Browse Research Staff by Research Area Dr Blaine Allen     Medical Administration - Medicine Education & Student Office Statement of Interests: I have particular research interest in medical neurobiology and neurosurgery, predominantly; spinal cord injury, syringomyelia, neurodegenerative diseases, endogenous stem cell stimulation, various stem cell derivations and applications for the development of effective regenerative therapies for both injuries and degenerative diseases of the CNS. Also included are approaches involving anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical intervention to limit gliosis following injury, increase neuronal survival and stimulate stem cell proliferation, differentiation and functional integration. More... Professor Ken Ashwell     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: Comparative and Evolutionary Neuroscience. Comparative neuroanatomy of marsupials and monotremes. Brain evolution among marsupials, monotremes and ratites. Sexual dimorphism in the brains of marsupials. Developmental Neuroscience. More... Emeritus Professor Peter Barry     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: These include investigating the relationship between the molecular structure and the physiological function of channels such as those of the inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor glycine and the olfactory cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, investigating the factors that determine their ion selectivity and conductance, together with the mechanisms underlying olfactory transduction and the role different ionic channels in that phenomenon. Other interests include evaluating errors arising from liquid junction potentials in membrane potential measurements (with the development of a software program, JPCalc, to do that; see http://www.med.unsw.edu.au/PHBSoft) and the role of unstirred-layers in biological phenomena More... Dr Benjamin Barry     School of Medical Sciences - Exercise Physiology Program Statement of Interests: The broad aim of my research is to understand the physiology of the nervous system involved in the control of movement, and to determine how this system changes with ageing, injury and disease. More... Associate Professor Paul Bertrand     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: The goal of my research is to understand the neuronal basis of disease with an emphasis on the compounds ATP & serotonin (5‑HT) and the roles they play in neurotransmission & sensory transduction. My laboratory focuses on the neurophysiology of the gastrointestinal tract using electrophysiological and electrochemical methods. More... Dr Rebecca Bertrand     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: The gastrointestinal tract turns out to be quite a complicated organ. You might think it's just absorb this and poop that, but how does that really happen? A lot of it is controlled by a massive network of neurons located within the gut (called the enteric nervous system) - that's right, the brain isn't the only place where a whole bunch of neurons live. We investigate how this network of neurons manages to control the workings of the intestine without any help from the brain. We record from individual neurons (intracellular electrophysiology) to see how they communicate with their neighbours and how the neighbours talk to them (synaptic transmission). We also look at it from the whole organ level. More... Dr Tjeerd Boonstra     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: The integration of related findings from different levels of observation is a prerequisite for a comprehensive understanding of brain activity, i.e. how the neuronal dynamics observed by single cell recordings relate to macroscopic recordings such as electroencephalography. Part of the Thinking Systems Group, I'm mainly interested in how the macroscopic patterns observed in EMG and EEG recordings serve human motor control. More... Associate Professor Michael Breakspear     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: I am interested in developing and refining mathematical theories of large-scale neural systems, testing and refuting these through functional neuroscience experiments and using these to understand cognitive, perceptual and motor action processes. A larger goal is to use these tools to understand disturbances of mood and thinking such as occur in mood disorders, psychosis and dementia. More... Dr David Brown     St Vincent's Clinical School Statement of Interests: In the field of inflammation I have clinical and research interests. Clinically, I am interested in the consequences of inflammatory diseases on the CNS, vasculitides as well as treatment of connective tissue diseases. My research interests are in several areas including chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. I am also actively researching the role of the immunity in cancer and neuroinflammatory diseases. More... Professor Elizabeth Burcher     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: a) neurochemicals in human intestine: alterations in disease. b) neurochemicals in the human bladder: relevance to urinary incontinence. c) urothelium of the pig bladder as a model for human bladder studies. More... Dr David Burke     School of Public Health and Community Medicine Statement of Interests: Involved in research looking at the way vascular risk factors and vascular pathology effect the expression of various types of cognitive impairment and dementia, and in ways of preventing and treating these. Involved in research looking at the role cognitive impairment in precipitating and perpetuating homelessness in elderly people. More... Associate Professor Pascal Carrive     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: My main research interests are in the field of neuroscience and in the neural substrate of emotions. More specifically, my research investigates the neural network responsible for the autonomic, particularly cardiovascular and thermogenic changes associated with psychological stress (anxiety, fear). More... Professor Daniel Chan     South Western Sydney Clinical School Statement of Interests: Daniel KY Chan is a senior staff specialist and director of Aged Care and Rehabilitation at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. He is also a conjoint Professor of Geriatrics at the University of New South Wales and an adjunct Professor at the University of Western Sydney. He has qualifications in clinical practice (FRACP, FHKCP), research (MD) and health service management (MHA, AFCHSE). He has been involved with many molecular biology, epidemiologyical, Parkinson's disease, stroke and health service related research. He has had 90 + publications in journals, about two-fifth of these as first author. Many are internationally reputable journals, some highly prestigious. Some of the best journals include New England Journal of Medicine (Impact Factor (IF 44.02, first author) , the top journals in neurology: “Neurology” (IF 5.973, first author), “Archives of Neurology” (IF: 4.835, three papers, first author once and second author once); “Annals of Neurology” (IF: 8.097, co-author), “Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry” (IF: 3.11, first author) as well as top journals in Geriatrics: “Journal of the American Geriatric Society” (IF: 3.361, most senior author), “Journals of Gerontology” (IF 4.122, first author) and “Age & Ageing” (IF: 1.646, three papers, once first author and twice second author). He is also actively involved in the research area of stroke with publications in reputable journals: including JAGS (IF 3.361), Acta Neurologica Scandinavica (IF 1.712), Neuroepidemiology (IF 1.758) and Medical Journal of Australia (IF 2.0) (Publication list no 6,9,10,15,30,35). He has published a position statement - “Dysphagia and aspiration in older people” on the website on behalf of the Australian Society for Geriatrics Medicine (Publication list no 18). He has been successful in securing in excess of $2million from various competitive grants in recent years. Sources of grants include: NHMRC (ID 510275, CIA; ID 358372, CIF), Hong Kong Research Council; New South Wales Health Department; Pathway Home for elderly(Commonwealth); Australian Council for Safety and Quality in Health Care (Commonwealth); Royal Australasian College of Physicians (mostly as first applicant. More... Dr Hui Chen     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: The effects of maternal nutrition interventions on appetite, body weight, hormones (plasma leptin, insulin), lipids, and brain peptide expression invovled in appetite and glucose metabolism in offspring are of interest. A palatable high fat diet (32% fat) is being used to induce maternal obesity. This approach will be used to address the possibility of preventing childhood obesity by drugs and behaviour interventions. A second area of study deals with the effects of cigarette smoking on appetite, body weight, plasma leptin, and hypothalamic peptides expression to address wasting diseases. More... Professor James Colebatch     Prince of Wales Clinical School - Department of Medicine Statement of Interests: The broad research aim is to understand motor control and its disorders in humans, using both normal volunteers and selected patients with well-characterised abnormalities. A major theme at present is the role of vestibular reflexes in motor control as well as their diagnostic role. More... Dr Kay Double     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: The research carried out within my group focuses on understanding cellualr mechanisms of neurodegeneration, with a particular focus on Parkinson’s disease. An understanding of these mechanisms is critical for the development of more effective treatments and preventive therapies for neurodegenerative disease. We are also collaborating with national and international colleagues, including commercial links, to develop improved diagnostic methods for Parkinson’s disease. Another focus of our research is understanding neurogenesis, or how new brain cells develop, in the healthy aged and diseased human brain. More... Dr Thomas Fath     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: The primary research focus of the lab is on the regulation of the cytoskeleton in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease with a particular interest in the microfilament system. For this we employ cell and tissue cultures, prepared from genetically modified mice which express altered levels of the actin dynamics-regulating protein tropomyosin. Other projects in the lab focus on the role of the cytoskeleton in early neuronal development. Recent outcome of these projects demonstrate that tropomyosin isoforms regulate early processes such as neurite formation in an isoform-specific manner. More... Dr Gary Flynn     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Disorders of neural synchrony underlying psychotic illnesses and general psychopathology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders More... Dr Paul Foley     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: I am preparing the first history of the “sleeping sickness” (encephalitis lethargica) epidemic which afflicted the world between the two World Wars. About one-third of victims died during the acute phase; at least equally tragic was the fact that almost all survivors, mostly under the age of thirty years, developed incurable neurological syndromes resembling Parkinson’s disease (as seen in the film ‘Awakenings’). Despite the enormous acute and long term effects of the epidemic, no detailed historical examination of this disorder has ever been published, and its cause never established. In light of the strong possibility that such a disaster could recur without warning, it would appear prudent to have available a documented account of its most recent major appearance as a guide for the future. Further, the occurrence of a large number of cases of parkinsonism clearly secondary to a specific environmental event is highly significant and is expected to provide insights into the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease. More... Professor Simon Gandevia     Prince of Wales Clinical School - Department of Medicine Statement of Interests: Our laboratories are broadly concerned with human motor control, both with basic mechanisms and with pathophysioloy. For example we undertake studies in proprioception, the behaviour of muscle spindles and the fusimotor system, and the neural control of hand function. In addition we study the central nervous system control of motoneurones and muscle during fatiguing exercise, and the control of respiratory motoneurones in health and disease. More... Dr Catherine Gorrie     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: Repair of the injured spinal cord, investigating both neuroprotective mechanisms to limit tissue damage, and repair strategies to encourage the re-growth of new axons. Two different platforms are currently being trialled, using a) cell transplants and b) a mimetic peptide approach. These target the acute and chronic stages of spinal cord injury. The overall aim is to improve locomotion and demonstrate cellular repair of spinal tissue. More... Dr Ross Grant     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: 1) Investigation of the role of oxidative stress and NAD metabolism on brain cell death and cellular degeneration. More... Dr Melissa Green     School of Psychiatry - Black Dog Institute Statement of Interests: My research interests in cognitive neuropsychiatry focus on determining the causes and consequences of cognitive and emotion processing disturbances in severe psychiatric conditions. This includes investigations of (1) the genetic basis of cognitive and emotional endophenotypes for mood and psychotic disorders, (2) emotion regulation disturbances in mood, psychotic, and personality disorders, and (3) the development of emotion regulation capacities in adolescence, with relevance to the early onset of mood and psychotic conditions. These projects are conducted in collaboration with UNSW staff at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute and the School of Psychology, and with the Eastern Suburbs Mental Health Service. External collaborators at the University of Leiden (The Netherlands) and the University of Melbourne (Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre and Orygen Youth Health) contribute to various components of the research. In addition, collaborative work with researchers at the Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (Macquarie University) is concerned with the remediation of emotion processing difficulties in psychotic disorders. More... Dr Gilles Guillemin     St Vincent's Clinical School Statement of Interests: Involvement of tryptophan (an essential amino acid) and its derived molecules (kynurenines) in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Prion diseases and Down syndrome. We are collaborating with neuroscientists in Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, USA and Japan. More... Dr Craig Hardman     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: In the fields of neuropathology and neurodegeneration, research vocuses on quantitative comparisons across Parkinsonian disorders (e.g. Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy). Other areas of interest include comparative neuroanatomy with special interest in quantitative comparison of neuronal populations across primate species and the production of stereotaixc and quantitative atlases of various mammalian brains. More... Dr Mark Hill     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: My current research in the Cell Biology Laboratory is looking at the skeleton within each cell and the biological mechanisms use to change and regulate shape. The description of these mechanisms leads to a better understanding of, and perhaps influence on, these changes occurring in disease, development and during cell repair. Analysis in the School employs the powerful tools of molecular biology, tissue culture and image analysis techniques. More... Professor Gary Housley     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: Noise and age-related hearing loss is the most prominent sensory disability in society. Research based in the newly established Translational Neuroscience Facility in the School of Medical Sciences is extending fundamental research on the cellular and molecular processes of cochlear homeostasis to investigate novel ways to preserve hearing. The work focuses on both peripheral sensory and central brain function. More... Dr Nicole Jones     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: The broad research focus of the lab is to examine cellular and molecular mechanisms that may cause or prevent brain cell death resulting from an acute brain injury (ie perinatal asphyxia, stroke, trauma). Drugs with neuroprotective potential are routinely investigated in cell lines, brain tissue cultures and in vivo rat injury models as part of a search for new therapeutic strategies for acute brain injuries. Because tissue hypoxia often occurs after a brain insult, we are interested in learning how hypoxia-inducible proteins (hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), erythropoietin, vascular endothelial growth factor, glucose transporters) are involved in injury and repair processes of the brain. More... Associate Professor Matthew Kiernan     Prince of Wales Clinical School Statement of Interests: Clinical neurology and neurophysiological studies (particularly axonal excitability) that investigate disease pathophysiology in patients with neurological disorders. More... Dr Arun Krishnan     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: My major area of interest is in the area of clinical neurophysiology, particularly in the use of nerve excitability techniques as a means of investigating the pathophysiology of neuropathic processes. Measurements of excitability are cutting-edge techniques that provide information related to the activity of a variety of ion channels, energy-dependent pumps and ion exchange processes activated during impulse conduction. These are novel techniques which our group has applied to the study of mechanisms underlying the development of neuropathy and nerve injury. Specifically, we have applied these techniques to the study of metabolic and toxic neuropathies including those that occur secondary to diabetes, end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and chemotherapy. Other studies have explored the responses of nerves to ischaemia, natural activity and altered electrolyte balance. Recently, excitability techniques have been applied to the assessment of cortical excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation and we propose to apply these techniques to the study of neurodegenerative processes and central channelopathies. More... Professor David Laing     School of Women's and Children's Health Statement of Interests: Psychological, anatomical and physiological research on the developing senses of smell and taste in humans is aimed at understanding the maturity of the two senses in children and the establishment of clinical tests of smell and taste for children. The latter are being applied to studies of disorders of the two senses and strategies for managing chemosensory dysfunction. More... Dr Geoffrey Lambert     Prince of Wales Clinical School - Department of Medicine Statement of Interests: Graduate and post-graduate research experience in cardiovascular, autonomic and CNS pharmacology and physiology. Ph D thesis entitled "Studies on the pharmacology and chemistry of certain harmala and yohimbine alkaloids." Postdoctoral research on central mechanisms involved in cardiovascular function, neurophysiological and biochemical interactions of aminergic neuron populations in the CNS, dopamine mediated behavioural responses, mode of action of hallucinogens. Chemical and hormonal control of the growth of skin, wool and associated structures with particular reference to the roles of neurotransmitter control of blood flow and hormones. Role of photoperiodicity and pineal-hypothalamic-pituitary system in regulation of biological processes Neurogenic and humoral control of the cerebral and extracerebral vasculature, role of monoaminergic brainstem nuclei and sensory nuclei on craniovascular reactivity of relevance to migraine. Pathways and mechanisms of craniovascular sensation at a peripheral, spinal cord, thalamic and cortical levels. Mechanisms of modulation of craniovascular sensation. The relationship between cortical neural activity and blood flow. Reactivity of intra- and extra-cerebral cranial circulations to vasoactive drugs and to anti-migraine agents. Influence of brainstem structures on cortical function and pain control mechanisms in the trigeminal sensory system. Influence of antimigraine drugs on the mechanism of cranio-vascular sensation. More... Dr Juliana Lamoury     Centre for Immunology Statement of Interests: 1) Potential of bone marrow-derived stem cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis; 2) Prospects of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for the treatment of lysosomal storage disorders such as Krabbe disease; 3) Expression of chemokines and their receptors within the CNS and their involvement in inflammation and neuropathogenesis. More... Dr Michael Lee     School of Medical Sciences - Exercise Physiology Program Statement of Interests: The broad aim of my research is to provide useful information regarding the adaptability of the human motor system and the nature of neural adaptation in response to exercise and motor learning. Other research interests include the mechanism of chronic pain, effects of pain on the control of movements and neurophysiological effects of various manual therapies commonly used in rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy and chiropractic. More... Dr Trevor Lewis     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: Ligand-gated ion channels are one of the fundamental building blocks for a functioning nervous system. They are responsible for the fast transmission of signals between nerve cells at specialised junctions called synapses. Research is undertaken on the human glycine receptor as a model system of ligand-gated channels in general. The overall aim is to relate the functional characteristics of the glycine receptor to what is know about its protein structure. Two strands are currently being investigated. The first is the conformational changes that follow ligand binding to allow the ion channel pore to open. This is concentrating particularly on the interface between the transmembrane domain and the extracellular domain of the receptor. The second strand is the relationship between the structure of the ion channel pore and what characteristics determine the ability to select for anions in preference to cations. More... Dr Cindy Lin     School of Medical Sciences - Exercise Physiology Program Statement of Interests: Clinical application of nerve excitability testing Measuring multiple excitability properties of large human motor and sensory axons using threshold tracking techniques and software (QTRAC © Institute of Neurology), provide information about human axons that is different from, and complementary to, conventional nerve conduction studies. For example, excitability measures are much more sensitive to changes in resting membrane potential than measurements of conduction velocity. These methods are being applied to a range of conditions affecting human peripheral nerves, in order to help determine the pathophysiology of the neuropathy, or to improve diagnosis. Neuropathies currently under investigation include those associated with diabetes, uraemia and other metabolic disorders, and those associated with the chemotherapy in cancers. More... Dr Lu Liu     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: Neurochemicals and receptors in regulation of gut function More... Dr Leonora Long     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: . More... Associate Professor Colleen Loo     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Novel non invasive brain stimulation techniques offer exciting new potential to probe the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, as well as possible new avenues for treating psychiatric disorders. Our team at UNSW, based at the Black Dog Institute (Randwick), has expertise in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Current research streams are: More... Associate Professor David McKenzie     Prince of Wales Clinical School - Department of Medicine Statement of Interests: Studies of respiratory and upper airway motor control, respiratory reflexes and sensations respiratory muscle function in various pulmonary and neuromuscular disorders and obstructive sleep apnoea are undertaken in collaboration with scientists at the Prince of Wales Medical research Institute and the Departments of Liason Psychiatry and Physiotherapy at the Prince of Wales Hospital. More... Dr Americo Migliaccio     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) is important for maintaining visual stability during tasks that move the head rapidly and unpredictably, for example, as occurs during running or when driving on a bumpy road. The vestibular organs, one in each inner ear, sense rotational and linear head motion and move the eyes to compensate for passive head movements. The vestibular organ can be damaged by disease, degenerative conditions and by chemical or surgical interventions. When both vestibular organs are damaged it can be severely debilitating. The research in this laboratory has two closely related goals: 1) to understand the signal processing mechanisms that control the VOR by analysing vestibular-evoked eye movements and single-unit (vestibular nerve) recordings; and 2) to apply this knowledge of basic vestibular physiology to the diagnosis and treatment of balance disorders in humans. More... Scientia Professor Philip Mitchell     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: "High risk" longitudinal study of young people at genetic risk for bipolar disorder. Molecular genetics of bipolar disorder. Treatment of bipolar disorder - psychological and pharmacological. Phenomenology of bipolar depression. Transcranial magnetic stimulation and direct current stimulation as treatments for depression and other psychiatric disorders. More... Dr Gila Moalem-Taylor     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: Damage to the nervous system is often associated with chronic neuropathic pain symptoms including spontaneous pain, increased sensitivity to painful stimuli (hyperalgesia), and pain perceived in response to normally non-painful stimuli (allodynia). Such pain is extremely debilitating and difficult to treat. My current research focuses on the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain, with particular emphasis on how immune cells and inflammatory mediators influence chronic pain following peripheral nerve injury or autoimmune inflammation in the nervous system. More... Dr Andrew Moorhouse     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: My main research area is glycine receptors; how their molecular structure relates to their function; their physiological roles at synapses and investigating novel modulators. I also research additional aspects of synaptic transmission and ion channels. More... Professor Margaret J Morris     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: Obesity - Alterations to brain Neuropeptide Y (NPY) causes increase food intake. Our laboratory is exploring the brain mechanisms involved in appetite. Obesity is a world-wide problem. The brain regulates appetite throught the actions of a complex array of neurotransmitters that either increase or decrease feeding. Professor Morris and her team use animal models of obesity to explore the brain mechanisms involved in appetite, and the changes that occur in these systems during the development of obesity. Their work aims to improve our understanding of how the brain regulates feeding and to provide new insight into potential treatments for obesity and other feeding disorders. Diabetes - The effect of diabetes on how the brain senses hypoglycemia Epilesy - Collaboration with Royal Melbourne Hospital, examining the involvement of NPY on absence seizures. Further work examines the mechanisms by which some anti-epilepy drugs make seizures worse. More... Dr Renee Morris     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: After an injury, the adult spinal cord fails to regenerate and damage at cervical levels are particularly devastating as they may result in quadriplegia. However, there is now evidence that the delivery of neurotrophins to the injured spinal cord can elicit axonal growth and regenerative sprouting. One aspect of my research is to use adenoviral vectors to up-regulate levels of neurotrophins into spinal cord motor neurones in an animal model of spinal cord injury. It is hypothesised that this gene therapy scenario will assist the recovery of motor control. More... Professor John Myburgh     St George Clinical School - Department of Medicine Statement of Interests: My previous research included pharmacodynamic studies of catecholamines on systemic and cerebrovascular function, aspects of neurotrauma and large-scale multicentred clinical trials in Intensive Care in conjunction with the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Clinical Trials Group (ANZICS CTG). Current research activities are conducted through the George Institute for International Health in Critical Care Medicine and Trauma in collaboration with the ANZICS CTG and George Institute China and India. These studies include glycaemic control and renal replacement therapy in Intensive Care and development of trauma outcome studies in Australia, China and India. More... Associate Professor Rod O'Connor     School of Public Health and Community Medicine Statement of Interests: The way healthcare practitioners, patients, and people generally, make decisions, in particular the apparently non-normative aspects. These include: More... Dr Peregrine Osborne     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: I am conjoint member of staff based The Pain Management Research Institute at the Royal North Shore Hospital. I collaborate with neuroscientists and clinicians on research projects that aim to understand the neurobiology of processes that cause or alleviate human pain states. A wide range of approaches are used in this work including: molecular biology, neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, behavioural testing and psychological studies, plus fMRI and other clinical methods. My own research uses animal models to study the neurobiology of pain; pharmacology of analgesic drugs; central neuropathic pain and spinal cord injury pain; and visceral pain. More... Dr Olivier Piguet     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: Current research projects focus on frontotemporal dementia (FTD), with a particular interest in the early clinical characteristics of the different subtypes of the disease and progression over time. Research projects generally combine different approaches cognitive testing, clinical interviews and questionnaires, brain imaging, and postmortem investigations. Emotion processing is impaired in FTD. How does it affect the ability to remember meaningful and important information from one’s life? How does it affect interpersonal relationships? How do these deficits evolve with time? These are some of the questions that currently unresolved. Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, this project follow patients with FTD who undergo tests of memory, language and thinking abilities and receive a brain MRI scan at yearly intervals. We also interview family members of patients to understand the impact of the disease on interpersonal relationships. FTD predominantly affects two regions of the brain: the frontal and temporal lobes. Presence of progressive change to these brain structures is an important feature of the disease and helps towards an accurate diagnosis. This project examines the extent and severity of changes taking place in the frontal and temporal lobes as the disease progresses in the grey and white matter of the brain. This project will contribute to our understanding of the progression of the disease and improve diagnostic accuracy. More... Dr Tertia Purves-Tyson     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: I am interested in the intracellular signalling mechanisms in autonomic pelvic ganglia and other peripheral ganglia (sensory dorsal root ganglia; sympathetic superior cervical ganglia) that are involved in neurodegeneration as a result of diabetes-induced nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). An aim is to determine neuroprotective mechanisms in these neuron populations for potential neurotherapeutic intervention. I am also investigating estrogens and androgens as potential neurotherapeutic agents. Work is carried out both in vitro and in vivo. More... Professor Caroline Rae     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: I use interdisciplinary approaches to understand how the biochemistry of the brain underlies brain function, and vice versa. A range of (mostly) collaborative projects crosses basic and more applied research, centred around the use of magnetic resonance technology both in vivo and in vitro. More... Dr Jacqueline Rushby     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Neuropsychological studies of patients with schizophrenia have consistently shown cognitive deficits in attention, executive function and working memory. Collaborative work with neuroscientists utilising fMRI and brain stimulation methods to study cognitive deficits in schizophrenia is of particular interest. More... Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: There are broad interests in the field of Neuropsychiatry. Our major focus is on ageing and cognition,and I head the Brain and Ageing program. We have large longitudinal studies of ageing including: Memory and Ageing Study, Older Australian Twins Study, PATH Through Life Study, Sydney Centenarian Study and the Sydney Stroke Study. These studies examine MVI, Alzheimer's disease, Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Dementia, as well as Cognitive Ageing in healthy individuals. We have a number of studies that involve neuroimaging (MRI, MRS, pMRI, fMRI and SPECT) in dementia, mild cognitive impairment, fronto-temproal dementia, stroke, OCD, anorexia nervosa, etc. We also have a number of studies involving Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and transcranail direct current stimulation (tDCS) for both treatment and as an investigational tool in neuropsychology. We have an interest in exploring novel treatments, including Vagus Nerve Stimulation for depression. I am also the Executive Director of the Stem Cell Laboratory with a focus on neural stem cells. More... Dr Shaun Sandow     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Pharmacology Statement of Interests: Working with colleagues in Australia, Canada, Britain, the US and Denmark, our studies aim to determine some of the ways that cells in arteries communicate with one another and specifically, at how cells control the balance between the way that arteries narrow (constrict) and enlarge (dilate). This balance is referred to as vascular tone and is the main determinant of blood pressure and thus cardiovascular disease. Coordination of vascular tone is dependent on signals passing through junctions within and between the cellular layers in arteries. Our studies correlate anatomy and function, to identify the fundamental pathways that underlie blood vessel function. More... Dr Melissa Slavin     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: I am a Research Fellow within the School of Psychiatry, working on a number of projects, including the Memory and Ageing Study, the Sydney Centenarian Study, and several neuroimaging projects. I am particularly interested in cerebrovascular damage and the impact of this on cognition. More... Dr Robert Smee     Prince of Wales Clinical School Statement of Interests: The practice of Medicine requires an evidence based approach with clinical audit to determine comparable results to peers. Thus clinical research both retrospective and prospective, is practised in the field of Neuro-Oncology and Head & Neck Cancers. Developing new methods of treatment via Stereotactic Radiotherapy is important. Psychological distress amongst brain tumour patients is also evaluated. More... Dr George Smythe     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: Neurodegenerative diseases of aging such as Alzheimer's Disease are associated with oxidative and free radical-induced damage to DNA, proteins, and energy metabolism in the CNS, Of particular interest are diagnostic markers of this damage and the role of anti-oxidants, radical scavengers and metal chelators in attenuating the damage. Collaborative work with neuroscientists at St Vincent's and Prince of Wales Hospitals and Monash University is investigating Alzheimer's and other demeting diseases, Other collaborations with neuroscientists in the UK is investigating malaria-induced brain dysfunction. More... Mr Timothy South     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: In the field of neuroscience, I examine the effects of palatable feeding on the development of obesity and any subsequent changes on the brain and behaviour. More... Associate Professor Marcus Stoodley     Prince of Wales Clinical School - Department of Surgery Statement of Interests: 1. The origin of fluid in spinal cord cysts (syringomyelia) is unknown. Fluid tracer studies are being used to determine pathways and source of fluid. 2. Brain vascular malformations are often too risky to treat with surgery. Radiosurgery is an alternative, but with limitations. Our research aims to augment the cellular and molecular response of radiosurgery to improve AVM treatment. More... Ms Daina Sturnieks     School of Medical Sciences Statement of Interests: Research interests include studies to understand human balance and walking, including sensory and motor contributions, as well as falls-related research in elderly populations. More... Dr Roy Sugarman     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: I am interested in the field of personalised medicine and the utilisation of computer-assisted assessment in facilitating this. More... Emeritus Professor David Tracey     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: My research is in the processes which underlie neuropathic pain. It is based on the hypothesis that inflammatory mechanisms contribute to the pain arising from nerve damage. The research is centred on the types of cells which are likely to be involved (eg mast cells, neutrophils and macrophages) and the chemical mediators which may be responsible (eg serotonin, nerve growth factor, prostaglandins). More... Dr Michael Valenzuela     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Dr Valenzuela is a Research Fellow in Regenerative Neuroscience at the School of Psychiatry, UNSW and the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital. His background is in psychology, clinical medicine and neuroscience research. His PhD focused on the topic of brain reserve, specifically how complex mental activity affects the development and expression of dementia. This question was tackled using a multi-modal and longitudinal approach, bringing together epidemiological, neuroimaging and biochemical techniques. For this work he was awarded the prestigious Eureka Prize for Medical Research in 2006. Dr Valenzuela’s current research interests are aimed at further understanding the competing forces of neuroplasticity and neurodegeneration in the human brain, and how these can either lead to, or help prevent, dementia. He is working on a range of studies across various technologies, including in vivo brain imaging, post-mortem brain tissue analysis, neural stem cell culture, and animal behaviour. Dr Valenzuela also believes that the problem of dementia is a critical one for modern society, and is committed to communicating dementia-prevention health ideas to the public. More... Associate Professor Ricky Van Der Zwan     Rural Clinical School - Mid North Coast Division - Coffs Harbour Statement of Interests: As Co-Director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience and Behaviour I manage research projects across a range of areas. The core business of the Lab is Behavioural Neuroscience and we have active and productive projects investigating the neural mechanisms mediating gender perception, biological motion perceptions, and body language. We are investigating also the neuroscientific correlates of behavioural interventions in mediating the symptoms and progress of both Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. We run, off-site, projects on mental health and parenting. We have interests also in population health, particularly in telehealth (how to deliver quality health care to people in regional and remote locations). More... Dr Daniel Vianna     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: I am interested in the brain circuits involved in psychological stress, their interface with the circuits which influence the autonomic nervous system, and their consequences regarding human health. When a person is emotionally upset, their hearts beat faster, their blood pressure rises, and this can potentially lead to clinically relevant consequences, such as triggering myocardial infarction. My research focuses on how those emotions lead to changes in autonomic responses, how could we block it centrally through pharmacological means, and where in the nervous system these drugs act. More... Dr Richard Vickery     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Physiology Statement of Interests: My broad aim is to understand the neural mechanisms that give rise to sensory perception. In collaboration with colleagues at UWS I work on the integration of binocular information in extrastriate visual cortex, and on somatosensory system. Pharmacological and electrophysiological techniques are employed to study synaptic influences on single neurons. Psychophysical and behavioural studies are carried out to look at integration. More... Dr Ute Vollmer-Conna     School of Psychiatry - Department of Human Behaviour Statement of Interests: The field of Psychoneuroimmunology, with a particular focus of cytokine-induced changes in behaviour, emotion, motivation and cognition. Additional interests include the effect of genetic polymorphisms on the severity and duration of illness following acute infection. Cross-disciplinary research involves colleagues from Pathology/Immunology, Virology, Psychiatry, Psychology and General Practice. More... Emeritus Professor Phil Waite     School of Medical Sciences - Department of Anatomy Statement of Interests: Each year in Australia approximately 300 people suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury. As there is currently no cure, people are left with a lifetime of disability and dependence. Research in our lab focuses on potential cellular therapies to repair the cord. We are trialing olfactory ensheathing cells in rats, testing for improvements in locomotion, thermal and cardiovascular functions, and assessing pain. In parallel with this, we are working with clinicians and spinal patients at Royal North Shore Hospital to improve assessment techniques in preparation for clinical trials. [For further information see <a href="http://niru.med.unsw.edu.au" target="_blank"> http://niru.med.unsw.edu.au</a> <a href=/resinterests.nsf/sw/8700055?OpenDocument>More... </a><br><br></font>] Associate Professor Philip Ward     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Use of functional and structural brain imaging to investigate schizophrenia and first episode psychosis, including risk factors such as cannabis use. Research using ERPs and neuropsychological testing to study auditory sensory memory function in healthy volunteers and young people at increased risk for the development of psychosis. Collaborative research with groups at University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, Macquarie University and UCLA. New research interests include the links between schizophrenia and specific reading disability, efficacy of computerised cognitive remediation training in schizophrenia, and predictors of weight gain and metabolic syndrome in first epsisode psychosis. More... Dr Thomas Weickert     School of Psychiatry Statement of Interests: Focused on cognitive function as it pertains to frontal-striatal circuitry, schizophrenia, and normal aging. Using cognitive and neuropsychological testing, brain stimulation, and fMRI to examine the interaction of genes, schizophrenia, antipsychotic treatment, and aging on cognition. More... Ms Jenny Wong     Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute Statement of Interests: More... Need to update your profile? Click here to login with your Staff ID, prefixed by a lower case "s" (eg s1234567), and UniPass to update your profile. If you have any problems please send an email to .

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