Glaucoma is a progressive, poorly understood blinding disease with limited treatment options. It is characterised by the death of the nerve cells in the eye whose fibres form the optic nerve. Results obtained in the current proposal will lead to a better understanding of key features of the early stages of the disease and, additionally, will explore the potential of a novel therapeutic approach based on regeneration of damaged nerve fibres within the optic nerve.
Understanding The Role Of Regulatory T Cells In Chronic Pain Following Nerve Injury
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$587,046.00
Summary
Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition of chronic pain that develops after damage to the nervous system, and lacks an effective treatment. This project focuses on the novel hypothesis that the immunosupressive regulatory T cells and their mediators play a critical role in controlling neuroinflammation and pain hypersensitivity following peripheral nerve injury. This study promises to enhance our understanding of the neuroimmune activation in neuropathic pain and offers novel approaches for ....Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition of chronic pain that develops after damage to the nervous system, and lacks an effective treatment. This project focuses on the novel hypothesis that the immunosupressive regulatory T cells and their mediators play a critical role in controlling neuroinflammation and pain hypersensitivity following peripheral nerve injury. This study promises to enhance our understanding of the neuroimmune activation in neuropathic pain and offers novel approaches for pain management.Read moreRead less
Circadian Control Of Peripheral Gastric Satiety Signals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$701,010.00
Summary
When we feel full after a meal it is the result of a variety of different nerve signals from the gut in response to distension of the stomach and specific nutrients. These signals exhibit circadian variations. The aim of this project is to determine circadian control of gastric nerve satiety signals and to determine how this is affected by obesity and what happens when you disrupt circadian rhythm. This will ultimately identify targets and treatment regimes for the pharmacological treatment of o ....When we feel full after a meal it is the result of a variety of different nerve signals from the gut in response to distension of the stomach and specific nutrients. These signals exhibit circadian variations. The aim of this project is to determine circadian control of gastric nerve satiety signals and to determine how this is affected by obesity and what happens when you disrupt circadian rhythm. This will ultimately identify targets and treatment regimes for the pharmacological treatment of obesity.Read moreRead less
A Role For The Pulvinar Nucleus In Visual Cortical Development And Plasticity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$844,435.00
Summary
This project will investigate a part of the brain responsible for processing visual information, the pulvinar. This area has received little attention but has more recently been associated with the capacity for infants to recover vision following injuries such as stroke, as well as in mental health conditions such as schizophrenia. We will take a cell-to-system approach to uncover how this area develops and modulates the processing of visual information.
Development Of Human Sensory Receptors Of The Inner Ear
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,281.00
Summary
Normal development of our special sense organs is crucial for sight, taste, hearing, and balance. The balance system mediates important postural and eye reflexes that are essential for movement and vision. Abnormal development of the balance system results in dizziness, vertigo, gait deficits, and impaired learning and reading ability in children. This study will investigate how the organs of balance mature and connect with nerve fibres of the inner ear during human development.
The Pulvinar Is Instrumental In The Development Of Visual Cortical Networks
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,192,911.00
Summary
This Project will elucidate the mechanisms and brain structures involved in visual system development and how their perturbation in early life can lead to neurodevelopmental and cognitive brain disorders, such as Williams and fragile-X syndromes as well as dyslexia. Furthermore, it will demonstrate how the visual brain has a greater capacity to compensate and achieve preservation of vision following an injury in early life.
While there has been recent excitement about possible treatments for the symptoms of Autism, advances in understanding the underlying neuroscience of abnormal brain function that underlies autistic tendency are still painfully slow. This application aims to establish fully a physiological mechanism for altered autistic perception, to see if it can be applied to early diagnosis in infants and young children and to establish whether in such plastic young brains it is possible to guide perceptual l ....While there has been recent excitement about possible treatments for the symptoms of Autism, advances in understanding the underlying neuroscience of abnormal brain function that underlies autistic tendency are still painfully slow. This application aims to establish fully a physiological mechanism for altered autistic perception, to see if it can be applied to early diagnosis in infants and young children and to establish whether in such plastic young brains it is possible to guide perceptual learning to permanent improvement.Read moreRead less
Development Of Peripheral Sensory Pathways In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,504.00
Summary
To receive the appropriate information about the state of our muscles, joints, organs, and skin we need a properly 'connected' sensory system. Recent evidence suggests traumatic events during early development can alter sensory connections within the spinal cord. This can lead to debilitating movement disorders, digestive diseases, and increased pain. In this study we will examine how peripheral sensory fibres connect with the appropriate nerve cells in the human spinal cord during development.