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Headlines 11 VJ Chapman Fellowship Dr Cathy Zhong, University of British Columbia A deep learning approach to the electrophysiology of the cognitive control of saccades $133,500 Artificial intelligence (AI) is being applied more often to clinical research. This project explores the use of ‘deep learning’ to show where and when the brain prepares an eye movement to the right or the left, and towards or away from a target, by analysing the electrical signals of the brain. As these eye movements are abnormal in disease states such as schizophrenia, neurodegenerative dementias, and traumatic brain injury, these first results in healthy subjects will prepare the groundwork for patient studies, to help us understand the cognitive dysfunction responsible for their difficulties with motor planning and control. Doctoral Scholarships Amy Bennie, University of Otago Proudly sponsored by Peter andWendy Gillespie Investigating the potential of targeting long non-coding RNAs in glioblastoma $151,119 Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common form of brain cancer in adults. It is both highly aggressive and almost always fatal, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 4%. The few GBM treatments currently available offer very little improvement in survival time. As such, this research aims to investigate the development of new GBM treatments. The potential of a new class of GBM therapies will be assessed using a three-dimensional model of the brain which can be cultured in the lab. This research will provide insight into the potential benefit of these new therapies to GBM patients. Kirsten Carter, Victoria University of Wellington Investigating the role of the kappa opioid receptor in promoting remyelination and repair inmultiple sclerosis $151,160 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease affecting 2.8 million people worldwide including 4,000 New Zealanders. The disease causes significant damage to signal-sending neural cells resulting in debilitating mental and physical disability. There is currently no cure for MS, but novel treatments that aim to repair damage to neural cells are a promising avenue. Our team is at the forefront of drug-development for MS treatment and have many drug candidates showing great promise in preclinical models of disease. This project aims to further characterise our potential new drugs and confirm the relevance of our drug targets using clinical, human brain tissue. Travel Grants Pang Ying Cheung, University of Auckland To attend the Australasian Course in Advanced Neuroscience to learn advanced theory and experimental techniques in neuroscience. $1,150 Professor Bronwen Connor, University of Auckland To attend the ASSCR-AGCTS 12th Biennial Conference in Melbourne. $2,654 Zoe Dyer, St Vincent’s Centre for Applied Medical Research, Sydney To attend the Sydney Cytometry Winter School. $365 Dr Deidre Jansson, University of Auckland $1,200 Bryony Thorne, Victoria University of Wellington $1,680 Travel to Queenstown for the Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research 2022. Dr Rhys Livingstone, University of Otago Travelling to Bordeaux, France to attend and present at BrainConf, including visits to collaborating labs. $4,361 Dr Brigid Ryan and Ashleigh O'Mara Baker, University of Auckland To present their work at the leading FTD (frontotemporal dementia) conference, ISFTD 2022, in France. $2,734 James Wiseman, University of Auckland To conduct experimental work, as part of his doctoral project, on multiple system atrophy tissue at The University of Sydney. $2,111