Functional imaging of colour pathways in the living eye. In order to repair or regenerate a diseased eye, we require knowledge of the normal pattern or nerve cell connections, and knowing how biology solves the problem of colour vision can be used to improve the design of artificial vision systems. The adaptive optics machine we will build in this project can be used to image nerve cells, fine blood vessels, and nerve fibre bundles in the normal and diseased eye. This will improve Australia's re ....Functional imaging of colour pathways in the living eye. In order to repair or regenerate a diseased eye, we require knowledge of the normal pattern or nerve cell connections, and knowing how biology solves the problem of colour vision can be used to improve the design of artificial vision systems. The adaptive optics machine we will build in this project can be used to image nerve cells, fine blood vessels, and nerve fibre bundles in the normal and diseased eye. This will improve Australia's research and development capacity in this new area of medical diagnostics. Our machine will be made available to other Australian laboratories and will improve the national capacity for making further scientific discoveries about how the visual system works.Read moreRead less
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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989703
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$500,000.00
Summary
Multiphoton microscope for cellular imaging in live animals. The proposed facility will for the first time allow scientists across Sydney to monitor cell function in intact brain and muscle tissues. The novel optical approach combines fluorescent markers with sophisticated microscopy. The presence of this facility will allow Australian scientists to design new approaches to fundamental biological questions concerning cellular function within the normal environment. In addition this facility wi ....Multiphoton microscope for cellular imaging in live animals. The proposed facility will for the first time allow scientists across Sydney to monitor cell function in intact brain and muscle tissues. The novel optical approach combines fluorescent markers with sophisticated microscopy. The presence of this facility will allow Australian scientists to design new approaches to fundamental biological questions concerning cellular function within the normal environment. In addition this facility will allow PhD and post-doctoral scientists to train and have access to a rapidly developing and cutting edge approach to biological problems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0452971
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$102,900.00
Summary
Optical imaging of brain activity: Studies of the neural basis of sensory perception, plasticity and behaviour. Basic to the understanding of the brain is to know how the overall architecture of the nervous system relates to its function. We propose to study this by directly visualising the regions that are functionally active in the living brains of animals, down to resolution limits of less than 100 micrometres. Such "optical imaging" will be done by recording light reflected from the surfac ....Optical imaging of brain activity: Studies of the neural basis of sensory perception, plasticity and behaviour. Basic to the understanding of the brain is to know how the overall architecture of the nervous system relates to its function. We propose to study this by directly visualising the regions that are functionally active in the living brains of animals, down to resolution limits of less than 100 micrometres. Such "optical imaging" will be done by recording light reflected from the surface of the brain, which in turn depends upon activity-dependent intrinsic signals (eg. degree of oxygenation of haemoglobin). These signals will be recorded by a special camera and amplified using the requested system.Read moreRead less
INVESTIGATION OF A BRAIN RHYTHM. Elucidation of brain function remains a frontier for human discovery. To date, research has largely focussed on brain connectivity with major advances in knowledge of input/output function of brain regions. Yet, there remains little understanding of higher order processes that underlie functions such as mood states and consciousness. Investigation of brain rhythms represent a step to unravelling such processes, as rhythms both act as autonomous clocks and generat ....INVESTIGATION OF A BRAIN RHYTHM. Elucidation of brain function remains a frontier for human discovery. To date, research has largely focussed on brain connectivity with major advances in knowledge of input/output function of brain regions. Yet, there remains little understanding of higher order processes that underlie functions such as mood states and consciousness. Investigation of brain rhythms represent a step to unravelling such processes, as rhythms both act as autonomous clocks and generate synchronised neuronal activity. This project aims to investigate mechanisms underlying a specific class of brain rhythm implicated in control of mood states. Positive outcomes from this basic research may lead to better drug therapies for controlling specific mental disorders.Read moreRead less
Physiology of tau protein: a novel role in scaffolding and intracellular distribution. Understanding brain function remains a challenge. This project will study the normal role of the Alzheimer's disease-related protein tau in brain function during ageing. This will significantly enhance current understanding of brain function.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100074
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,000.00
Summary
Facilities for automated high-throughput slide scanning and stereology. The equipment requested will facilitate the work of the Australian Mouse Brain Mapping Consortium, a consortium of Australian research groups collaborating to provide the only mouse model brain mapping capability in the country. The consortium brings together laboratory, neuroimaging and computational expertise in a comprehensive framework for imaging the mouse brain. This will help researchers to study mouse models of genet ....Facilities for automated high-throughput slide scanning and stereology. The equipment requested will facilitate the work of the Australian Mouse Brain Mapping Consortium, a consortium of Australian research groups collaborating to provide the only mouse model brain mapping capability in the country. The consortium brings together laboratory, neuroimaging and computational expertise in a comprehensive framework for imaging the mouse brain. This will help researchers to study mouse models of genetic and acquired disorders across the life-span. Remote viewing and analysis capabilities will help overcome the 'tyranny of distance', increasing national access to the facility. Repositories of digitised images will increase the availability of valuable research material to other Australian and international researchers.Read moreRead less
Cellular and Neurochemical Basis of Drug Addiction. Addiction to the major drugs of abuse, including heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine and alcohol damage the lives and cause premature death of more than 20% of Australians. Addiction produces long-term disruption of brain processes that lead to loss of control over urges to consume drugs and persistent cycles of relapse to drug taking. This research will apply new neurochemical approaches to discover mechanisms of disrupted brain function t ....Cellular and Neurochemical Basis of Drug Addiction. Addiction to the major drugs of abuse, including heroin, amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine and alcohol damage the lives and cause premature death of more than 20% of Australians. Addiction produces long-term disruption of brain processes that lead to loss of control over urges to consume drugs and persistent cycles of relapse to drug taking. This research will apply new neurochemical approaches to discover mechanisms of disrupted brain function that occur during development of addiction and relapse that are critical for development of better strategies to treat the disorder. Read moreRead less
Position perception, attention, object motion, and action. The research will achieve a deeper understanding of the neural processing of the visual perception of position, and of the associated behavioural limits. This will provide a foundation for the development of a range of technologies to assist disabled and elderly people. The results will help reveal the link between the perception of moving objects and the capacity for visually guided movement. This link will benefit areas such as enginee ....Position perception, attention, object motion, and action. The research will achieve a deeper understanding of the neural processing of the visual perception of position, and of the associated behavioural limits. This will provide a foundation for the development of a range of technologies to assist disabled and elderly people. The results will help reveal the link between the perception of moving objects and the capacity for visually guided movement. This link will benefit areas such as engineering of vehicles and road systems, and the design of telepresence systems. The first applications are likely to be in the rehabilitation of brain injury and the decline of mental function with age.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