discoveries will not only significantly increase our knowle ....Assembly of neural circuits during development. This program aims to understand how nerve cells wire up accurately during development. Specifically, the program will determine how neuronal connections are established in the retina to produce a sensory structure essential for vision. The program will also generate innovative tools for watching in live animals, the making and breaking of connections during normal and abnormal development. Discoveries will not only significantly increase our knowledge base of how the nervous system develops or degenerates, but the results will provide crucial information for future studies based on genetic approaches, drug therapies and bioengineering technology to repair the injured nervous system.Read moreRead less
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
Assessing gene function in the developing brain using zebrafish as a model system. As the average life expectancy in western countries rises there is an increasing incidence of mental health problems. Therapeutic approaches to both Alzhemier's and Parkinson's disease, as well as to brain injury following stroke, rely on a thorough understanding of how the brain develops. This is consistent with the everyday principle that if you want to fix something that is broken, then you need to understand h ....Assessing gene function in the developing brain using zebrafish as a model system. As the average life expectancy in western countries rises there is an increasing incidence of mental health problems. Therapeutic approaches to both Alzhemier's and Parkinson's disease, as well as to brain injury following stroke, rely on a thorough understanding of how the brain develops. This is consistent with the everyday principle that if you want to fix something that is broken, then you need to understand how it is put together in the first place. This project seeks to understand how the normal brain is wired together in the embryo and, in doing so it will expose novel targets for therapy in the aged.Read moreRead less
Conantokin selectivity for heteromeric N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. NMDA receptors are ligand gated ion channels formed by heterogeneous population of subunits with distinct pharmacological and biophysical properties. The heterogeneic receptors are differentially expressed during development and play an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. Conantokins are toxins isolated from Conus venoms, which target NMDA receptor subunits with high affinity. The primary g ....Conantokin selectivity for heteromeric N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. NMDA receptors are ligand gated ion channels formed by heterogeneous population of subunits with distinct pharmacological and biophysical properties. The heterogeneic receptors are differentially expressed during development and play an important role in many physiological and pathological processes. Conantokins are toxins isolated from Conus venoms, which target NMDA receptor subunits with high affinity. The primary goal of this study is to examine the effects of conantokins on the molecular properties of different NMDA receptor subtypes in vivo and in vitro.Read moreRead less