Testing theoretical models of age and disease related changes to inform prevention. Pathological brain changes associated with future cognitive decline become detectable in the 40s or earlier. Yet little is known about what constitutes normal brain ageing in mid-life. Using a number of neuroimaging and epidemiological techniques this project will scrutinise brain and cognitive ageing in middle-age and their significance.
Modelling and manipulating brain network dynamics across the lifespan. This project aims to integrate advanced computational modelling and state-of-the-art recording techniques to generate new knowledge on the neural basis of ageing. People are said to grow wiser as they grow older, though more likely they will experience cognitive slowing and reduced memory functions that interfere with their daily lives. The anticipated goal of the project is to develop techniques to predict the personalised e ....Modelling and manipulating brain network dynamics across the lifespan. This project aims to integrate advanced computational modelling and state-of-the-art recording techniques to generate new knowledge on the neural basis of ageing. People are said to grow wiser as they grow older, though more likely they will experience cognitive slowing and reduced memory functions that interfere with their daily lives. The anticipated goal of the project is to develop techniques to predict the personalised effects of brain stimulation on the ageing brain. The outcomes of this research could significantly improve understanding of brain ageing, and advance the fields of systems neuroscience, network science, and brain stimulation.Read moreRead less
A longitudinal study into the development of personal vulnerabilities and well-being in adolescence. This longitudinal study examines the temperament and environmental factors that promote character strengths in adolescents. Character strengths such as empathy and emotion-management skills are potentially teachable and help prevent an adolescent from experiencing difficulties in social, emotional and academic adjustment.
Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial ....Cognitive neuroscience of spatial asymmetry: behaviour, genes and brain imaging. When humans distribute their attention in space, biases or asymmetries of spatial attention exist. Healthy individuals exhibit a processing advantage favouring left space but this advantage is lost in disorders such as unilateral spatial neglect, ADHD and dyslexia. This project will develop novel electrophysiological methods to dissociate the sensory, attentional, decision-making and motoric contributions to spatial asymmetries. By interfacing electrophysiology with genetic, neurochemical and brain imaging methods, this project will comprehensively map the biology of spatial asymmetry. This knowledge is vital to developing effective treatments for disorders where atypical patterns of spatial asymmetry index neurological vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Examining the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive control and its application to clinical syndromes featuring dyscontrol. This project will examine the cognitive control and its underlying neural mechanisms. Understanding this relationship is of major scientific interest because cognitive control dysfunction is related to a number of Australia's major social and economic problems, including drug dependence.
Evolution of vascular tissue in land plants. This project will investigate genetic mechanisms of secondary cell wall thickening in a new genetic model representing an ancient plant lineage. This research will reveal the evolutionary origin of plant vascular tissue; a significant innovation that allowed increased size of plants and the origin of wood.
Understanding working memory: from cells to brain stimulation. This project aims to understand the neural mechanisms of working memory, a fundamental cognitive function in humans, using a novel framework which combines non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, pharmacological and experimental manipulations, and biological modelling. Expected outcomes include a critical understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying both neural activity and working memory ability in healthy individuals a ....Understanding working memory: from cells to brain stimulation. This project aims to understand the neural mechanisms of working memory, a fundamental cognitive function in humans, using a novel framework which combines non-invasive brain stimulation, neuroimaging, pharmacological and experimental manipulations, and biological modelling. Expected outcomes include a critical understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying both neural activity and working memory ability in healthy individuals and a detailed knowledge of how to non-invasively interact with these mechanisms using brain stimulation. This will provide significant benefits such as the development of individually optimised brain stimulation protocols, enabling tailored approaches to reliably alter brain function and cognition.Read moreRead less
The processing of fear in the medial temporal lobe. The aim of this project is to identify how fear affects information processing in the medial temporal lobe (MTL). It is significant in providing the first systematic assessment of how fear alters processing of different types of information in the MTL, including the innocuous; and how fear affects processing of memories in MTL networks, including their integration. The expected outcomes are basic knowledge regarding these effects of fear, and a ....The processing of fear in the medial temporal lobe. The aim of this project is to identify how fear affects information processing in the medial temporal lobe (MTL). It is significant in providing the first systematic assessment of how fear alters processing of different types of information in the MTL, including the innocuous; and how fear affects processing of memories in MTL networks, including their integration. The expected outcomes are basic knowledge regarding these effects of fear, and a theory of MTL function in which they are explained. The benefit of this knowledge is a better understanding of how information is processed in a normal brain, and therefore, disturbances to information processing in fear-related disorders (e.g., over-generalization of fear in post-traumatic stress).Read moreRead less
Constructing a unified model of human memory. This project aims to systematically map the interplay between the episodic and semantic systems of memory across such functions as new learning, remembering the past, imagining the future and creative cognition. Memory is the cornerstone of adaptive functioning, yet models of human memory are incomplete. Episodic and semantic processes are typically treated as dissociable entities, despite mounting evidence of their interaction. Using experimental ta ....Constructing a unified model of human memory. This project aims to systematically map the interplay between the episodic and semantic systems of memory across such functions as new learning, remembering the past, imagining the future and creative cognition. Memory is the cornerstone of adaptive functioning, yet models of human memory are incomplete. Episodic and semantic processes are typically treated as dissociable entities, despite mounting evidence of their interaction. Using experimental tasks and advanced neuroimaging techniques in human lesion groups, this project will contribute data about the nature of episodic-semantic interactions. Expected outcomes include a refined model of human memory which will inform the capacity to optimise cognitive function.Read moreRead less
Mapping, understanding and manipulating the human brain connectome with MRI. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex network, comprising millions of nerve cells connected by trillions of fibres. Understanding this intricate web of connectivity – the so-called human connectome – has become a central goal of neuroscience and is comparable in scale to the human genome project. This project will develop new brain imaging methods for accurately mapping the connectome. It will investigate how in ....Mapping, understanding and manipulating the human brain connectome with MRI. The human brain is an extraordinarily complex network, comprising millions of nerve cells connected by trillions of fibres. Understanding this intricate web of connectivity – the so-called human connectome – has become a central goal of neuroscience and is comparable in scale to the human genome project. This project will develop new brain imaging methods for accurately mapping the connectome. It will investigate how information is communicated between its different regions and how individual differences in brain network function relate to our genetic make-up. It will also determine whether we can manipulate the function of specific circuits of the connectome in a targeted way, in the hope of developing new treatments for brain disorders.Read moreRead less