DUAL AND MULTIPLE PROTEINOPATHIES IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DEMENTIAS – RISK FACTORS, PROGNOSTIC INDICATORS AND CLINICAL RAMIFICATIONS
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$604,644.00
Summary
Dementia is the umbrella term used to refer to a number of different clinical presentations,each associated with distinct histopathological signatures of protein aggregates and spread.However, converging evidence now suggests the common co-occurences of dual/multiple proteinopathies across dementia syndromes.The present study will identify the clinical ramifications and factors that are most predictive for such proteinopathies in a large cohort of longitudinally-studied patients with dementia.
Cannabidiol (CBD): A Novel Therapeutic For Alzheimer's Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$775,005.00
Summary
Current drugs do not stop or reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Also, brains of AD patients show a number of biological changes and effective drugs should target those together. Cannabidiol (CBD) has such abilities when tested in AD cell models. We found that CBD can also prevent and reverse memory deficits in AD mice. We propose to provide convincing preclinical evidence for the benefits of CBD for human AD therapy and to define mechanisms involved.
Down syndrome (DS) individuals have 3 copies of chromosome 21. I am proposing to do my PhD to investigate the role of a gene existing on chromosome 21 called Intersectin 1. This gene, when over-expressed might be responsible for manifestation of intellectual impairment in Down syndrome. I will be examining the consequence of altered/over-expression of this gene in receptor trafficking, cell signalling and histology of the brain to identify the differences between affected individuals and the nor ....Down syndrome (DS) individuals have 3 copies of chromosome 21. I am proposing to do my PhD to investigate the role of a gene existing on chromosome 21 called Intersectin 1. This gene, when over-expressed might be responsible for manifestation of intellectual impairment in Down syndrome. I will be examining the consequence of altered/over-expression of this gene in receptor trafficking, cell signalling and histology of the brain to identify the differences between affected individuals and the normal population.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101119
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The critical executive processes involved in translating ideas into spoken language for conversational speech. This project will investigate the critical cognitive pathways, and supporting brain areas, involved in speaking for meaning. This will enable better diagnosis of communication disorders in neurological conditions, such as stroke, and identification of methods for delaying dementia by maintaining and enhancing conversational skills in older adults.
Differential Regulation Of Human Tyrosine Hydroxylase Isoforms And The Development Of Parkinson's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,591.00
Summary
Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease whose major feature is loss of a dopamine containing nerves in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. Loss of nerves within the substantia nigra is not uniform, but firstly and primarily affects the ventral cells, suggesting that particular dopaminergic neurons are more vulnerable to the disease process. A key to understanding Parkinson's disease would be to work out why these cells are more susceptible to degeneration than othe ....Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease whose major feature is loss of a dopamine containing nerves in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra. Loss of nerves within the substantia nigra is not uniform, but firstly and primarily affects the ventral cells, suggesting that particular dopaminergic neurons are more vulnerable to the disease process. A key to understanding Parkinson's disease would be to work out why these cells are more susceptible to degeneration than other dopaminergic cells in the brain. Tyrosine hydroxylase controls the rate of dopamine synthesis. Humans are unique in that they contain four isoforms of tyrosine hydroxylase and therefore they have the potential to alter the regulation of dopamine synthesis in ways that other species do not. Recent developments in our laboratories have suggested that particular isoforms of tyrosine hydroxylase may have either a role in the susceptibility of dopaminergic neurons to degeneration in Parkinson's disease or a role in the timing of the symptoms of the disease. We have demonstrated differences in the distribution of the human TH isoforms within the substantia nigra, with certain isoforms being more prevalent in the susceptible ventral cells. We have also shown that there are major differences in the regulation of the four human tyrosine hydroxylase isoforms. Some isoforms will be more sensitive to conditions that occur with high frequency stimulation of neurons and some to low frequency sustained stimulation. This would provide a mechanism by which differential distribution of the human TH isoforms would result in altered dopamine synthesis in different parts of the human brain and this may in turn lead to either increased susceptibility to, or earlier appearance of symptoms of, Parkinson's disease.Read moreRead less
Harnessing non-invasive brain stimulation to improve language function in healthy and pathological ageing. This project will examine how the ability of the ageing brain to process language can be improved by non-invasive brain stimulation. The findings have the potential to reveal new ways to treat language impairments in ageing-associated brain injury and disease.
How critical is the inflammatory response in senile plaque formation in a mutant APP transgenic mouse model? The aims of this project is to examine the brains of mice genetically engineered to produce a human mutant form of insoluble beta amyloid protein known to play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). If the "trigger" for AD is an inflammatory reaction, then the relevant examination of the early stages of senile plaque formation in these animals could lead to pharma ....How critical is the inflammatory response in senile plaque formation in a mutant APP transgenic mouse model? The aims of this project is to examine the brains of mice genetically engineered to produce a human mutant form of insoluble beta amyloid protein known to play a critical role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). If the "trigger" for AD is an inflammatory reaction, then the relevant examination of the early stages of senile plaque formation in these animals could lead to pharmaceutical intervention to delay the development of this debilitating disease. A 5 year delay would significantly reduce the number of people with AD, not only adding years of improved quality of life, but also saving hundreds of millions of Australian dollars in health costs.Read moreRead less
Improving Oral health is a priority of the NHMRC Strategic Plan 2003-06. The proposed research is consistent with this priority as we will achieve a better understanding of the cortical control of human jaw muscles, which serves as the foundation for understanding conditions in which their function is impaired, and the development of rational therapies for these conditions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to activate the motor cortex and corticobulbar descending pathway to the jaw ....Improving Oral health is a priority of the NHMRC Strategic Plan 2003-06. The proposed research is consistent with this priority as we will achieve a better understanding of the cortical control of human jaw muscles, which serves as the foundation for understanding conditions in which their function is impaired, and the development of rational therapies for these conditions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to activate the motor cortex and corticobulbar descending pathway to the jaw muscles. The AIM 1 study will provide important new information about the functional organisation of the motor cortex in the control of jaw muscles during speech. This information is needed to improve understanding of dysarthria, a common disturbance of speech due to impaired muscular control following unilateral cortical stroke, and less common conditions involving speech motor control such as spasmodic dysphonia (a cranial dystonia) and dysprosody (disturbance of speech articulation and rhythm found in Parkinson s disease). The AIM 2 and 3 studies will provide a comprehensive characterization of cortical inhibitory mechanisms that are an important but poorly understood component of the cortical control of jaw muscles. This information is necessary to understand normal function, and the mechanisms of disturbances to jaw muscle function with neurological disease or injury. The AIM 4 studies will show whether impaired cortical inhibition contributes to the pathophysiology of two poorly understood disorders affecting jaw muscles (bruxism and oromandibular dystonia). Current therapies for these conditions are unsatisfactory, due to a limited understanding of the mechanisms involved. If cortical inhibition is abnormal in these conditions this will lead to novel treatment therapies (e.g., drugs to correct the imbalance, or strategies to induce plastic change in the cortex).Read moreRead less
Microparticles as effectors of microvascular alterations in brain inflammation. Cerebral malaria (CM) kills many children worldwide, but we do not understand why their small blood vessels in the brain become obstructed. We found that tiny elements detached from cell membranes, called microparticles (MP), are dramatically elevated in the blood during CM. Our results strongly suggest that these MP are important in CM development. We have found that some drugs block the release of MP and the stick ....Microparticles as effectors of microvascular alterations in brain inflammation. Cerebral malaria (CM) kills many children worldwide, but we do not understand why their small blood vessels in the brain become obstructed. We found that tiny elements detached from cell membranes, called microparticles (MP), are dramatically elevated in the blood during CM. Our results strongly suggest that these MP are important in CM development. We have found that some drugs block the release of MP and the stickiness of malaria parasites to blood vessels. Our project will tackle the conditions of MP production and define new drugs to prevent it. It also will explain how the brain becomes affected by high numbers of MP. Our results will cast new light on why the brain functions abnormally when its blood vessels become modified.Read moreRead less
Functional imaging of colour pathways in the living eye. In order to repair or regenerate a diseased eye, we require knowledge of the normal pattern or nerve cell connections, and knowing how biology solves the problem of colour vision can be used to improve the design of artificial vision systems. The adaptive optics machine we will build in this project can be used to image nerve cells, fine blood vessels, and nerve fibre bundles in the normal and diseased eye. This will improve Australia's re ....Functional imaging of colour pathways in the living eye. In order to repair or regenerate a diseased eye, we require knowledge of the normal pattern or nerve cell connections, and knowing how biology solves the problem of colour vision can be used to improve the design of artificial vision systems. The adaptive optics machine we will build in this project can be used to image nerve cells, fine blood vessels, and nerve fibre bundles in the normal and diseased eye. This will improve Australia's research and development capacity in this new area of medical diagnostics. Our machine will be made available to other Australian laboratories and will improve the national capacity for making further scientific discoveries about how the visual system works.Read moreRead less