Pharmacological Strategies To Enhance Endogenous Opioid Actions In Pain Circuits.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,318,226.00
Summary
Boosting endogenous opioid actions in our brain may allow us to utilize this system to reduce pain and the related disability without the addiction and overdose threat associated with opioid drugs. We have shown that we can enhance endogenous opioid actions using two pharmacological strategies. We will now determine how we can use these strategies to enhance endogenous opioid regulation of the neural function and behaviours important in pain and related anxiety disorders.
This project maps and manipulates the brainstem mechanisms causing expression of fear. It does so using brain cell type and brain circuit specific mechanisms.
Understanding The Role Of Supracollicular Nuclei In The Generation Of Basal Sympathetic Vasomotor Tone.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$238,500.00
Summary
Increased activity from the parts of the brain which regulate blood pressure is observed in patients with cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and heart failure. In some cases this increased activity might actually cause the high blood pressure. In all cases this increased activity can lead to serious complications including arrhythmias of the heart, enlargement of the heart and blood vessels, and even sudden cardiac death. This project aims to understand in more detail the par ....Increased activity from the parts of the brain which regulate blood pressure is observed in patients with cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure and heart failure. In some cases this increased activity might actually cause the high blood pressure. In all cases this increased activity can lead to serious complications including arrhythmias of the heart, enlargement of the heart and blood vessels, and even sudden cardiac death. This project aims to understand in more detail the parts of the brain that generate this activity. This information will enable more selective and effective treatments to be developed for people with high blood pressure or heart failure.Read moreRead less
Despite advances in medical management, critical care clinicians continue to search for procedures that will improve outcomes in critically ill patients with haemorrhagic shock (a life-threatening fall in blood pressure). Shock is a consequence of an active process triggered by the brain . The proposed research aims to elucidate the precise sequence of brain events that initiate and maintain shock. We will also evaluate the effects of interventions (designed to ameliorate or reverse shock) on th ....Despite advances in medical management, critical care clinicians continue to search for procedures that will improve outcomes in critically ill patients with haemorrhagic shock (a life-threatening fall in blood pressure). Shock is a consequence of an active process triggered by the brain . The proposed research aims to elucidate the precise sequence of brain events that initiate and maintain shock. We will also evaluate the effects of interventions (designed to ameliorate or reverse shock) on the brain events that drive the shock response. The results of this research will offer, for the first time, a rational basis for devising new methods to reverse or ameliorate shock and potentially improve clinical outcomesRead moreRead less