THE EFFECT OF STRESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT ON DISEASE PROGRESSION IN MESIAL TEMPORAL LOBE EPILEPSY
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$578,201.00
Summary
Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of drug-resistant epilepsy in adults, is a progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no effective disease modifying treatment. This proposal will explore whether co-morbid stress accelerates disease progression in MTLE, and whether targeting stress pathways by medical and environmental manipulations can mitigate against this.
Does Obesity Have The Characteristics Of Addiction?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$430,832.00
Summary
The number of overweight or obese people in Australia has increased dramatically in recent years, increasing disease risk. The brain responds to palatable food in ways similar to the response to drugs of addiction, and this may explain why people find it hard to resist palatable food. Our work will explore whether obesity in rats has the characteristics of addiction by examining bingeing, craving, withdrawal and brain circuits in animals chronically exposed to palatable food.
Is Placental Aging The Key To Understanding, Predicting And Preventing Stillbirth?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$473,861.00
Summary
Stillbirth occurs in 35 times as many pregnancies as sudden infant death but the causes are unknown. This project will help to develop tests that can predict the risk of stillbirth so that the obstetrician can deliver the baby before it dies. The investigators hypothesise that stillbirth is due to aging of the placenta and that markers of the aging placenta can be detected in the mother’s blood. The project brings together experts in the placenta, aging and obstetric care of high risk pregnancy.
Defining The Mechanism Of Assembly Of Herpes Simplex Virus In The Neuronal Growth Cone And Its Subsequent Exit To Epithelial Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$774,624.00
Summary
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) causes dormant infection of nerve cell bodies near the spine. It periodically reactivates to be transported along nerves to the skin where it causes oral, genital or neonatal herpes and mediates HIV superinfection. HSV assembles into its final form in the terminal part of the axon just prior to crossing into skin. Elucidating the mechanism of HSV assembly and exit will facilitate new strategies for antiviral agents and immune treatment for HSV and similar viruses.
The Mechanism Of HSV-1 Transport In Sensory Axons And Its Unique Assembly At The Axon Terminus
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,284.00
Summary
Herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 cause common diseases such as genital herpes and, occasionally, neonatal deaths and encephalitis and predisposes to HIV infection. New antiviral strategies are required for resistant viruses for control. These aims will be facilitated by understanding how HSV is transported down nerves and across into skin. In this study, we will define how a key viral protein plays a major role in assembly of the virus at the tip of the nerve before it enters skin.
A Population-based Birth Cohort Study Of The Development Of Atherosclerosis In Early Life
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$780,067.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) are leading causes of death and illness in adults in Australia. The changes in blood vessels that lead to these conditions begin before birth. This project investigates the factors that contribute to these early changes from birth onwards, and will facilitate development of targeted prevention in high-risk groups to reduce cardiovascular disease in later life.