Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by exce ....Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be reversed.Read moreRead less
Biological and behavioural rhythms of Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder is a disabling and prevalent sleep disorder in the adolescent and young adult population. Using an innovative laboratory method this project will carry out the world's first comprehensive study of it. The results of this study will point the way to an effective treatment of this presently poorly treated disorder.
Integrative brain imaging technologies. This project aims to develop quantitative metabolic imaging using simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). The current generation of MR-PET scanners are capable of simultaneously acquiring MRI and PET data to enable quantitative anatomical, physiological and metabolic imaging. The project aims to develop new MRI methods for quantitative anatomical mapping, MR-based motion correction of dynamic PET scan data, and ....Integrative brain imaging technologies. This project aims to develop quantitative metabolic imaging using simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). The current generation of MR-PET scanners are capable of simultaneously acquiring MRI and PET data to enable quantitative anatomical, physiological and metabolic imaging. The project aims to develop new MRI methods for quantitative anatomical mapping, MR-based motion correction of dynamic PET scan data, and joint estimation of physiological and metabolic organ activity. These advances will create innovative imaging technologies for advanced biomedical imaging research with a particular emphasis in healthy ageing.
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Environmental impact on neuroendocrine and neurobiological mechanisms: treatment strategies and mimetics for maintaining good health. The current societal climate of industrialized countries such as Australia has shifted considerable over recent decades and is now one which is highly conducive to overfeeding and reduced physical activity. As a result, the incidence of obesity has risen markedly along with an associated increase in obesity-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, ....Environmental impact on neuroendocrine and neurobiological mechanisms: treatment strategies and mimetics for maintaining good health. The current societal climate of industrialized countries such as Australia has shifted considerable over recent decades and is now one which is highly conducive to overfeeding and reduced physical activity. As a result, the incidence of obesity has risen markedly along with an associated increase in obesity-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, obstructive pulmonary disease, type II diabetes, and many types of cancers. Less is known about the psychological and behavioural sequelae of this overfeeding. Calorie restriction mimetics may not only act as a preventative intervention to help reduce the incidence and severity of these major health problems, but also impact on social behaviour.Read moreRead less
Developing vehicle-based advanced warning countermeasures for driver fatigue. Driver fatigue is a major problem in Australia in terms of health, road safety and economic impact. Countermeasures to combat the influence of driver fatigue have been limited to public campaign strategies like resting every 2 hours. There has been little robust research on developing on-road countermeasures that could warn the driver of their fatigue status. This proposed project involves a collaboration with Compumed ....Developing vehicle-based advanced warning countermeasures for driver fatigue. Driver fatigue is a major problem in Australia in terms of health, road safety and economic impact. Countermeasures to combat the influence of driver fatigue have been limited to public campaign strategies like resting every 2 hours. There has been little robust research on developing on-road countermeasures that could warn the driver of their fatigue status. This proposed project involves a collaboration with Compumedics Ltd, a leading medical device company, to conduct sophisticated research into developing an EEG and wheel behaviour fatigue countermeausure. We will further explore EEG and wheel behaviour patterns associated with fatigue, investigate noise control strategies, and conduct laboratory and on road field trials of the fatigue monitor. If this device is able to assess fatigue reliably and warn drivers in sufficient time to avert accidents, then substantial economic and social benefits will occur.Read moreRead less
Determining the neural mechanisms of visual stimuli and motor responses. This project aims to determine how we select actions to visual cues rapidly, unconsciously and automatically. Learning associations between visual stimuli and motor responses is part of normal development and continues throughout life. Rapid deployment of these actions is often critical for safety yet we have limited knowledge of how the human brain does this. This project will use neuroimaging tools to characterise the spa ....Determining the neural mechanisms of visual stimuli and motor responses. This project aims to determine how we select actions to visual cues rapidly, unconsciously and automatically. Learning associations between visual stimuli and motor responses is part of normal development and continues throughout life. Rapid deployment of these actions is often critical for safety yet we have limited knowledge of how the human brain does this. This project will use neuroimaging tools to characterise the spatial and temporal neural architecture underlying these processes and determine how the dorsal and ventral streams of visual processing, specialised for motor control and recognition respectively, interact in vision-based actions as these actions become learned.Outcomes will provide new frameworks for driving improvement in any domain in which goal-directed actions depend on the rapid processing of visual information, including human-machine interfaces for defence, economic development, education, health, science and technology.Read moreRead less
Flavour learning and food consumption in rats and humans: Implications for obesity. Between-meal snacks and sweet drinks are major contributors to human obesity. Consumption of a food is greatly influenced by its flavour and the properties of flavours are largely learned. This project examines how what is learned about a flavour influences both short-term and long-term food consumption by rats and humans. Short-term effects are studied by adding a flavour to a pre-meal (snack) and measuring how ....Flavour learning and food consumption in rats and humans: Implications for obesity. Between-meal snacks and sweet drinks are major contributors to human obesity. Consumption of a food is greatly influenced by its flavour and the properties of flavours are largely learned. This project examines how what is learned about a flavour influences both short-term and long-term food consumption by rats and humans. Short-term effects are studied by adding a flavour to a pre-meal (snack) and measuring how much is eaten in a subsequent meal. Long-term effects are studied when the value of sweetness is altered by exposure to non-nutritive sweeteners. The results will extend basic understanding of flavour learning in relation to obesity.Read moreRead less
Imaging the human cerebellum during motor learning and timing. The cerebellum has long fascinated scientists for its remarkable anatomy and physiology and the critical role that it plays in motor function, and more recently for its more general functions of cognition and emotion. Developments in non-invasive imaging of cerebellar activity have opened up exiting new opportunities to probe its wider functioning. We aim to further develop these new methods in order to facilitate their availability ....Imaging the human cerebellum during motor learning and timing. The cerebellum has long fascinated scientists for its remarkable anatomy and physiology and the critical role that it plays in motor function, and more recently for its more general functions of cognition and emotion. Developments in non-invasive imaging of cerebellar activity have opened up exiting new opportunities to probe its wider functioning. We aim to further develop these new methods in order to facilitate their availability to the wider research community, and to demonstrate their utility by application to the role of the cerebellum in learning and timing. The outcomes of this work will be of considerable benefit to a wide range of scientists and clinicians who will be able to make use of the new methods for their own research.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100729
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Brain connectivity during movement planning and execution in young and older adults. Ageing is associated with a reduced ability to undertake everyday movement tasks, resulting in loss of independence and frequent injuries due to falls. This research will improve our understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying movement control, with the aim of maintaining older people's quality of life and reducing health costs to the nation.
The neural effects of torture. Torture affects millions of people and causes much long-term psychological harm. This project aims to identify the effects that torture has on the brain by studying torture survivors in the context of a range of brain imaging technologies that will lead to development of a model of the neural effects of torture to guide better treatments.