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Philip Wrightson Postdoctoral Fellowships Investigating the choroid plexus/cerebrospinal fluid axis in sleep-dependent glymphatic regulation Dr Deidre Jansson, Oregon Health and Science University $200,213 We all know that sleep is important. One of the reasons is that the brain uses sleep to activate waste clearance. A brain drainage system has recently been discovered which clears accumulated waste products by fluid flow in the brain. Both inefficient waste clearance and sleep disruption are prominent features of Alzheimer’s disease. Deidre’s research aims to discover how brain waste is cleared by sleep so that we may treat and prevent diseases of impaired protein clearance such as Alzheimer’s disease. Stress neurons and the computation of risk assessment Dr Joon Kim, Department of Physiology, University of Otago $169,008 People assess risk and learn from past experiences to either avoid dangerous situations or learn to fear them less. Maladaptive risk assessment impairs rational judgment and is strongly associated with anxiety disorders, depression, and phobias. Joon’s project aims to understand how neurons that control stress also affect risk assessment and anxiety states. It is proposed that high-stress neuron activity drives irrational fear and avoidance, resulting in inhibition of goal-directed or necessary behaviours.This research may provide a better framework for understanding impaired decision-making during mental illness states such as anxiety or depression. Disruption of pericyte cytoskeleton by Alzheimer’s disease stressors Dr Leon Smyth, Department of Pathology, University of Otago $163,099 Breakdown of the blood-brain barrier is one of the earliest changes in Alzheimer’s disease and causes the brain to be exposed to damaging blood components. In Alzheimer’s disease, the cells that surround blood vessels (pericytes) retract their processes, disrupting the blood-brain barrier. Leon will test if inflammation and amyloid-β disrupt the structure of pericytes through oxidative processes, leading to the retraction of their processes.This project will attempt to protect pericytes from this stress and hope that this research provides a new way to maintain the blood-brain barrier and help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Repatriation Fellowship Investigation of the neural underpinnings of spatial attention biases during sleep onset: Rehabilitation of spatial neglect Dr Corinne Bareham, Department of Psychology, Victoria University ofWellington $92,833 Unilateral spatial neglect is a condition where patients lose awareness of one side of the world – the side opposite the brain lesion. Intriguingly, as we fall asleep, the left side of the world fades away and we confuse information coming from our left as if it came from our right.This phenomenon bears a striking resemblance to neglect and provides an opportunity to identify – in healthy intact brains – the neural mechanisms underlying conscious attention that are impaired in spatial neglect. Corinne’s project aims to identify the region of the brain that has a causal role in neglect allowing for targeted rehabilitation. Postgraduate scholarships FRAMBOISE: Fluoxetine, Recovery, And Motor BiOmarkers in StrokE Phoebe Ross, Department of Medicine, University of Auckland $116,327 – Gillespie Scholarship Stroke often causes weakness on one side of the body. Unfortunately, there are currently no medications available to help people recover movement. Phoebe’s research will determine whether a commonly prescribed anti-depressant can improve movement recovery and use biomarkers to identify which patients are most likely to benefit.The results of this research could lead to new approaches in stroke rehabilitation clinical practice, and improvements in recovery and quality of life for the thousands of New Zealanders who experience a stroke each year The DDD rat: a novel model of Parkinson’s disease for testing new therapeutic strategies Jason Lloyd, University of Auckland $116,327 – W & B Miller Scholarship Dopamine enables normal bodily movement, and diminished dopamine levels seen in Parkinson’s disease causes motor symptoms of tremor, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement. Levodopa is the ‘gold-standard’ drug used to replenish dopamine and restore normal movement. However, Levodopa (L-DOPA) treatment gradually becomes less effective, leading to debilitating side effects. Jason’s project aims to improve treatment of Parkinson’s disease with L-DOPA and screen for new more effective drugs.This will be achieved by developing a new rat model that more accurately mimics human Parkinson’s disease. 10 / Headlines