Mechanisms Of Body Representation And The Sensory Consequences Of Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,842.00
Summary
How does the brain control movement without vision? We cannot see our mouth but can easily put food in it. The brain uses a combination of sensory signals and stored models of the body, to control movement. The body models, and their interaction with sensory information, is not well understood. but they are disrupted by common clinical disorders. This research project investigates unsolved questions about the body model including how it is affected by stroke.
The Role Of Corticothalamic Feedback On The Response Dynamics Of Thalamic Neurons
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,852.00
Summary
A fundamental question in neuroscience is how the brain selectively processes sensory information to generate a reliable representation of the world. Positioned in the centre of the brain, the thalamus plays a key role in sensory processing. This project investigates how the interaction between thalamus and cortex shapes the selection and gating of sensory information. This is a fundamental question in basic neuroscience with the potential to increase our knowledge about attentional deficits.
Brain Training In Osteoarthritis - Does It Decrease Pain?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$299,564.00
Summary
In people with osteoarthritis (OA), the amount of pain is often not related to the amount of joint damage seen on x-ray. This suggests that there are other processes contributing to their pain. Recently, the role of the brain in contributing to chronic pain has been investigated. This project aims to determine what parts of the brain are affected in people with OA. It also aims to develop new treatments that target these brain areas and determine if these brain-training treatments decrease pain.
Neuronal Activity And Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,561.00
Summary
How does brain activity relate to perception and behaviour? How does functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain, which measures changes in blood oxygen, relate to the activity of single cells? I will address these questions, comparing electrical measurements of single cells and functional images, and advance our understanding of the brain in health and disease.
The fundamental problem with pain is that it cannot be seen. We can see injury, but pain and injury are quite often not related. Brain imaging has demonstrated consistent patterns of activity when we feel pain, and long-term changes that happen in chronic, i.e. persistent, painful disorders. This project will use the best technology available to investigate the basics of how our brains perceive pain, and to shed light on some of the brain mechanisms that underpin chronic pain.
Synaesthesia For Pain: Incidence And Manifestation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$332,001.00
Summary
I am a researcher interested in how we process pain in ourselves and others. I have identified a novel phenomenon whereby some individuals not only have empathy for others in pain, but experience pain in their own bodies when they see others in pain. I will further investigate these experiences to understand and highlight whether there are any distinct emotional, empathic, attentional or brain processes in people who experience empathic pain with a view to establishing appropriate treatment.
Interaction Of TRP Channels And Inflammatory Mediators: A Critical Role In Visceral Pain
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,747.00
Summary
Transient receptor potential, or TRP channels, are involved in generating many of the sensations we feel, such as touch and pain. The function of these channels can be altered by substances released by the body during inflammation. Some TRP channels have specialized roles in signalling pain from the colon which can be enhanced during colonic inflammation. Understanding how TRP channels and inflammatory mediators function and interact is essential if we are to find treatments for colonic pain.
Pain is one of the most frequent and costly health problems faced by Australia. Currently available painkillers often do not work, or have intolerable side effects. We thus need better approaches to treat pain. This project will define the role of the novel pain target Nav1.6 in clinically relevant pain states, including burns pain and chemotherapy-induced pain, with the aim to develop novel treatment approaches and painkillers for these difficult-to-treat conditions.