Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882275
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$110,000.00
Summary
Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, pro ....Facility for analysing behaviour, learning and motor skills in animal models. Mental disorders are one of the largest costs to the community today and account for more than 50% of the time lost from work. Moreover, these disorders are disabling conditions that relate to fundamental, basic questions of identity and individuality. This collaborative behavioural facility at The University of Queensland will underpin excellent research into how neurological changes affect behaviour and thinking, provide infrastructure to test current models on brain functions, and support the development of new compounds to treat these disorders, thus resulting in significant national and community benefits in improved health outcomes and increased work productivity.Read moreRead less
Specialized glial cells within the hippocampus of the brain regulate important morphological events in embryonic development. Memories of past experiences, and our ability to learn new information, is processed in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. In order for this to occur, the cells that make up the hippocampus must form correctly during embryonic development. This proposal investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating hippocampal formation. The national benefit of ....Specialized glial cells within the hippocampus of the brain regulate important morphological events in embryonic development. Memories of past experiences, and our ability to learn new information, is processed in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. In order for this to occur, the cells that make up the hippocampus must form correctly during embryonic development. This proposal investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating hippocampal formation. The national benefit of this work is to provide basic knowledge about the processes that underlie correct brain formation and function, and to understand what processes are disrupted when the brain fails to function correctly. Such disruptions lead to mental retardation and learning difficulties, and in the aged, an inability to form and store new memories, as occurs in dementia.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic mechanisms regulating sex differences in fear-related learning and memory. Anxiety disorders represent an enormous burden on society and are associated with premature aging and infertility in men and women. Evidence also indicates that parental anxiety affects child development. Given that fear-related learning has an important influence on emotional health which, in turn, affects lifestyle and the aging process, an understanding of the neural mechanisms mediating sex differences in ....Epigenetic mechanisms regulating sex differences in fear-related learning and memory. Anxiety disorders represent an enormous burden on society and are associated with premature aging and infertility in men and women. Evidence also indicates that parental anxiety affects child development. Given that fear-related learning has an important influence on emotional health which, in turn, affects lifestyle and the aging process, an understanding of the neural mechanisms mediating sex differences in fear learning will enhance our ability to develop better therapeutic approaches for treating anxiety and preventing relapse, potentially through a gender-specific approach. The studies outlined in this proposal will have implications for promoting and maintaining good health.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction in the mammalian brain. The brain is a remarkable machine that coordinates all aspects of our daily lives including the storage and retrieval of memories. Given that many age-related degenerative disorders are associated with marked changes in learning and memory it also has implications for Australia's National Research Priority 2 "Ageing well and ageing productively". This research aims to discover the basic mechanisms that underlie memory storage an ....Mechanisms of fear learning and extinction in the mammalian brain. The brain is a remarkable machine that coordinates all aspects of our daily lives including the storage and retrieval of memories. Given that many age-related degenerative disorders are associated with marked changes in learning and memory it also has implications for Australia's National Research Priority 2 "Ageing well and ageing productively". This research aims to discover the basic mechanisms that underlie memory storage and how these are modulated in an emotional context. It will also shed light on states such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress, enhancing our ability to identify new therapeutic targets for such disorders.Read moreRead less
Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eve ....Presynaptic mechanisms of general anaesthesia in the fly brain. General anaesthesia is a routine procedure for both human and veterinary surgery and for any experimental paradigms requiring immobilization of animals. By abolishing consciousness, these drugs provide practitioners with an ideal way of manipulating subjects under conditions when responsiveness might be undesirable. Understanding how manipulating synaptic release mechanisms might modulate anaesthetic potency will be valuable for eventually being able to better control the anaesthetized state in human and animal subjects. By understanding general anaesthesia across multiple levels of brain function, we will at the same time be answering fundamental questions pertaining to mechanisms of perception and awareness. Read moreRead less
Cellular Plasticity in the Brain: discovering molecular mechanisms controlling the production of neurons during brain development, function, ageing and disease. The program aims to understand the mechanisms regulating Brain Plasticity - this recently discovered property of the brain to respond to environmental stimuli, both physiological and pathological, by producing new functional neurons. Specifically, the program will discover how the brain's stem cells are stimulated to produce new neurons. ....Cellular Plasticity in the Brain: discovering molecular mechanisms controlling the production of neurons during brain development, function, ageing and disease. The program aims to understand the mechanisms regulating Brain Plasticity - this recently discovered property of the brain to respond to environmental stimuli, both physiological and pathological, by producing new functional neurons. Specifically, the program will discover how the brain's stem cells are stimulated to produce new neurons. This understanding will significantly expand our knowledge of how the brain develops, and how functions, like memory, are modulated by neuronal replacement. Discoveries will underpin the development of, in association with Australia's biotechnology sector, a new generation of therapeutics, which treat neurological diseases, like Stroke, by stimulating the production of functional neurons.Read moreRead less
Assessing gene function in the developing brain using zebrafish as a model system. As the average life expectancy in western countries increases there is an increasing incidence of mental health problems in the general population. Therapeutic approaches to Alzhemier's and Parkinson's disease as well as to brain injury arising from stroke rely on a thorough understanding of the molecular and physiological mechanisms of normal growth of this tissue. These are the very processes that need to be rea ....Assessing gene function in the developing brain using zebrafish as a model system. As the average life expectancy in western countries increases there is an increasing incidence of mental health problems in the general population. Therapeutic approaches to Alzhemier's and Parkinson's disease as well as to brain injury arising from stroke rely on a thorough understanding of the molecular and physiological mechanisms of normal growth of this tissue. These are the very processes that need to be reactivated in these diseases for recovery of function. This project seeks to understand normal development of the brain and in doing so it will expose novel targets for therapy in the aged. Read moreRead less
Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying migraine and endometriosis via genetic dissection. The research aims to identify genetic variants underlying migraine and endometriosis susceptibility. Advances in the genetics of these common and painful disorders, including identification of genetic biomarkers (genetic variations that can predict disease susceptibility, disease outcome, or treatment response), will offer better rationales for scientific enquiry, helping the discovery of new treat ....Elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying migraine and endometriosis via genetic dissection. The research aims to identify genetic variants underlying migraine and endometriosis susceptibility. Advances in the genetics of these common and painful disorders, including identification of genetic biomarkers (genetic variations that can predict disease susceptibility, disease outcome, or treatment response), will offer better rationales for scientific enquiry, helping the discovery of new treatment pathways and improve predictions of drug efficacy and safety. Thus providing improved treatment strategies for the individual sufferer and reduce the direct medical and indirect economic costs to individual sufferers as well as to the general community.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in thei ....Effectiveness of social skills training for children with autism. Our industry partner, Aspect Australia, is one of the world's largest providers of educational and other services for people with autism. The demonstration of effectiveness of the program in Aspect classes will likely lead to widespread use and benefit of the program in the education sector nationally and internationally. This in turn would lead to potential lessening of disability in children with autism with improvements in their mental health and significant cost savings to the community.Read moreRead less
Determinants of Expression, Assembly and Function of the Noradrenaline Transporter. The noradrenaline transporter protein that is the focus of this project is important for mental health because it belongs to the family of proteins where psychostimulants, such as cocaine, and drugs used in the treatment of depression act. The project will lead to exciting advances in our understanding of how the structure of this protein controls its functions, and potentially to the design of better antidepress ....Determinants of Expression, Assembly and Function of the Noradrenaline Transporter. The noradrenaline transporter protein that is the focus of this project is important for mental health because it belongs to the family of proteins where psychostimulants, such as cocaine, and drugs used in the treatment of depression act. The project will lead to exciting advances in our understanding of how the structure of this protein controls its functions, and potentially to the design of better antidepressant drugs and to the design of drugs to prevent the effects of cocaine.Read moreRead less