Persistent Firing In Cortical Interneurons: Mechanisms And Potential Anticonvulsant Role
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,552.00
Summary
The normal brain treads a fine line between too much electrical activity (epilepsy) and too little (sedation). We have discovered a class of brain cell that seems to behave like a sentinel, monitoring brain activity for signs of epilepsy. If a seizure occurs, this cell switches on an electrical brake that dampens excess activity. In this project we will study how this brake works and whether it really can inhibit seizures. Our research may lead to better treatments for epilepsy.
Axonal Regeneration And Degeneration: Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$622,655.00
Summary
Understanding how to repair of nerve damage following a traumatic injury, a vascular accident, or a degenerative condition, is essential to develop novel effective treatments. We have identified, in a simple genetic model system, the molecular mechanisms that allow a transected nerve to be repaired by reattachment of its two separated fragments. This 'axonal fusion' process is a highly promising innovative approach that can be exploited to restore the original neuronal circuit.
Understanding Axonal Fusion: An Alternative Mechanism To Repair Injured Axons.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$648,447.00
Summary
Being able to repair an injured nerve by stitching the two damages sections back together is an incredible challenge in neurosurgery, and a highly desired outcome for the surgeon as well as for the patient suffering a spinal cord or peripheral injury. We have discovered molecules that mediate nerve repair by favouring the reconnection of the two separated fragments. We will study how they function, and if they can be applied to repair injured mammalian neurons.
Function And Physiological Role Of Inhibitory Circuits In The Amygdala
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$741,518.00
Summary
The amygdala is part of the brain that assigns emotional content to our sensory world and dysfunction of the amygdala is responsible for many anxiety-related disorders. Many anxiolytics, like valium, act on receptors in the amygdala. In this project we will study circuits in the amygdala that are modulated by anxiolytics. These studies will provide essential information in the understanding of anxiety disorders and help in developing drugs to treat these disorders.
Role Of Calcium-activated Potassium Channels In Neuronal Excitability, Synaptic Plasticity And Sensory Processing
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$612,272.00
Summary
Disturbances in brain function, as occur in diseases such as epilepsy and schizophrenia, are associated with abnormal electrical activity. This electrical activity leads to increases in calcium inside nerve cells. In this project we plan to investigate how changes in calcium inside nerve cells regulates electrical activity, and how this impacts on the capacity of the brain to process and learn new information.
Multiple sclerosis is a particularly devastating disease that affects people early in their lives. This chronic disabling condition is characterized by inflammation and loss or damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds axons. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that certain cell signals may prevent the cells that produce myelin from death in multiple sclerosis. This study will seek to determine how and which signals prevent cell death and whether this may be a potential therapeutic interve ....Multiple sclerosis is a particularly devastating disease that affects people early in their lives. This chronic disabling condition is characterized by inflammation and loss or damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds axons. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that certain cell signals may prevent the cells that produce myelin from death in multiple sclerosis. This study will seek to determine how and which signals prevent cell death and whether this may be a potential therapeutic intervention.Read moreRead less
Membrane Fusion In Axonal Regeneration: Molecules And Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$461,597.00
Summary
Limited nerve regeneration is the main obstacle for recovery from spinal cord and brain injuries. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying axonal regeneration is an essential step toward the development of novel effective therapies to enhance this process. In this proposal, we use the powerful molecular and genetic tools available for the small nematode worm C. elegans to identify and study axonal regeneration and discover the key molecules involved.
Regulation Of Cortical Excitability By GABAB Receptors
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,976.00
Summary
In the brain electrical activity either excites or inhibits nerve cells. Excitation is balanced by inhibition. If these two processes become unbalanced we can become unconscious or go into seizure. These extreme conditions emphasize the importance of the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain. While there has been much work on the role of excitation, less is known about inhibition. In this project proposal we will investigate how inhibition regulates excitation in the cortex.
Axon Degeneration And Axon Protection In CNS Disease And Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,120.00
Summary
One of the major reasons for the clinical symptoms of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Motor Neuron Disease is the loss of connections between the nerve cells. Nerve cells are connected by specialized processes called axons. In disease these processes can breakdown. This project specifically looks at how axons break down in disease and tests therapeutic strategies to protect them.
Axonal Fusion To Promote Nerve Repair: Molecules And Mechanisms.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,189.00
Summary
Nerve injuries are in most cases untreatable, leaving patients with high level of disabilities for the rest of their life. Understanding the molecular mechanism regulating nerve regeneration is critical to develop new drugs and design innovative therapies. We discovered molecules that mediates axonal repair by favouring the stitching together of the two separated fragments of an axon. We aim to study how they functions to possibly exploit a similar mechanism of repair for human injuries.