Visualising Retinal Microglia as a Window into Brain Inflammation. This project aims to use the unique autofluorescence signature of immune cells, microglia, imaged in the retina, as an index of brain inflammation. This project expects to provide the fundamental knowledge to allow us to image microglia non-invasively and identify the presence of brain inflammation without needing to access the brain-proper. Expected outcomes include full characterisation of microglial autofluorescence in the ret ....Visualising Retinal Microglia as a Window into Brain Inflammation. This project aims to use the unique autofluorescence signature of immune cells, microglia, imaged in the retina, as an index of brain inflammation. This project expects to provide the fundamental knowledge to allow us to image microglia non-invasively and identify the presence of brain inflammation without needing to access the brain-proper. Expected outcomes include full characterisation of microglial autofluorescence in the retina and how it relates to brain inflammation. This should provide significant downstream benefits for the detection of inflammatory brain disease well before visible symptoms develop with substantial benefit for livestock, pets, zoo and conservation animals, as well as research knowledge. Read moreRead less
Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovativ ....Engineered plant receptors as orthogonal neuronal switches. This project aims to develop synthetic biology methods to study brain function by utilising engineered plant receptors. This project will expand our ability to manipulate nerve cell function with high specificity and without side effects in freely behaving animals. Plant receptors will be developed into molecular tools in an iterative process that improves key properties using rational protein design. Expected outcomes include innovative and broadly-applicable neuroscience methods and an understanding of receptors involved in plant growth and defense. Benefits of this project include an enhanced capacity to generate knowledge, multidisciplinary training opportunities and patentable synthetic biology technologies.Read moreRead less
The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime posi ....The whisker sensory system: processing information about object features. This is a new direction for research on the whisker sensory system and will put Australia at the forefront in this competitive area. Of particular significance, it will promote cross-fertilisation among three distinct disciplines - neuroscience, animal behaviour and computational neuroscience, with implications for robotics research as well. Should the robotics potential come to fruition, Australia will be in a prime position to make early inroads into an important technology-based commercial enterprise. The interdisciplinary approach has important ramifications for training Australian PhD students and postdoctoral fellows and for attracting overseas research fellows. Read moreRead less
The neuronal basis of visual consciousness: how brain rhythms control the doors of perception. Slow oscillatory brain wave activity may control the incoming flow of visual information from the world and modulate our perception. While recording neuronal activity directly from the brain, this project will modulate this rhythmic influence using novel visual illusions and brain stimulation techniques to control subjective visual perception.
Understanding how the primate brain processes visual information. Being able to see is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, which happens so effortlessly that it tends to be taken for granted. In comparison with other animals and artificial systems, the primate visual cortex is unsurpassed in its capacity to interpret complex and dynamic environments, in a manner that is fast and computationally robust. Discovering how this happens in terms of interactions between cells in the brain can help us ....Understanding how the primate brain processes visual information. Being able to see is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, which happens so effortlessly that it tends to be taken for granted. In comparison with other animals and artificial systems, the primate visual cortex is unsurpassed in its capacity to interpret complex and dynamic environments, in a manner that is fast and computationally robust. Discovering how this happens in terms of interactions between cells in the brain can help us design more efficient artificial systems capable of vision. This in turn can have profound implications for the creation of new technologies such as artificial eyes, autonomous robots, and intelligent sensors, and may also result in future benefits for medical science.Read moreRead less
The cognitive control of saccades: identifying neuroanatomical and neurophysiological substrates. This project will use imaging techniques to provide a greater understanding of neural processes underpinning the cognitive control of eye movement. As eye movements are often used as a measure cognition, understanding the functional organisation of the eye movement network, and the differences that predict how well a person performs, is crucial.
Computational neuroanatomy: analysis of neural connections in the primate brain. This project will map the full network of connections between brain cells, using a computer graphics database that will consolidate data from hundreds of experiments. This will allow the first realistic simulations of neural activity, and will provide new insights about the structure and function of the nervous system.
Hierarchical information processing in the primate visual cortex. This project aims to understand how visual information is transformed across hierarchical levels in the brain. Neuroscientists have long recognised that the visual cortex can be conceptualised as a hierarchical processing network. This became apparent when learning algorithms based on hierarchical networks ("deep learning") changed artificial intelligence. This project will combine high-throughput electrophysiology with analytical ....Hierarchical information processing in the primate visual cortex. This project aims to understand how visual information is transformed across hierarchical levels in the brain. Neuroscientists have long recognised that the visual cortex can be conceptualised as a hierarchical processing network. This became apparent when learning algorithms based on hierarchical networks ("deep learning") changed artificial intelligence. This project will combine high-throughput electrophysiology with analytical tools adopted from deep learning. By explaining the physiological properties of higher-level neurons in terms of hierarchical networks, the project expects to address long standing questions in neuroscience, and provide insights on biological hierarchical computation.Read moreRead less
Understanding complex networks of connections in the primate cerebral cortex. The most fundamental characteristic of brain cells is that they can interchange information through electrical pulses, which run along cable-like membrane specialisations. This creates a hugely complex network of cell-to-cell connections. Understanding this network is necessary to allow new insights on how the brain works as an integrated system, and on how information processing in the brain changes as result of disea ....Understanding complex networks of connections in the primate cerebral cortex. The most fundamental characteristic of brain cells is that they can interchange information through electrical pulses, which run along cable-like membrane specialisations. This creates a hugely complex network of cell-to-cell connections. Understanding this network is necessary to allow new insights on how the brain works as an integrated system, and on how information processing in the brain changes as result of diseases and normal ageing. This project will produce the first comprehensive digital map of the connections in a primate brain. This project will use advanced statistical techniques to determine how to best subdivide the brain into processing nodes, and the logic behind the network of connections that integrates these nodes. Read moreRead less
How the brain generates robust behaviour in noisy sensory environments. This project aims to investigate the origins of variability in the control of movements. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of sensory and motor neuroscience by determining how variability in the activity of sensory and motor neurons accounts for variability in the initiation and control of eye movements. Expected outcomes of this project include international collaboration, development of new methods ....How the brain generates robust behaviour in noisy sensory environments. This project aims to investigate the origins of variability in the control of movements. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of sensory and motor neuroscience by determining how variability in the activity of sensory and motor neurons accounts for variability in the initiation and control of eye movements. Expected outcomes of this project include international collaboration, development of new methods for imaging neural activity in vivo, and refinement of theories concerning the cause and implications of noise in the brain. This should provide significant benefits such as a better understanding of why our movements are variable, and whether it is desirable or possible to minimise this variability. Read moreRead less