Neural Mechanisms In Tactile, Kinaesthetic And Pain Sensation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$644,113.00
Summary
Our knowledge of the world around us depends upon our sensory systems which provide a series of windows on the world, enabling the mind and brain to sample information about selected events through the energy forms that impinge upon us. Much of this sensing process takes place through our special sense systems such as the eye, the ear, and the taste and olfactory systems. However, other crucial sensory systems are more generalized throughout the body and are referred to as the somatic sensory sy ....Our knowledge of the world around us depends upon our sensory systems which provide a series of windows on the world, enabling the mind and brain to sample information about selected events through the energy forms that impinge upon us. Much of this sensing process takes place through our special sense systems such as the eye, the ear, and the taste and olfactory systems. However, other crucial sensory systems are more generalized throughout the body and are referred to as the somatic sensory systems. These include our senses of touch, temperature, pain and body position, the last of which is known as our kinaesthetic sense. Our research into the neural mechanisms in sensation and perception is concerned with the tactile, kinaesthetic and pain senses. Although many thousands of nerve fibres travel in the nerves arising from particular regions of the skin or from individual muscles or joints, the sensory nerve fibres that serve these forms of sensation fall into fewer than ten broad classes, made up of five major tactile classes, two or three major kinaesthetic classes, and two broad groups of fibres that mediate pain sensation. However, there is quite striking evidence that when single fibres of these different classes are activated in conscious human subjects, there are marked differences among the fibre classes in their capacity to generate a perceptual response. Under the new NH and MRC grant we propose to examine the transmission and processing of input signals from these fibre classes at the highest levels of the brain, in particular, within the cerebral cortex, in order to reveal the neural mechanisms responsible for their differential perceptual contributions. The proposed analysis will provide fundamental insights into the neural basis for perceptual recognition and will provide information that may be important for our eventual understanding of the disorders of sensory perception that characterize psychiatric conditions such as schizophreniaRead moreRead less
Sensory Innervation Of The Anal Region In Normal And Diabetic Guinea Pigs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,389.00
Summary
Until something goes wrong, we take it for granted that we can empty our bowels on a regular basis, at a time and place of our choosing. Failure to achieve this is very distressing and substantially diminishes quality of life, if it occurs regularly. Disordered defecation, fecal incontinence and constipation are surprisingly common and their prevalence will continue to increase as our population ages and the incidence of diseases such as diabetes increases. In many people suffering these problem ....Until something goes wrong, we take it for granted that we can empty our bowels on a regular basis, at a time and place of our choosing. Failure to achieve this is very distressing and substantially diminishes quality of life, if it occurs regularly. Disordered defecation, fecal incontinence and constipation are surprisingly common and their prevalence will continue to increase as our population ages and the incidence of diseases such as diabetes increases. In many people suffering these problems, there is a detectable dysfunction of the sensory nerves in the anal region. These nerves supply information from the anal region to the spinal cord that can cause us to sense activity in our lower bowel and initiate defecation reflexes. These sensory pathways are important for clinical gastroenterology, but remarkably little is known about them. We are now able to investigate what it is the sensory nerves in the anal region sense, what they look like and where they go to in the spinal cord - in a single project. To do this we will use simple, but novel techniques that have been developed in this laboratory in an animal model. Once we know this, we will compare the function of sensory nerves in the anal region in diabetic animals with normal animals. This will give us insight into the role of sensory nerves in the development of fecal incontinence an unpleasant symptom for many people suffering advanced diabetes. My systematic approach will provide understanding of the basic cellular mechanisms and nerve pathways that underlie sensation in the anal region, helping both clinicians and patients understand the cause of defecatory disorders and potentially pointing the way to new therapies and strategies for diagnosis.Read moreRead less