The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The curr ....The cognitive neuroscience of executive control: behavioural, physiological and genetic mechanisms. How genes influence our human abilities to think, reason and control behaviour has puzzled scientists for decades. The human genome project has allowed us to ask how individual genes influence these capacities. Understanding the genetics of these abilities provides a solid platform from which to launch gene discovery projects in clinical disorders where these abilities are compromised. The current project is directly relevant to the genetics of mental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD), that place a large burden, both financially and emotionally, on our society. Understanding the genes and biological pathways that increase risk for mental disorders will ultimately lead to improved treatments for these conditions.Read moreRead less
Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for und ....Brain development during adolescence and the emergence of depression: A longitudinal MRI study. Traditionally mental health services have focused on established disorders. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the inability to predict who is likely to go on to develop serious mental disorder. This study will provide critical information for understanding the risk processes that are operating during the critical phase of early adolescence, and will therefore make a fundamental contribution to our understanding of who, and what, to target in early intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Genes, neuroanatomy and family process: Predicting adolescent anxiety and depression. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the paucity of developmentally targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This study will provide unique information regarding the risk processes that are operating during early and late adolescence, and will inform us ....Genes, neuroanatomy and family process: Predicting adolescent anxiety and depression. Whilst significant gains in outcomes have been obtained in other areas of health by focusing on early intervention and prevention, in the mental health field this approach has been limited by the paucity of developmentally targeted treatment and prevention strategies. This study will provide unique information regarding the risk processes that are operating during early and late adolescence, and will inform us about how the family environment can act to modulate the impacts of biological vulnerability on risk for mental disorder. This project will contribute to our understanding of who, and what, to target in early intervention and prevention strategies.Read moreRead less
Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of alt ....Studying the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with near Infrared spectroscopy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is increasingly being used as a tool in studying human and animal brain function and in the treatment of brain disorders but there are fundamental gaps in our understanding of its basic mechanisms of action and hence our capacity to optimise protocols. This research will use near infrared spectroscopy to study the range of potential ways of altering brain activity with rTMS. It will substantially enhance the applicability of the technique ultimately improving our knowledge of human and animal brain function and outcomes for patients with depression and other disorders. It will help reinforce Australia as a leading country in the development of brain stimulation techniques.Read moreRead less
Sleep and circadian influences on mood and Autonomic Nervous System control of the heart. Most biological and behavioural processes have a 24-hour oscillation in activity. A critical question is whether this oscillation is a consequence of the sleep-wake cycle or the circadian system (our internal biological clock). This project will investigate circadian influence over two biological systems that have important influences over behaviour, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Behavioural Fa ....Sleep and circadian influences on mood and Autonomic Nervous System control of the heart. Most biological and behavioural processes have a 24-hour oscillation in activity. A critical question is whether this oscillation is a consequence of the sleep-wake cycle or the circadian system (our internal biological clock). This project will investigate circadian influence over two biological systems that have important influences over behaviour, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and the Behavioural Facilitation System (BFS). Specifically, we will investigate the relationship between circadian control of the heart and the induction and quality of sleep, and the circadian influence on aspects of personality (neuroticism) and mood (Positive Affect) that are related to the BFS.Read moreRead less
Investigating the social brain: The neural basis of the link between depressed mood and social cognition. Mood and social relationships are amongst the most important determinants of well being, life functioning, and both mental and physical health. To understand how mood and social behaviour interact, this project will examine the brain mechanisms that are responsible for the impact of mood states on processing social threat stimuli (e.g., stimuli suggesting humiliation, rejection or defeat). T ....Investigating the social brain: The neural basis of the link between depressed mood and social cognition. Mood and social relationships are amongst the most important determinants of well being, life functioning, and both mental and physical health. To understand how mood and social behaviour interact, this project will examine the brain mechanisms that are responsible for the impact of mood states on processing social threat stimuli (e.g., stimuli suggesting humiliation, rejection or defeat). This work will have important implications for understanding vulnerability to recurrent depression, where these processes have been implicated in previous research. The high prevalence of these disorders, and the high cost that they represent to society, makes basic research of this type vital at this time.Read moreRead less