SoMS Honours

Potential Projects » Neuroscience

Academic	Project Title
A/Prof Ingvars Birznieks, Dr Heba Khamis & A/Prof Richard Vickery Sensory Neuroscience, SoMS, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)	Sensorimotor control of human hand in the context of object manipulation (fundamental neurobiology, computational neuroscience, prosthetics, robotics; this project is suitable for medical science and engineering students) (NEUR Honours, SoMS Honours, MSc & PhD)
A/Prof Ingvars Birznieks & A/Prof Richard Vickery Sensory Neuroscience, SoMS, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)	Deciphering the neural code: recordings of nerve signals from single sensory neurons (tactile afferents) in humans (microneurography) (NEUR Honours, SoMS Honours, MSc & PhD)
A/Prof Ingvars Birznieks and Dr Heba Khamis Sensory Neuroscience, SoMS, Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering (GSBmE), Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA)	Bionics of the sense of touch – interdisciplinary project joining medical sciences and engineering (Honours, Internship, Project A&B, etc., MSc & PhD). This project is suitable for biomedical science and engineering students of various specialisations interested in bionics of sensory systems, neuroprosthetics and design of biomimetic artificial sensors , for example, biomedical, mechatronic, electrical, software, telecommunications and chemical engineering.
Prof Bruce Brew, Dr Michael Lovelace & Dr Gayathri Sundaram St Vincent's Clinical School	Targeting the Kynurenine Pathway to better patient outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis
A/Prof Jane Butler, Prof Lynne Bilston, A/Prof Danny Eckert & Dr Peter Burke Neuroscience Research Australia	Activation and motion of the genioglossus muscle (tongue) and its role in obstructive sleep apnoea. Techniques: EMG, MRI, polysomnography and more
A/Prof Pascal Carrive Brain, Blood Pressure and Stress Lab	Central control of autonomic and behavioural responses during stress and arousal. The role of the hypothalamic peptide orexin. Techniques: Radiotelemetry, behavioural observation, tract tracing, immunohistochemistry and pharmacogenetics.
A/Prof Antony Cooper Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Investigating dysfunctionality in the endolysosomal pathway as a contributor to Parkinson's Disease
A/Prof Danny Eckert Neuroscience Research Australia	Human upper airway physiology investigating the causes of and new treatments for sleep disordered breathing
Dr Fatima El-Assaad & Prof Emad El-Omar Microbiome Research Centre, St George and Sutherland Clinical School	The role of the microbiome in neuroinflammation and dementia
Dr Teri Furlong & Prof George Paxinos Neuroscience Research Australia	The impact of high calorie food on the brain’s orexin system and habitual behaviour
Dr Teri Furlong & Prof George Paxinos Neuroscience Research Australia	Utilizing a DREADDS approach to treat the motor and cognitive symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in an animal model
Dr Teri Furlong & Prof George Paxinos Neuroscience Research Australia	Establishing a preclinical model of autism: brain and behaviour
Prof Simon Gandevia & Dr Martin Héroux Neuroscience Research Australia	Human motoneurone fatigue and recovery (NEUR Honours, SoMS Honours, MSc & PhD)
Prof Simon Gandevia & Dr Annie Butler Neuroscience Research Australia	Ownership and proprioception of the human hand (NEUR Honours, SoMS Honours, MSc & PhD)
Prof Simon Gandevia & Dr Matthew Brodie Neuroscience Research Australia	Remote physiological monitoring with wearable devices: Collect and analyse remote activity, heart-rate (ECG) and respiratory data in people with COPD to help predict/inform long term health/rehabilitation outcomes.
Dr Daniel Hesselson Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Blocking the progression of Parkinson’s Disease
Prof Gary Housley Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS	Cochlear responses to noise stress
Prof Gary Housley Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS	Developmental neurobiology of hearing
Prof Gary Housley & Dr Amanda Craig Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS	Neuroprotection in response to noise stress
Prof Gary Housley, Prof Nigel Lovell & A/Prof Matthias Klugmann Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS & Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering	Gene delivery in the nervous system
A/Prof Yue Huang, Prof Margaret Morris, Prof Glenda Halliday SoMS Pharmacology	Molecular cross talk between neuron and glia in Parkinson’s disease
Dr Anna Hudson Neuroscience Research Australia	Respiratory control in healthy ageing and respiratory disease
Dr Anna Hudson Neuroscience Research Australia	Coupling between the neural and mechanical behaviour in muscles during voluntary movements
Dr Nicole Jones Neuropharmacology and Brain Injury, SoMS	Can hypoxia make new neurons after a brain injury?
Dr Nicole Jones Neuropharmacology and Brain Injury, SoMS	Can hypoxia improve blood brain barrier function in developing brain after injury?
Dr Nicole Jones Neuropharmacology and Brain Injury, SoMS	Can hypothermia and hypoxia help to repair the developing brain after injury?
Dr Nicole Jones & Prof Margaret Morris Neuropharmacology and Brain Injury, SoMS & Metabolic Disease, SoMS	Does maternal obesity affect ischemic brain injury in offspring?
Dr Natasha Kumar & Dr Nicole Jones Molecular Neuroscience, SoMS	Induction of galanin in the retrotrapezoid nucleus reduces ventilation during chronic hypercapnia
Dr Natasha Kumar & Dr Rita Maachalani (University of Sydney) Molecular Neuroscience, SoMS	Does protein expression change in chemoreceptor neurons of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) infants, compared to control infants? Techniques: Acute and chronic models of intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia in neonatal mouse, piglet and human (including SIDS), immunohistochemistry
Dr Trevor Lewis Membrane & Cellular Biophysics, SoMS	Molecular mechanism of glycine receptor activation
A/Prof James H McAuley Neuroscience Research Australia	Understanding the relationship between physical activity, somatosensory discrimination and pain
Dr Euan McCaughey & Prof Jane Butler Neuroscience Research Australia	Understating the mechanisms of Abdominal Functional Electrical Stimulation
Dr Euan McCaughey & Prof Jane Butler Neuroscience Research Australia	Abdominal Functional Electrical Stimulation to improve bowel function in Multiple Sclerosis
Dr Euan McCaughey & Prof Jane Butler Neuroscience Research Australia	Abdominal Functional Electrical Stimulation to reduce respiratory complications after spinal cord injury
Dr Euan McCaughey & Prof Jane Butler Neuroscience Research Australia	Life expectancy after spinal cord injury: an international comparison
A/Prof Americo Migliaccio & Dr Serajul Khan Neuroscience Research Australia	Understanding vestibular plasticity using the incremental vestibulo-ocular reflex adaptation training technique: a new approach for balance rehabilitation
Dr Gila Moalem-Taylor Neuropathic Pain Research, SoMS	Involvement of immune responses in chronic pain following nervous system injury
Dr Gila Moalem-Taylor Neuropathic Pain Research, SoMS	Gap junction proteins in chronic pain
Dr Gila Moalem-Taylor & Dr Justin Lees Neuropathic Pain Research, SoMS	Preclinical assessment of neuroprotective drugs for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
Dr Gila Moalem-Taylor Neuropathic Pain Research, SoMS	The role of regulatory T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis
A/Prof Andrew Moorhouse Neurobiology Research Lab, SoMS	Plasticity of inhibitory synaptic transmission in disease. Our current focus is developing better therapies to treat drug resistant epilepsy by targeting KCC2 membrane transporters and GABA receptors.
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	Sensory brainstem changes from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (This project will induce a peripheral neuropathy from chemotherapy and examine the signal processing changes that result in the DCN.)
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	Handedness in the brainstem? (This project will examine the functional and structural symmetry.)
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	Information transformation along the somatosensory neural axis (This project aims to observe and model the neural code for sensory experiences generated in the periphery and its modification/transformation at different brain regions as it ascends to the cortex. This project will look at different input/output relationships of key somatosensory nuclei in response to peripheral stimuli.)
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	Restoring limb sensations to amputees (This project will develop an animal model of amputation to study nervous innervation of the distal stump. Such an approach might also cure phantom limb pain.)
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	Artificially stimulating the DCN to recreate somatosensory experiences (This project will artificially stimulate the DCN in ways that mimic its activity in response to natural stimulation. If successful the approach would form the basis of a new somatosensory neural prosthetic for restoring body sensations in spinal cord injured patients.)
Dr Jason Potas Somatosensory Systems Neuroscience, SoMS	The role of the cortex on brainstem sensory modulation (This project examines the currently unknown role of the top-down connection from the cortex to the DCN in sensory processing.)
Dr John Power Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS	Addiction associated neuroplasticity (NEUR Honours, MSc & PhD)
Dr Tertia Purves-Tyson Neuroscience Research Australia	Can the selective estrogen receptor modulator, raloxifene, improve cognition in a maternal immune activation rat model of schizophrenia and what are the underlying molecular mechanisms involved?
Dr Kylie Radford & Prof Tony Broe Neuroscience Research Australia	Understanding and preventing dementia in Aboriginal Australians
Prof Caroline Rae Neuroscience Research Australia	Special -K. How does ketamine work in the treatment of depression?
Prof Caroline Rae & Prof Gary Housley Neuroscience Research Australia & Translational Neuroscience Facility, SoMS	Manipulating brain energy metabolism - is more NAD+ the answer?
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Development of spinal cord injury animal model that closely mimics the common SCI seen in humans (Collaboration with Surgical and orthopaedic research laboratory, Prof Bill Walsh)
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Randomised control trial for discogenic back pain.
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Does infarct load affect haemorrhage risk in medical thrombolysis (like tPA)
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Clot composition and likelihood of successful medical thrombolysis
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Factors predictive of late closure for flow diverted aneurysms
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	RCT on adding IV milrinone in management of SAH related vasospasm (maybe >1 year)
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Closure rate of aneurysms with neck remnant after stent assisted coiling: laser cut vs woven stents
Dr Prashanth J Rao Prince of Wales Clinical School	Primary success rate of dural fistula treatment with dual lumen balloon technique vs plug and push technique
Prof David Ryugo Garvan Institute of Medical Research	Hearing research: (a) pathophysiology of tinnitus; (b) auditory enrichment and synaptic plasticity; (c) parallel pathways to auditory cortex
Dr Mohit Shivdasani & Dr Lisa Nivison-Smith Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering & School of Optometry	Does Neural Selectivity in the Retina Depend on the Extent of Retinal Degeneration – Implications for Bionic Eyes
Dr Richard Vickery Sensory Neuroscience, SoMS	Developing a neuroprosthesis to restore slip and grip sensation to prosthetic limb users (Honours only)
A/Prof Richard Vickery & A/Prof Ingvars Birznieks Sensory Neuroscience, SoMS	Neural coding in the sense of touch