Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to ....Listen and learn - statistical learning and the adapting auditory brain. This project aims to explore the link between rapid neural adaptation - a form of learning referred to as statistical learning - and human listening performance in noisy environments. The project aims to generate a new understanding of mechanisms that contribute to listeners' abilities to understand speech in noise, and to complex communication disorders such as dyslexia. Expected outcomes will include increased capacity to investigate a broad range of cognitive and communication functions. Benefits will include potential technologies and algorithms to assist listening (in devices such as hearing aids), language development and reading.Read moreRead less
Microglia and the inflammation spectrum - not just good or bad. Cell-mediated tissue clearance following brain injury is a universal mechanism. However, our understanding of the cells that perform these tasks is very limited. Our project will characterise this inflammatory response at a single-cell level using the zebrafish spinal cord as a versatile experimental model. The project is expected to strongly contribute to the molecular understanding of the mechanisms underlying debris removal and w ....Microglia and the inflammation spectrum - not just good or bad. Cell-mediated tissue clearance following brain injury is a universal mechanism. However, our understanding of the cells that perform these tasks is very limited. Our project will characterise this inflammatory response at a single-cell level using the zebrafish spinal cord as a versatile experimental model. The project is expected to strongly contribute to the molecular understanding of the mechanisms underlying debris removal and will advance innovative technologies that facilitate intellectual progress in neuroscience. It will produce new insights into the process of neuronal degeneration, promote Australia’s growing reputation as a global leader in neuroscience, and provide high quality training for early career researchers.Read moreRead less
Microparticles as effectors of microvascular alterations in brain inflammation. Cerebral malaria (CM) kills many children worldwide, but we do not understand why their small blood vessels in the brain become obstructed. We found that tiny elements detached from cell membranes, called microparticles (MP), are dramatically elevated in the blood during CM. Our results strongly suggest that these MP are important in CM development. We have found that some drugs block the release of MP and the stick ....Microparticles as effectors of microvascular alterations in brain inflammation. Cerebral malaria (CM) kills many children worldwide, but we do not understand why their small blood vessels in the brain become obstructed. We found that tiny elements detached from cell membranes, called microparticles (MP), are dramatically elevated in the blood during CM. Our results strongly suggest that these MP are important in CM development. We have found that some drugs block the release of MP and the stickiness of malaria parasites to blood vessels. Our project will tackle the conditions of MP production and define new drugs to prevent it. It also will explain how the brain becomes affected by high numbers of MP. Our results will cast new light on why the brain functions abnormally when its blood vessels become modified.Read moreRead less
Are there advantages in having a lateralized brain? Specialisation of the left and right hemispheres of the brain to process different information and to control different responses is not, as once thought, unique to humans but common to all vertebrates. In fact, the same general pattern of lateralization occurs in amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Until now, it has been important to document the presence and nature of lateralization in different species. Now it is important to discover t ....Are there advantages in having a lateralized brain? Specialisation of the left and right hemispheres of the brain to process different information and to control different responses is not, as once thought, unique to humans but common to all vertebrates. In fact, the same general pattern of lateralization occurs in amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Until now, it has been important to document the presence and nature of lateralization in different species. Now it is important to discover the advantages (and disadvantages) of having a lateralized brain. This project will do so using two model species, the chick and the marmoset, and new techniques to measure behaviour.Read moreRead less
Insulin transport into the central nervous system. This project aims to understand transportation of peripheral insulin into the central nervous system and how it maintains energy balance. Insulin is essential for normal physiological functioning in the periphery and central nervous system, but some circumstances, including high-fat diets, reduce insulin signalling in the brain. This project examines the mechanisms of insulin transport into the central nervous system, and may improve our underst ....Insulin transport into the central nervous system. This project aims to understand transportation of peripheral insulin into the central nervous system and how it maintains energy balance. Insulin is essential for normal physiological functioning in the periphery and central nervous system, but some circumstances, including high-fat diets, reduce insulin signalling in the brain. This project examines the mechanisms of insulin transport into the central nervous system, and may improve our understanding of blood brain barrier insulin transport and dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Central Muscarinic Receptors as Novel Drug Targets for Parkinson's Disease and Schizophrenia. Psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease are linked to alterations in the activity of neurons in the brain containing the chemical dopamine. Other types of brain neurons containing the chemical acetylcholine regulate dopamine neuron activity by acting on acetylcholine receptors located on dopamine neurons. We aim to determine how these important recepto ....Central Muscarinic Receptors as Novel Drug Targets for Parkinson's Disease and Schizophrenia. Psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders such as schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease are linked to alterations in the activity of neurons in the brain containing the chemical dopamine. Other types of brain neurons containing the chemical acetylcholine regulate dopamine neuron activity by acting on acetylcholine receptors located on dopamine neurons. We aim to determine how these important receptors regulate dopamine neuron activity using genetically modified mice deficient in acetylcholine receptors, together with newly developed physiological methods and new acetylcholine receptor drugs. These studies will foster the design of novel acetylcholine receptor drugs as effective pharmaceutical treatments of neurological and psychiatric disorders related to brain dopamine dysfunction.Read moreRead less
Muscarinic Receptor Regulation of Dopamine Reward Pathways in the Brain. Human disorders such as schizophrenia and drug addiction are linked to alterations in the activity of neurons in the brain containing the chemical dopamine. Other types of brain neurons containing the chemical acetylcholine regulate the activity of dopamine neurons by acting on acetylcholine receptors located on dopamine neurons. We aim to examine how dopamine neuron activity is regulated by these receptors using newly de ....Muscarinic Receptor Regulation of Dopamine Reward Pathways in the Brain. Human disorders such as schizophrenia and drug addiction are linked to alterations in the activity of neurons in the brain containing the chemical dopamine. Other types of brain neurons containing the chemical acetylcholine regulate the activity of dopamine neurons by acting on acetylcholine receptors located on dopamine neurons. We aim to examine how dopamine neuron activity is regulated by these receptors using newly developed physiological methods together with a new acetylcholine receptor drug. We also aim to assess the suitability of mice genetically modified to be deficient in acetylcholine receptors as animal models of dopamine dysfunction related to schizophrenia and drug addiction.Read moreRead less
Touch and Tension: Molecular Determinants of Human Mechanosensation . Feelings of touch and muscle tension are initiated by mechanosensory neurons found within the peripheral nervous system. Knowledge of human mechanosensory neurons has predominantly relied on rodent studies because of the limited availability of human tissue, which is not ideal. Our team has developed novel technologies for generating human mechanosensory neurons ‘in the dish’. The major aim of this project is to use human stem ....Touch and Tension: Molecular Determinants of Human Mechanosensation . Feelings of touch and muscle tension are initiated by mechanosensory neurons found within the peripheral nervous system. Knowledge of human mechanosensory neurons has predominantly relied on rodent studies because of the limited availability of human tissue, which is not ideal. Our team has developed novel technologies for generating human mechanosensory neurons ‘in the dish’. The major aim of this project is to use human stem cell-derived mechanosensory neurons as a platform to extensively study their molecular and functional properties. The significant benefits are the advancement of knowledge in the human mechanosensory system, which to date has been lacking, and in the long-term progress commercial development of novel drugs.Read moreRead less
Adaptation of respiratory chemoreception: role of inhibitory neuropeptides. The project aims to investigate how the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is involved in respiratory adaptation to hypercapnia. Chemoreceptor neurons in the RTN are crucial for life however, the mechanisms that underlie their basal and stimulated activity, to control breathing, remain to be clarified. This project will investigate the role of galanin in RTN-mediated regulation of breathing. The project looks to determine inst ....Adaptation of respiratory chemoreception: role of inhibitory neuropeptides. The project aims to investigate how the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is involved in respiratory adaptation to hypercapnia. Chemoreceptor neurons in the RTN are crucial for life however, the mechanisms that underlie their basal and stimulated activity, to control breathing, remain to be clarified. This project will investigate the role of galanin in RTN-mediated regulation of breathing. The project looks to determine instructive and multifunctional roles of peptidergic chemosensory neurons and their contribution to local inhibitory control of the respiratory network. New knowledge from the project may in the future assist translational research into respiratory disorders and lead to technological advances.Read moreRead less
Propagating Neural Waves: Combined Experimental and Modelling Study. The project is designed to measure propagating neural waves in visual areas of the brain to discover why and how they are created, how they interact with sensory inputs, and whether they can support brain plasticity and learning. Recent analysis of the brain’s electrical signals has showed that nerve cell activity is often organised into propagating waves, but how these waves are created, and what role they play in brain inform ....Propagating Neural Waves: Combined Experimental and Modelling Study. The project is designed to measure propagating neural waves in visual areas of the brain to discover why and how they are created, how they interact with sensory inputs, and whether they can support brain plasticity and learning. Recent analysis of the brain’s electrical signals has showed that nerve cell activity is often organised into propagating waves, but how these waves are created, and what role they play in brain information processing, remains unknown. The project plans to develop new methods for processing large-scale neural data, and to apply these methods to learn about propagating neural waves. These results may improve our understanding of how neural circuits function, eventually leading to clinical and technological advances.Read moreRead less