Re-engineering The Future Of Electrophysiological Measurements And Brain-Machine Interfaces Using A Novel Multi-Optrode Array
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$731,557.00
Summary
This proposal will develop scientific instrumentation to enable next generation interfacing with the heart and brain using light instead of electricity. Multichannel optical arrays will be fabricated using advanced materials and a control system developed and tested experimentally. The cost-effective technology will enable researchers to enhance our knowledge of the heart and brain with evolving optical approaches and offers future clinical applications for heart rhythm disorders and epilepsy.
The Cellular Basis Of Synaptic Integration And Modulation In Human Pyramidal Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$917,355.00
Summary
Little is known about how human neurons integrate information, and how this process is altered during neuromodulation and disease. This project will address this fundamental gap in knowledge and will for the first time directly examine the neuromodulation of human neurons, and how this important process is altered in brain cancer. Our team of researchers and surgeons in Melbourne and Berlin will be able to provide valuable, and otherwise unattainable, information about the human brain.
Deep Brain Stimulation For Severe Generalised Epilepsy Of Lennox-Gastaut Phenotype
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$897,972.00
Summary
Deep Brain stimulation (DBS) is an emerging treatment for epilepsy, recently approved for use in Australia on the basis of trials in focal epilepsy showing benefit. The role of DBS in generalised epilepsy is currently unclear. This study tests the effectiveness of DBS in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe, medication-resistant generalised epilepsy syndrome.
Improving Upper Limb Function In Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,034.00
Summary
Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) causes in-coordination and muscle weakness which may result in the affected person being unable to walk or use their arms effectively. In-coordination is a result of destruction of nerves in the spine and the area of the brain that controls movement (cerebellum). This study will assess the use of brain stimulation to improve coordination and function in people with FRDA. The results of this study may also result in treatments for similar inherited cerebellar ataxias.
RESTORING COGNITIVE FUNCTION USING BRAIN STIMULATION: Investigating The Neurobiological And Neurocognitive Effects Of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation In Schizophrenia.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,556.00
Summary
Cognitive impairments are a core feature of schizophrenia and can have devastating impacts on daily functioning. Despite this, treatment options are few and of limited effectiveness. Recent research, including my own work, has indicated that brain stimulation has considerable potential in this regard. In this fellowship I will develop a treatment approach which will utilise brain stimulation to target and modify the underlying neurobiology of the cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia.
Enhanced Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes For Improved Efficacy In Parkinson’s Disease Therapy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$809,940.00
Summary
We are developing an advanced Deep Brain Stimulation system to improve the treatment for Parkinson’s disease. Current devices benefit only half of the patients, due to imprecision in directing the electrical current to the ideal brain targets. Our system aims to deliver the current more selectively. Our implant will contain more and smaller electrodes. We will also use a state-of-the-art stimulator, implantable on the head, with capabilities far beyond the current technology.
Closed-loop Deep Brain Stimulation: Optimising Treatment Of Parkinson’s Disease Using Adaptive Stimulation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$726,177.00
Summary
Deep brain stimulation is an established therapy for Parkinson's disease when patients’ symptoms cannot be controlled adequately using medication. Although deep brain stimulation usually improves quality of life significantly, existing devices have shortcomings that often result in poor symptom alleviation and/or undesirable side-effects. This project is aimed at developing an innovative system that automatically adjusts stimulation according to the continually fluctuating needs of each patient.
NeuroGame: Can Neuromodulation Of Brain Rhythms Relieve Chronic Pain?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,568,407.00
Summary
The growing number of overdoses and deaths caused by opioids in the therapy of chronic pain shows the urgent need to develop and test novel chronic pain treatments. We will address this need by developing and testing a novel and safe intervention that can provide pain relief via the primary source of pain: the brain. We will use cutting-edge imaging technology to unravel brain mechanism responsible for the recovery of chronic pain, including efforts to prevent rather than relive chronic pain.