Rhombomeric Topography of Structures in the Adult Mouse: Evidence from Avian Homologies and Transgenic Mice. The brainstem of birds has been shown to be formed by a line of segments, like carriages of a train. The same arrangement exists in the embryos of mammals, but is hidden in the adult mammalian brain. We will transfer our detailed knowledge of bird brains to make a maps of the brainstem segments in adult mice. We will then test this map with special gene markers which will reveal the occul ....Rhombomeric Topography of Structures in the Adult Mouse: Evidence from Avian Homologies and Transgenic Mice. The brainstem of birds has been shown to be formed by a line of segments, like carriages of a train. The same arrangement exists in the embryos of mammals, but is hidden in the adult mammalian brain. We will transfer our detailed knowledge of bird brains to make a maps of the brainstem segments in adult mice. We will then test this map with special gene markers which will reveal the occult segmental pattern in adult mice. This work will give us a new way of understanding the organisation of brainstem centres that control breathing, cardiovascular functions and emotional states.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL0992409
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,996,243.00
Summary
The neural bases of decision-making. This research focuses on the neural bases of decision making, a general capacity affected by normal ageing, disorders associated with neurodegeneration including dementia, major psychiatric conditions and drug addiction. Changes in the neural systems that result in the cognitive and emotional dissociation reflected in these disorders constitute the highest health, economic and social capital attrition burden to Australia of any disease group, a burden that is ....The neural bases of decision-making. This research focuses on the neural bases of decision making, a general capacity affected by normal ageing, disorders associated with neurodegeneration including dementia, major psychiatric conditions and drug addiction. Changes in the neural systems that result in the cognitive and emotional dissociation reflected in these disorders constitute the highest health, economic and social capital attrition burden to Australia of any disease group, a burden that is only predicted to increase as the population ages. Understanding these changes in neural systems and their specific behavioural effects is, therefore, of critical importance and will ultimately provide new targets for treatment and rehabilitation.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882275
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, pro ....Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, provide infrastructure to test current models on brain functions, and support the development of new compounds to treat these disorders, thus resulting in significant national and community benefits in improved health outcomes and increased work productivity.Read moreRead less
Specialized glial cells within the hippocampus of the brain regulate important morphological events in embryonic development. Memories of past experiences, and our ability to learn new information, is processed in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. In order for this to occur, the cells that make up the hippocampus must form correctly during embryonic development. This proposal investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating hippocampal formation. The national benefit of ....Specialized glial cells within the hippocampus of the brain regulate important morphological events in embryonic development. Memories of past experiences, and our ability to learn new information, is processed in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. In order for this to occur, the cells that make up the hippocampus must form correctly during embryonic development. This proposal investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating hippocampal formation. The national benefit of this work is to provide basic knowledge about the processes that underlie correct brain formation and function, and to understand what processes are disrupted when the brain fails to function correctly. Such disruptions lead to mental retardation and learning difficulties, and in the aged, an inability to form and store new memories, as occurs in dementia.Read moreRead less
Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of alt ....Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of altering brain activity with rTMS. It will substantially enhance the applicability of the technique ultimately improving our knowledge of human and animal brain function and outcomes for patients with depression and other disorders. It will help reinforce Australia as a leading country in the development of brain stimulation techniques.Read moreRead less
Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the matu ....Development of Central Nervous System Functioning in AD/HD: a Longitudinal Study. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is a debilitating problem affecting 5% of children. AD/HD causes substantial school problems and predisposes the child to drug and alcohol abuse, marital breakdown, criminal prosecution and psychiatric problems in later life. At present we know very little about the underlying causes of the behavioural changes seen in this disorder. This project will clarify the maturational abnormalities in brain function that occur from childhood through to adulthood in this disorder. Better understanding of the normal developmental paths of this disorder will have major clinical benefits as it will allow the development of more optimal treatment plans for these children.Read moreRead less
Are there common mechanisms for the inhibition of fear? Disorders of fear and anxiety affect up to 28% of Australians across their lives. This project studies how the brain inhibits fear and anxiety. It has four National Benefits. First, the knowledge generated by this project will contribute to coherent theoretical accounts of fear inhibition. Second, it will increase Australia's competitiveness and reputation in experimental psychology and behavioural neuroscience. Third, it will provide novel ....Are there common mechanisms for the inhibition of fear? Disorders of fear and anxiety affect up to 28% of Australians across their lives. This project studies how the brain inhibits fear and anxiety. It has four National Benefits. First, the knowledge generated by this project will contribute to coherent theoretical accounts of fear inhibition. Second, it will increase Australia's competitiveness and reputation in experimental psychology and behavioural neuroscience. Third, it will provide novel insights into ways of reducing anxiety and fear among sufferers of clinical anxiety disorders. Finally, it will provide internationally competitive training opportunities for Australian students.
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The regulation of fear and attention: From genes to the brain to behaviour. Exposure to dangerous events elicits fear concomitant with attentional processing of environmental stimuli accompanying those events. However this fear and attention are typically inhibited so that they are restricted to dangerous events or stimuli which signal them. This project studies the role of endogenous opioids in the inhibition of fear and threat-related attention. It studies opioid inhibition in terms of its con ....The regulation of fear and attention: From genes to the brain to behaviour. Exposure to dangerous events elicits fear concomitant with attentional processing of environmental stimuli accompanying those events. However this fear and attention are typically inhibited so that they are restricted to dangerous events or stimuli which signal them. This project studies the role of endogenous opioids in the inhibition of fear and threat-related attention. It studies opioid inhibition in terms of its consequences for gene transcription, learning, and attention. It will provide the first integrated analysis of fear inhibition, from the level of the gene to the brain to behaviour. Thus, the project will provide significant insights into the biological complexity underpinning vulnerability to anxiety and fear.Read moreRead less
Predicting danger: The nature, consequences, and neural mechanisms of predictive fear learning. This project has four major national benefits. First, it addresses a fundamental scientific issue from a novel perspective to increase knowledge. By combining innovative approaches to study how the brain predicts danger, it will shed light on the relationship between brain and behaviour. Second, the project will contribute significantly to Australia's international competitiveness and reputation in ex ....Predicting danger: The nature, consequences, and neural mechanisms of predictive fear learning. This project has four major national benefits. First, it addresses a fundamental scientific issue from a novel perspective to increase knowledge. By combining innovative approaches to study how the brain predicts danger, it will shed light on the relationship between brain and behaviour. Second, the project will contribute significantly to Australia's international competitiveness and reputation in experimental psychology. Third, the knowledge generated by this project has the potential to improve the welfare of Australians by addressing an increasingly important health problem - anxiety. Finally, the project provides outstanding, internationally competitive, training opportunities for Australian students in Psychology.Read moreRead less
Towards a continuum model of orienting and defensive responses. Orienting (OR) and Defensive Responses (DR) underlie important survival functions of attending to unexpected stimuli and avoiding harm.We will establish the first integrative profile of human OR/DR function, using simultaneous recording of brain activity and 'body' responsivity. Given sex and age variation in OR/DRs, both males and females spanning six decades will be studied. OR/DR abnormalities are associated with major disorders ....Towards a continuum model of orienting and defensive responses. Orienting (OR) and Defensive Responses (DR) underlie important survival functions of attending to unexpected stimuli and avoiding harm.We will establish the first integrative profile of human OR/DR function, using simultaneous recording of brain activity and 'body' responsivity. Given sex and age variation in OR/DRs, both males and females spanning six decades will be studied. OR/DR abnormalities are associated with major disorders of attention and stress, which also vary with sex and age. We will examine relationships between OR/DR function and proneness to these disorders in healthy individuals. The results will provide a framework for developing prevention and intervention strategies.Read moreRead less