The Extinction Of Conditioned Fear And Its Implications For Cue Exposure Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$322,430.00
Summary
This project studies extinction of Pavlovian conditioned fear reactions in rats. Extinction of these reactions is an animal model for exposure therapy used in the treatment of anxiety disorders in people. In exposure therapy, the patient, aided by the clinician, confronts trauma-related cues in the absence of any overt danger. The intention of this therapy is to reduce the ability of the trauma-related cues to provoke the fear reactions that are undermining the patient's quality of life. In Pavl ....This project studies extinction of Pavlovian conditioned fear reactions in rats. Extinction of these reactions is an animal model for exposure therapy used in the treatment of anxiety disorders in people. In exposure therapy, the patient, aided by the clinician, confronts trauma-related cues in the absence of any overt danger. The intention of this therapy is to reduce the ability of the trauma-related cues to provoke the fear reactions that are undermining the patient's quality of life. In Pavlovian conditioning, subjects (typically rats) are exposed to a signaling relation between an initially neutral stimulus (e.g., a noise) and a feared outcome (e.g., foot shock). When later repeatedly exposed to the initially neutral but now feared stimulus (the noise) in the absence of the feared outcome, the fear reactions it acquired progressively decline until eventually it fails to elicit any such reactions. The fear reactions are said to have been extinguished. There has been significant progress in understanding the psychological processes and neural mechanisms underlying the acquisition of fear reactions, but much less is known about the processes and mechanisms underlying the extinction of these reactions. The project has two general objectives. The first is to determine the conditions of extinction training that promote long-term loss of fear reactions. The second objective is to determine how the brain controls this extinction of learned fear. Achieving these aims will be significant for two reasons. First, it will contribute to understanding the mechanisms by which animals (including people) learn to adjust their behaviour to bring it into line with the current relations that exist between events in the world. Second, it will provide important information about how such adjustment is facilitated or impaired across extinction training and, thereby, contribute towards understanding both the successes and failures of cue exposure therapy for fear-related disorders.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882219
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Infrastructure for an integrated cognitive neurophysiological research facility: Mapping the neurobiology of memory and language. The Integrated Cognitive Neurophysiological Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity in cognitive neuroscience by enabling large numbers of researchers and graduate students to investigate the neuroscience of memory and language in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research environment. The facility will deliver national benefits by unco ....Infrastructure for an integrated cognitive neurophysiological research facility: Mapping the neurobiology of memory and language. The Integrated Cognitive Neurophysiological Research Facility will enhance Australia's national research capacity in cognitive neuroscience by enabling large numbers of researchers and graduate students to investigate the neuroscience of memory and language in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research environment. The facility will deliver national benefits by uncovering the ways in which areas of the brain are used to remember events and process language. This information can then be used to understand how damage to the brain (such as in stroke or disease) can disrupt memory and language and subsequently lead to more effective neurorehabilitation techniques.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560916
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$323,400.00
Summary
Magnetic resonance in humans: Equipment for neuroscience studies. The structure, function and biochemistry of the human brain can now be assessed non-invasively using magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. A 3 Tesla MR facility with half its time available for research has recently been established at POWMRI. This application seeks state-of-the-art equipment so that the facility can optimise its research potential and enhance its scientific output. Research is directed to understanding how the nor ....Magnetic resonance in humans: Equipment for neuroscience studies. The structure, function and biochemistry of the human brain can now be assessed non-invasively using magnetic resonance (MR) techniques. A 3 Tesla MR facility with half its time available for research has recently been established at POWMRI. This application seeks state-of-the-art equipment so that the facility can optimise its research potential and enhance its scientific output. Research is directed to understanding how the normal brain functions, how deficits in function develop, and how the function and structure of the brain change with age. This grant will help establish an internationally-competitive, broadly-based facility which is dedicated to understanding the human brain.Read moreRead less
Therapeutic Implications Of A Molecular Link Between Survivin And Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,970.00
Summary
A unifying feature of all types of cancer cells is that they are immortal. Our investigations will build upon our recent results that showed the gene survivin is involved in cancer cell immortalisation. We will characterise a molecular link between survivin and the enzyme telomerase, which is central to cancer cell immortality. Furthermore, we will demonstrate the therapeutic potential of turning off both survivin and telomerase as a novel approach to halting the growth of cancer cells.
Modifying The Trajectory Of Insidious Late Life Cognitive Decline Using Computerised Cognitive Training
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$743,152.00
Summary
Supervised, group-based computerised cognitive training (CCT) is a safe and effective intervention to maintain cognition in healthy older adults. This project will examine the extent to which CCT can attenuate or even reverse the rate of decline in older people with previously documented cognitive decline, as well as strategies to maintain CCT effects in the long term.
Through this Australia Fellowship, Prof Keall and his tream will substantially improve the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer by developing new techniques that will be able to ‘target’ a tumour in real-time and ‘concentrate fire’ on the most resistant and aggressive parts of it. Success in physiological targeting will create a paradigm shift in radiation therapy and could literally be a lifesaver. It’s a big challenge, but if this five-year research program succeeds, it w ....Through this Australia Fellowship, Prof Keall and his tream will substantially improve the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer by developing new techniques that will be able to ‘target’ a tumour in real-time and ‘concentrate fire’ on the most resistant and aggressive parts of it. Success in physiological targeting will create a paradigm shift in radiation therapy and could literally be a lifesaver. It’s a big challenge, but if this five-year research program succeeds, it will pay big dividendsRead moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100029
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
High Resolution PET-CT for Small Animal Molecular and Anatomical Imaging. This project will integrate a next generation small animal PET-CT instrument into the Sydney Imaging multi-modality imaging ecosystem. PET-CT enables the investigation of molecular function and anatomical structure in complex living organisms. This platform will enable research as diverse as the development and in-vivo characterisation of new chemical probes and nanoparticles that bind to specific protein targets in the bo ....High Resolution PET-CT for Small Animal Molecular and Anatomical Imaging. This project will integrate a next generation small animal PET-CT instrument into the Sydney Imaging multi-modality imaging ecosystem. PET-CT enables the investigation of molecular function and anatomical structure in complex living organisms. This platform will enable research as diverse as the development and in-vivo characterisation of new chemical probes and nanoparticles that bind to specific protein targets in the body, investigating mechanisms of brain plasticity in predictive learning, understanding the molecular pathways involved in neurodegeneration and cancer, developing novel methods for multi-modal image analysis, and developing and validating new radiation detectors for the next generation of imaging technology.Read moreRead less
Structure and function of a new class of multi-zinc finger (MZF) transcriptional regulators. An understanding of how genes are switched on and off during the development and lifetime of an organism is central to developing the ability to fight many diseases in a rational way. This project will advance our knowledge in this area at a fundamental molecular level by examining the mechanisms through which a specific set of proteins controls gene expression.
Physiology of tau protein: a novel role in scaffolding and intracellular distribution. Understanding brain function remains a challenge. This project will study the normal role of the Alzheimer's disease-related protein tau in brain function during ageing. This will significantly enhance current understanding of brain function.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101591
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Novel postsynaptic functions of the microtubule-associated protein tau. The protein tau is present in abnormal deposits in brains of individuals with dementia. The main aim of this project is to unravel and understand in detail new roles of tau in neurons and thus shed new light into normal brain function. Understanding these new functions of tau will aid in identifying new ways to treat these debilitating diseases.