A Grey Matter: Recent Episodes
Queensland Brain Institute
A Grey Matter is for anyone who has ever wondered how we think, feel, reason and move. The Queensland Brain Institute's neuroscience podcast unlocks the wonders of the brain – the complex and mysterious core of who we are. QBI, at The University of Queensland, works to understand the development, organisation and function of the brain. www.qbi.uq.edu.au
Antipsychotic drugs, like clozapine, can stabilise some schizophrenia symptoms, but they do not cure the illness and can cause severe side effects.
At UQ, a neuroscientist, a chemist and a psychiatrist have hit on a formulation that may revolutionise the treatment of schizophrenia. The research team, led by Professor Darryl Eyles and Dr Xiaoying Cui, are investigating a new delivery mode for clozapine, in the hope that it may be better tolerated by people living with schizophrenia and improve their quality of life.
In this engaging conversation, Darryl and Xiaoying discuss:
- Treatment-resistant schizophrenia and the side-effects of clozapine
- Collaborating with chemists to develop intranasal delivery
- What they have found so far in preclinical studies
- The potential impact of their research on schizophrenia treatment
Related resources
Intranasal clozapine sol-gel formulation induces an antipsychotic effect at a fraction of a comparable oral therapeutic dose
Epitranscriptomic regulation of striatal function: a new neurobiology of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia research at QBI
In neurodegenerative diseases, about 99% are associated with protein molecules aggregating together. In recent years, super-resolution microscopy has revolutionised how scientists view these minute molecules aggregating, along with other cellular events.
QBI’s Professor Fred Meunier advocated that The University of Queensland invest in super-resolution microscopy; this had paid dividends, revealing fascinating discoveries about the nanoworld. Professor Meunier and his lab can now observe molecules moving in space and time and are developing new techniques to better understand how our cells help us treat brain disorders and diseases.
In this dynamic conversation, Professor Fred Meunier and Anusha Malapaka discuss
- How super-resolution microscopy works
- The different types of super-resolution microscopy
- What super-resolution microscopy allows us to see
- AI’s impact on future super-resolution microscopy technology
Related resources
Unravelling the mysteries of the presynapse with super-resolution microscopy
Nanoscale spatiotemporal cluster analysis of expressed and endogenous proteins
Despite its everyday use in hospitals, scientists have yet to fully understand how general anaesthesia works. Professor Bruno van Swinderen began studying general anaesthesia using the tiny worm C.elegans in the 1990s. Now in his lab at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Bruno and Dr Drew Cylinder are studying general anaesthesia reversal agents, which could shorten patients’ recovery time and potentially reduce the risk of post-operative complications.
In this thought-provoking discussion, Bruno and Drew explore:
- How party drugs led to general anaesthetics
- The difference between local, regional, and general anaesthetics
- General anaesthesia’s effect on the brain
- Improving anaesthesia and the role of reversal agents
- Sleep, consciousness and anaesthesia
Related resources
- Corals and fruit flies aid understanding of anaesthesia
Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of our cells, but research is revealing their wide role in brain health and links to rare genetic diseases that affect the brain. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Professor Steven Zuryn, a leading researcher in this field, and PhD student Tessa Onraet are investigating how keeping mitochondria healthy may help brain function. By studying tiny but experimentally powerful worms, C. elegans, their discoveries may help us understand more about the ageing brain and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
In this engaging conversation, Steven and Tessa discuss:
- Mitochondria’s role in evolution
- The unique DNA inside mitochondria
- Why tiny worms called C.elegans are useful for studying mitochondria
- How our brain cells react to damaged mitochondria
- The future of mitochondria research
Related papers and resources
- Digging deep into distinctly different DNA
- C. elegans as a model to study mitochondrial biology and disease
Exercise has many health benefits, including for our brains. Recent discoveries at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute offer new clues about the mechanisms that generate exercise’s positive effects. In their labs, Dr Tara Walker and Professor Jana Vukovic investigate how exercise enhances cognitive capacity from different angles. They study various mechanisms that can improve learning, memory, and neurogenesis. They are both on the cusp of clinical trials to begin translating their findings into practice.
In this captivating conversation, Tara and Jana explore:
- How exercise impacts the brain
- The process of neurogenesis
- Whether we can replicate the effects of exercise
- How exercise affects the brain’s primary immune cells (microglia)
- Why they want to see exercise prescribed
Related papers and resources
Exercise can help slow cognitive decline
What the evidence tells us about exercise and healthy brain ageing
Platelets can replicate the benefits of exercise in the brain
UQ research reveals exercise brain boost can last for years
Virtual reality (VR) is changing how scientists study memory, and it involves exploring virtual mazes. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, cognitive neuroscience leader Professor Jason Mattingley, PhD student Richard Ronayne, and research assistant Jayce Rushton are conducting VR experiments that they hope will be adopted in clinical settings to test people’s navigational and spatial memory.
In part two of this two-part series, our guests discuss:
- The challenge of using VR when conducting experiments
- Participants’ reactions to trying the VR memory test
- Building a virtual maze to test memory
- How VR can be used in a clinical setting
- Why VR could help people struggling with memory loss
Related papers and resources
Interpreting memory
Virtual reality (VR) is more than just a video game tool — it’s helping advance our understanding of memory. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, cognitive neuroscientist Professor Jason Mattingley, PhD student Richard Ronayne, and research assistant Jayce Rushton are using VR to immerse people in a world they can explore to test their navigational and spatial memory.
In part one of this two-part series, our guests discuss:
- The different types of memory
- Why traditional memory tests may need refining
- Richard’s unique journey from mining sites to neuroscience labs
- The inspiration behind using VR to test memory
- What a VR experiment looks like for participants
Related papers and resources:
What is memory?
Types of memory
Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol grew up far from Queensland – Massimo in Naples, Italy, and Ramon in Catalonia, Spain. Their passion for biology led them both overseas as postdoctoral researchers: Massimo to the United States, and then Ramon to Australia. In 2015, they met at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, where Ramon joined the Meunier lab before moving to the Hilliard lab in 2020 as a Research Fellow. Together, they have been extending the limits of what is known or expected about neuronal fusion.
In this fascinating conversation, Massimo and Ramon explore:
- What happens when neurons fuse
- How viral infections, like Covid-19, can induce fusion, disrupting neural circuits
- The surprising role of a tiny, transparent roundworm, C.elegans, in advancing their research
- How the lab’s discoveries of critical molecular players, like fusogens, may one day revolutionise nerve injury repair
- Advice for early-career researchers pursuing discovery science
Related resources
SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral fusogens cause neuronal and glial fusion that compromises neuronal activity
EFF-1-mediated regenerative axonal fusion requires components of the apoptotic pathway
Fusogen-mediated neuron−neuron fusion disrupts neural circuit connectivity and alters animal behavior
In this special World Stroke Day edition, three remarkable women open up about stroke from every angle — surviving it, treating it, and fighting it in the lab. Letishia Living was just 35 when her life changed overnight; today, she’s a powerful voice for young stroke survivors. Tennille Rowland, an occupational therapist on the frontlines of recovery, reveals the strategies behind rebuilding lives and QBI neuroscientist, Dr Matilde Balbi, takes us inside her cutting-edge research searching for new treatments to heal the brain.
In this informative podcast, our three guests discuss:
- Surviving a stroke as a parent
- Advice for stroke survivors and the importance of support networks
- The challenges for young stroke survivors in the acute recovery phase
- Strategies to support young stroke survivors
- How the brain recovers from stroke
- Gamma frequency stimulation's role in stroke recovery
Related papers and Resources
The brief executive language screen: sensitivity and specificity in acute to early sub-acute stroke
New screening tool to help stroke survivors
Stroke signs and symptoms
Queensland Brain Injury Collaborative
The Stroke Foundation
In this episode, Dr Margreet Ridder — whose project was ranked the top FightMND-funded study in 2024 — reflects on her journey to becoming a researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) with her group leader, Professor Pankaj Sah. She shares how her fascination with neuronal communication led her to electrophysiology and ultimately to pursue gene therapy as a potential treatment for motor neurone disease (MND).
In this insightful conversation, Pankaj and Margreet discuss:
- Why hyperactivity in neurons has become an attractive target for MND treatments
- The science of gene therapy
- Gene therapy’s potential to treat MND
- How viruses can be harnessed for good
- The challenges discovery scientists face
Discover how their work is paving the way for future treatments — and why hope for MND starts with discovery.
Related resources
The story behind Margreet’s pioneering research into MND
Motor neurone disease
Please note that this episode contains discussions about suicidal ideation, which some listeners may find distressing. If you or someone you know is affected by these kinds of issues, we encourage you to seek support from professional services.
Heather Cruickshank was pursuing a lifelong dream to become a medical doctor when bipolar disorder, a complex mental health condition, stopped her in her tracks and forced her to rethink her career. A chance encounter with QBI Associate Professor Susannah Tye, internationally renowned for her research into the biological mechanisms behind mood disorders, encouraged Heather to use her lived experience to pave the way for more effective treatments for bipolar disorder.
In this compelling conversation, Sue and Heather explore:
· The link between mental and physical health
· What it’s like to have bipolar disorder
· Why studying the biology of mood disorders matters
· The role of melatonin, oxidative stress and dopamine
· How lived experience can help shape research
While countless supplements and products promise to reverse aging without scientific proof, the real secret to defying age may be found in the study of epigenetics. This field of study explores how our behaviours and environment can lead to changes that influence how our genes function.
Dr Anne Hahn from the Zuryn laboratory has recently discovered a mechanism in the DNA of genes that regulates how disease-causing mutations are inherited. The findings offer a promising therapeutic avenue to stop the onset of heritable and age-related diseases.
In this informative interview Dr Hahn explains:
Why the old belief that DNA mutations inevitably lead to disease might not be true
The important part mitochondria play in cell ageing
The lifestyle factors the can influence our genetic make-up
Why epigenetic modification is important in age-related diseases
Related Resources
Cell protein discovery points to healthier ageing
Dr Matt Kenna is fascinated by the science of memory. As a researcher at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Matt is tasked with challenging prominent theories centred around one of the biggest unknowns in the world of neuroscience. Memory is fundamental to our identity, shaping who we are. As a member of the Sah lab, Matt studies synaptic plasticity to explore how memories are formed, retrieved, and influence behavior.
In this engaging conversation, Matt discusses:
- How memory is defined
- Where memories are stored in the brain
- The importance of sleep in consolidating memory
- Why some memories are more important than others
- How we can delay cognitive decline and improve memory in old age
Related papers and resources
Interpreting memory: Research and Innovation Week 2024
Podcast: Train your brain
UQ Research reveals exercise brain boost can last for years
UQ Research reveals new brain networks critical to memory formation
Professor John McGrath, a distinguished clinician and researcher at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, is at the forefront of global mental health research. Growing up in Brisbane, John initially pursued a career as a psychiatrist before transitioning to groundbreaking research aimed at unraveling the complexities of mental health disorders. Co-leading a major international study in collaboration with The University of Queensland and Harvard Medical School, John’s research revealed that one in two people will develop a mental health disorder by the age of 75. This pivotal study sheds light on crucial questions about mental health.
In this fascinating conversation, Professor McGrath discusses:
- The recent study findings showing how half of us will develop a mental health disorder by age 75.
- What epidemiology means, and why its useful in understanding mental health.
- The value of discovery science.
- The beauty of collaboration to reach a common goal.
- Whether mental health disorders could be prevented in the future.
Mr Mehershad Wadia has written numerous scripts for short comedies screened at international film festivals like Mumbai and San Francisco, joined the writing team for the third season of The Office India and published a children’s book. Matching his passion for entertainment is Mehershad’s commitment to brain research. He is adamant there is no reason to choose between the two. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Mehershad works in the Hilliard lab, studying the nervous system of c.elegans.
In this insightful conversation, Mehershad explains:
- How the right experimental conditions led to a stand-up comedy career
- What studying worm brains can teach us about the human brain
- The parallels between comedy and science
- Why he became a writer for The Office during the pandemic
- How skills in the arts and science are helpful in any career.
Professor Gail Robinson has developed a new diagnostic tool to assess cognitive function in post-stroke patients called The Brief Executive Language Screening Test (BELS). This brief 20-minute test, can predict how much a stroke patient will recover to function independently in their first year.
In this informative podcast, Professor Robinson discusses:
- Stroke symptoms and causes
- Warning signs of a stroke
- The window that the BELS test can be taken to best inform recovery
- The typical clinical pathway of a stroke patient
- Lifestyle factors that can cause a stroke
We know exercise is beneficial for our body and mind. Research has shown that neurogenesis – the production of neurons in the brain – continues throughout our lives and is key to improving cognition.
At the Queensland Brain Institute, Dr Daniel Blackmore, has been captivated by this process of neurogenesis. Alongside colleagues from The University of Queensland, he completed a comprehensive study, investigating the potential of exercise in mitigating the cognitive decline associated with diseases impacting learning and memory.
In this fascinating conversation, Dr Blackmore discusses:
What is happening in the brain at the onset of dementia?
How stem cells are important in producing new neurons?
What did you find out from the study?
What type of exercise leads to cognitive improvement?
Is there still more we can discover from this one study?
Dr Bonnie Searle is passionate about getting children to eat. In her past life as a paediatric dietitian for children with food aversions, she experienced first-hand the power of changing how we feed children.
She is currently working on a special research project at the Queensland Brain Institute, called Mealtimes Matter, which suggests that there are some serious nutritional deficiencies in some childcare centres, particularly in disadvantaged areas, that is having a detrimental effect on child development.
In this insightful conversation, Dr Searle discusses:
- Why nutrition is important for developing brains
- The quality of nutrition at childcare centres across Queensland
- Healthy lunchbox tips
- Tips for fussy eaters
What do Wally Lewis AM and Nic Berry have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out. Wally started playing rugby union before switching codes to rugby league, becoming a legend of the game. Nic kicked off in rugby league before his professional career in rugby union, first as a player and now as an international match official. Both have also experienced significant head knocks in rugby and, with the benefit of hindsight, are passionate supporters of QBI’s concussion research.
In this relaxed conversation, they share:
- What they love about the game
- Their experiences of concussion in professional sport
- How the game has changed in the past decade
- What’s been done to protect the players
- Why more awareness and research are needed
Related resources
What is concussion?
Concussion signs and symptoms
About concussion research
QBI concussion study (high school athletes)
Last year, neuroengineer Dr Clarissa Whitmore joined the Queensland Brain Institute as a senior research fellow and is the Institute’s newest group leader. Originally from the United States, Clarissa arrived at UQ following a postdoctoral appointment at the Max Dellbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin.
In a joint appointment with UQ’s School of Engineering, Clarissa seeks to combine her expertise in biomedical engineering with the next phase of neuroscience. Here at QBI, Dr Whitmire and her team are working to improve the human condition by developing tools and technologies to interface with our bodies.
Neuroscientists call this technology Brain Computer Interfaces – devices that establish a direct connection between the brain and a computer, allowing information to be transferred and translated from or even back to the brain.
In this episode of A Grey Matter, Clarissa discusses:
🧬 The rapidly emerging field of biomedical engineering (BME).
💻 Neuroengineering and where Brain Computer Interfaces sit within this.
🎬 Whether popular media influences neuroengineering technologies.
👩⚕️ Her background and what drew her to neuroscience.
🤔 What the future holds for neuroengineering.
As a Research Fellow in Neuroeconomics, Dr Dragan Rangelov investigates human sensory perception, decision-making and memory. His work explores how the brain processes and stores information that leads us to make decisions in all aspects of life. He does this by using techniques designed to measure and record brain activity, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging and by identifying patterns of neural activity associated with external sensory stimuli.
In this conversation, Dragan delves into various intriguing topics, including:
- The brain systems responsible for decision-making
- How neuroeconomics explores economic decision making
- Game theory and how it provides a platform for neuroeconomic studies
- Why we choose to purchase one thing over another
- The idea behind establishing a neuroeconomics research profile at UQ
Robyn Hilton and Allison Scifleet may never have become firm friends had it not been for their involvement in fundraising for dementia research. Both women understand what it is like to care for a loved one with dementia. With more than 421,000 Australians living with dementia and no cure (yet), Robyn and Allison are determined to raise awareness in the community and vital funds for research. All while having as much fun as possible!
In this delightful conversation, Robyn and Allison share:
- What inspired one woman’s annual tribute to her late husband
- The serendipitous moment that led the other to QBI
- The challenges of caring for someone with dementia
- How bringing dementia out of the shadows helps families
- How they tackle fundraising fatigue and the flow-on effect of doing good.
Related resources
2024 QBI Lexus Alzheimer's Jazz Gala
QBI and Lexus of Brisbane High Tea
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
What is dementia?
Ultrasound therapy shows promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
Dementia Australia
What inspired the creation of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI)? And how did QBI become one of the leading neuroscience research centres in the world? On our 20th anniversary, QBI’s inaugural Director, Emeritus Professor Perry Bartlett, and its current Executive Director, Professor Pankaj Sah, take us back to 2003, an exciting and optimistic time for Australian neuroscience, when it all began. They share memories and insights into QBI's origins, what and who has shaped our research over the years, and the community’s vital role in inspiring and sustaining QBI.
In this engaging conversation, Pankaj and Perry delve into:
- Why and how QBI was created
- How the Institute grew from three labs to over 30
- What’s changed in neuroscience research in 20 years
- The power of community support
- What lies ahead for neuroscience
Stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers, with more than 445,000 Australians living with its impacts. Stroke is common, is not always preventable and can happen to anyone at any age. QBI’s Dr Matilde Balbi and her team combine multiple approaches, including in vivo imaging, brain stimulation and AI-driven, individually tailored recovery paradigms, to study the brain’s recovery from stroke. Their goal is to identify and harness intrinsic neuroprotective mechanisms to improve stroke treatments.
In this engaging conversation, Matilde explores:
What happens in the brain after a stroke
- How her team records and tracks neuronal activity
- Why using animal models is a huge advantage
- How stroke therapies are evolving with technology
- Why she focuses her attention on the acute phase of a stroke
QBI researcher Dr Nela Durisic is fascinated with how the brain coordinates electrical activity and how faulty electrical communication can lead to brain disorders like epilepsy. By observing the architecture and function of single molecules and their intricate connections, the Durisic lab aims to discover what leads to genetic epilepsy and uncover new ways to treat it. This knowledge may also advance our understanding of other brain disorders, including depression, addiction and autism.
In this conversation, Nela dives into intriguing topics, including:
- The triggers and genetic causes of epilepsy
- The different roles of excitatory and inhibitory neurons
- What happens in the brain before and during a seizure
- How microscopy and organoids are advancing her lab’s research
- Potential new directions for the treatment of genetic epilepsy
QBI researcher Professor Frederic Meunier is passionate about using highly innovative technology to discover how our brain cells communicate. His lab uses advanced nanoscale imaging (super-resolution microscopy) to observe single molecules in living neurons as they perform their function. In collaboration with mathematicians, the Meunier lab is analysing how small mutations can affect the nanoscale dynamics of single proteins and their function to help us understand the origins of brain disorders and diseases.
In this conversation, Fred traverses far-ranging topics, including:
- Our brain’s chaotic inner cellular environment
- How imaging technology is evolving to accelerate discoveries
- Why video games led to a new spatiotemporal data analysis approach
- What Botox can teach us about the function of the synapse between two brain cells
- Why pharmaceutical companies are starting to invest in single molecule imaging
Boots, beanies and all, QBI researcher Dr Adam Walker is in the fight to find a cure for motor neurone disease (MND). His team uses genetic editing techniques and rapidly advancing technology to study what’s happening at the early onset of disease. By understanding the biological processes that cause MND, they hope to design new therapies that prevent or halt its progression.
In this inspiring conversation, Adam explores:
- How the brain initiates movement
- Why expensive muesli can help explain MND
- The protein TDP-43 and its role in the death of motor neurons
- The exciting potential for targeted MND therapeutics
- Philanthropy’s vital role in blue sky MND research
How do we make choices? And what happens in our brain when we do? Cognitive Neuroscientist Professor Jason Mattingley and his team study human brain activity and structure and how people pay attention, prioritise information and decide. With adolescence being a time of great change, the team is fascinated with how young people assess risk and develop an understanding of what’s at stake. It’s one of several studies the team conducts to understand the complex brain processes that give rise to human behaviour.
In this engaging conversation, Jason delves into:
- Why it’s important to study the decision-making of healthy teenagers
- How decision-making changes when you’re stressed and as you age
- The science behind following your gut instinct
- Whether changing your mind is a good thing
- What happens when there is no ‘right’ answer?
Dr Nathalie Dehorter and her team study interneurons (the neurons controlling the excitation-inhibition balance in the central nervous system) during brain development and in disorders like autism, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease. Nathalie aims to identify early changes in neuronal activity and connectivity that give rise to impairment in the adult brain. She hopes that a better understanding of these processes may, one day, lead to new therapies tailored for a person’s age and gender.
In this brief conversation, Nathalie explains:
- What mouse models of autism can teach us about the human condition
- How early brain changes may lead to autism
- The mechanisms common to autism and schizophrenia
- When the team hopes to move into clinical trials
- Why she chose QBI as her research home
Professor Peter Nestor is a clinician-researcher interested in memory and cognition. As a doctor, he diagnoses people living with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's. By studying patients, he hopes to enhance our understanding of the brain areas most vulnerable to neurodegeneration to improve diagnosis and therapies.
In this fascinating conversation, Peter delves into:
- Why we don't remember every moment of our lives
- The difference between episodic and semantic memory
- What factors make us remember things
- How our memory changes as we age
- Why it's important to enjoy every day
Exercise has many benefits for our bodies, including our brains. So, can we replicate the positive effects of exercise to boost new neurons in the adult brain? Dr Tara Walker thinks so and has dedicated her research career to discovering how. Tara was one of the first researchers recruited to QBI when it opened in 2003. She swapped plant biotechnology for neurogenesis research, and it has taken her to Germany and back to QBI (eight years later) to run her own lab.
In this conversation, Tara explains:
The strongest way to generate new neurons in the adult brain
- What mice have taught us about the benefits of running
- Selenium as a potential stroke therapy
- Her international collaboration related to Alzheimer’s disease
- The advantages of being at an institute dedicated to the brain
QBI researcher Dr Margaret Moore discusses the fascinating and dynamic process of paying attention. Amidst the sensory overload around us, the brain takes as many shortcuts as possible to process information. To save energy, the brain efficiently chooses to process only what it expects is most helpful, most relevant, and most important to us. It also relies on predictions of what it expects to see, based on past experiences. When this expectation differs from what we actually see, a prediction error occurs, and the brain builds a new model of reality.
In this conversation, Margaret explores:
- The process of paying attention
- Predictive attention and why the brain needs to take short cuts to save energy
- How we perceive differences in what we expect to see and what we actually see
- Her past research on visual spatial neglect in stroke patients
- Her current research on healthy brains to understand what is happening in the brain when we pay attention
- The need to approach our understanding of the brain from both a clinical and neuroscience perspective
QBI researcher Professor Tim Bredy believes his team are on the verge of something big. They are studying the role of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is present in all living things, including viruses. RNA is structurally like DNA but it is involved in multiple functions, including brain development, learning and memory.
In this conversation, Tim explores:
- RNA’s functions in our body, including in our brain
- His team’s exciting discovery of a circular RNA
- The vast potential of emerging RNA therapies
- Embracing third-generation sequencing to accelerate discoveries
- How fundamental science is helping to advance RNA therapeutics
Ever wondered what’s happening in your brain while you sleep and why you need sleep?
QBI researchers Professor Bruno van Swinderen and Dr Sally Staton approach sleep from different ends of the scientific spectrum, but both are fascinated by how sleep helps us learn and respond to the world.
In this conversation, they delve into thought-provoking topics like:
- how sleep impacts a child’s brain development
- the different functions of sleep
- the value of REM sleep
- why study sleep in fruit flies
- how consciousness may have evolved
This episode features an insightful conversation between Sallyanne Atkinson AO, former Lord Mayor of Brisbane and current member of the QBI advisory, and Professor Emeritus Perry Bartlett AO, founding Director of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) .
You'll hear about the origins of the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), the power of philanthropy and some of the research that’s been nurtured at the Centre over the past decade.
You probably have heard of a pacemaker – a small device which is implanted in the chest to help control the heartbeat for people living with heart conditions. But did you know similar technology is being used to treat several brain disorders?
Today we are joined by Professor Peter Silburn AM, neurologist, researcher and pioneer in deep brain stimulation (DBS). DBS technology delivers a continuous electrical impulse to targeted regions of the brain to treat many disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and obsessive compulsion disorder (OCD).
In recent years, we’ve seen a growing number of sportspeople speak out about their experiences of head injuries, and concussions are forcing more and more athletes to take a break from or cut short their sporting careers. And research on the brains of former athletes is raising awareness of the long-term neurological damage that can be caused by repeated, apparently minor knocks to the head. Associate Professor Fatima Nasrallah is currently spearheading a ground-breaking study here at the Queensland Brain Institute, investigating the long-term effects of concussion on the brain.
People living with dementia often have disturbed sleep – even years prior to experiencing any other symptoms. Unfortunately, as is the case with many risk factors, we don’t know whether this is a cause or a symptom, and it could in fact be both. Professor Elizabeth Coulson specialises in dementia research here at the Queensland Brain Institute and she’s heading up a team who are looking into the connection between sleep apnoea and dementia risks.
The development of the brain is a fascinating process, with complex brain connections being made rapidly as a foetus grows inside its mother’s womb.Darryl Eyles, Professor of neurobiology, is studying how known risk factors for certain mental disorders can change the way the brain develops.In this episode we explore how the developing brain can adapt to risk factors for mental health disorders and why sometimes it can’t compensate.
How can you study the human brain at the cell level, when you can't get inside to see these tiny processes in action? Well, you build your own brain in a dish of course! Organoids, or mini brains, are an exciting new area of neuroscience an have many applications, including personalised medicine. We talk to Professor Enrst Wolvetang, who's using this cutting-edge research to understand how brains are made.
In this episode, we examine consciousness – what is it, when does it begin, and how might sleep and dreams be the key to answering these questions. Professor Bruno van Swinderen sheds more light on this fascinating topic.
Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham and Queensland Brain Institute Director, Professor Pankaj Sah talk about the lessons we can learn from conservation science and neuroscience, how to influence decision-makers, and why maths is so important!
Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham and Queensland Brain Institute Director, Professor Pankaj Sah talk about the lessons we can learn from conservation science and neuroscience, how to influence decision-makers, and why maths is so important!
CREDITS
Produced, hosted and edited by Carolyn Barry
When we pay attention to something, our minds are selectively concentrating on a discrete piece of information, while choosing to ignore other perceivable elements. Dr Anthony Harris is an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute and an expert on human attention. He discusses what goes on in the brain when we are giving something our full attention, and breaks down whether or not multitasking is a myth.
When we pay attention to something, our minds are selectively concentrating on a discrete piece of information, while choosing to ignore other perceivable elements. Dr Anthony Harris is an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute and an expert on human attention. He discusses what goes on in the brain when we are giving something our full attention, and breaks down whether or not multitasking is a myth.
Almost 500,000 Australians have some kind of dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no cure, and only one drug was recently approved for treatment. Researchers here at the Queensland Brain Institute are working on an ultrasound treatment that may offer the best chance to hit the damaged neurons and slow the progression of this terrible disease. We talk to QBI’s Professor Jurgen Gotz about this cutting-edge technology.
CREDIT
Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
Artist Sam Leach’s work focuses on a connection between science and art, in a more modern twist. He uses AI to compose art that he then paints. It’s a blending of two fields in a similar way that researchers are blending machine learning and neuroscience, to push the limits of AI. We talk also talk to neuroscientist Emeritus Professor Srini Srinivasan, whose work inspired Sam.
CREDIT
Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
How do you make sure clinical treatment of people with brain injury, diseases and disorders is best informed by neuroscience? This is where the worlds of neuroscience and psychology collide. In this episode, we talk to Professor Gail Robinson, clinical neurospsychologist at the Queensland Brain Institute.
Paralysed people walking again and direct brain to brain communication aren’t just ideas in the realm of science fiction. We hear from Dr Lilach Avitan, a Computational Neuroscientist at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute who investigates how our brain processes information in order to understand normal and abnormal brain function. We chat about her start in the Israeli air force, the so called ‘Jennifer Aniston neuron’, how to build more intelligent computing devices and brain-machine interfaces.
The brain is one of the most complex things that scientists study, with trillions of connections between brain cells responsible for our thoughts and actions and baseline functions. You’d think that if you zoom down and look into the cells and how they talk to each other, that things would be simpler but that’s not the case. Down at the nanoscale level of the brain is an entire tiny intricate world going on. In this episode, we talk to Dr Victor Anggono, who is trying to make sense of this world.
CREDIT
Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
More and more we are finding out about the peculiar symptoms of coronavirus that make it such a nasty bug. Many of these symptoms, especially those with a long tail of illness seem to point to effects on the nervous system: the loss of smell, dizziness, confusion, strokes, muscle weakness, fatigue. New research born out of collaborations with virologists and neuroscience here at QBI has shown that coronavirus has co-opted a clever entry mechanism to get into cells - including neurons. In this episode, we do a zoom chat to virologist Dr Giuseppe Balistreri and neuroscientists Prof Fred Meunier and Dr Merja Joensuu about this new research.
CREDIT
Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
Did you know? Humans are pretty average when it comes to seeing the visual world compared to many other animals with much smaller brains. Or that octopuses are essentially colourblind? And that there’s really no such thing as colour?We talk to visual ecologist Professor Justin Marshall about the fascinating world of animal vision.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
At the very earliest stages of life, how do stem cells know how to turn into the right cells at the right time and go to the right places. Just a few cells create the billions of brain cells we have. In this episode, we talk to Professor Helen Cooper, Deputy Director of Research at the Queensland Brain Institute. She studies the complex world of the signalling pathways that stem cells use to turn into neurons - and what happens when this goes wrong.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry1
How do birds and bees fly in groups without colliding? or know how to navigate straight to a food source? And how do you train a bee to fly down a tunnel? Studying these tiny insects can give us insight, not only into how our brains work, but also how we might enhance aircraft navigation.
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Hosted by Donna Lu, edited by Carolyn Barry
We chat to neuroscientist Dr Susannah Tye from UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, who investigates new therapies for treatment-resistant depression, about the signs and symptoms, causes and treatments of this common mental health disorder.
You either know someone who's had a mental health disorder or you've had that challenge yourself. We know so much more about the science of mental health than ever before, but there's still so much to learn. Neuroscientists are doing their part to unlock the mysteries of why people get mental health disorders and how they develop.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
We spend approximately a third of our lives asleep: that’s roughly 25 years we could spend awake and running around being productive, and yet evolution has guided us to spend hours every night in our most vulnerable state – unconscious and unaware. It’s an easy question to ask: what’s the point?
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Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
Who would have thought the humble zebrafish might hold the key to understanding our own brain, including conditions such as autism spectrum disorder? We talk to Associate Professor Ethan Scott who leads the Neural Circuits and Behaviour laboratory at QBI. Ethan is interested in understanding the biology behind developmental mental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder.
We talk to Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Steven Zuryn about the importance of fundamental science – what it is and why it is critical for generating discoveries that may have huge impacts to your health. Both researchers use roundworms to tackle some big problems in neuroscience. They study the basics of how cells in the brain and nervous system work in a simple animal to gain insights into how our brains work.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Carolyn Barry
We all have our own ways of pursuing pleasure: some of us exercise; some of us love gaming; some of us can’t resist another bit of chocolate. But what happens when our ability to manage the pursuit of pleasure goes wrong? In this episode of A Grey Matter, we talked to QBI’s Dr James Kesby about the brain’s reward mechanism – the dopamine system – and how faults in this mechanism can cause disorders such as depression and addiction.
John Quinn was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in his late 50s. Despite falling into a deep depression after his initial diagnosis, John is now a strong advocate for greater dementia awareness and research. In this episode of A Grey Matter, we hear from John and his partner Glenys, on their shared experience of living with John’s dementia. They are embarking on a four-day trek across Tasmania this October to raise vital funds for dementia research here at QBI.
We hear from Rebecca Sharrock, one of 60 people in the world known to have highly superior autobiographical memory. Becky remembers a vast amount of her lived experiences – from her earliest birthdays to what she had to breakfast on this day five years ago. In this episode we hear from her, her mother Janet, and Associate Professor Gail Robinson from UQ Psychology.
We all know what it feels like to have a bad night's sleep - and feel tired and irritable the next day. Sleep plays such an important role in recharging our minds and bodies – but what if, no matter how much sleep you had, you didn't wake rejuvenated the next day? In this episode, we're taking sleep disorders – everything from sleepwalking to problems getting to sleep in the first place. We’ll hear from Declan, a 24-year-old man with narcolepsy, and Dr Chelsie Rohrscheib, a sleep researcher at UQ's Queensland Brain Institute.
What's going on in the brain when someone creates new music? Musical improvisation is a skill that draws on many parts of the brain and is also related to creativity in other domains. In this episode of A Grey Matter, we speak to legendary jazz pianist Jason Rebello and UQ neuroscientist Professor Geoff Goodhill to explore the science behind musical creativity. Jason Rebello is a leading jazz pianist from the UK, who spent 10 years touring the world first with Sting and then Jeff Beck. He recorded three albums with Sting and has also recorded many of his own, including the 2016 solo project, Held.
Tennis is not usually a sport you’d associate with concussion, but for Casey Dellacqua, head injury hits close to home. The former dual Olympian, World No. 26 singles and World No. 3 doubles player suffered a concussion during a match in October 2015, which put her out of action for almost a year. She shares her experiences in this episode of A Grey Matter. And we talk with Dr Fatima Nasrallah, who studies traumatic brain injury.
Autism is a condition that affects a person’s ability to interact socially and relate to the world around them. The degree to which a person is affected ranges across a wide spectrum, from severe difficulties in communicating to mild symptoms. Mia Langguth, a researcher at QBI, works part-time as a carer for Chris, a 24-year-old man with autism. She became a disability support worker almost by chance, but it's a job that has shaped the direction of her career.
Why and how do we sleep and what is consciousness? Are all animals that sleep by definition conscious when they are awake? Associate Professor Bruno van Swinderen studies fruit flies and has recently published research which shows that flies have distinct sleep stages. General anaesthetics extinguish consciousness in humans, but how do they really work? His research shows that common mechanisms might be involved in all animals. What do sleep and general anaesthesia together tell us about how the brain works?
When it comes to self-improvement, there’s no shortage of books, tips, websites and online articles, particularly when it comes to boosting memory or brain power. The search term “hack your brain” turns up more than 7 million hits on Google. In this episode, we’re talking about brain stimulation – using external devices involving magnetic fields and electricity to zap the brain. In recent years, a market of do-it-yourself devices has developed, promising products that can deliver a – quote unquote – “instant boost” to memory or attention. But the safety of these devices is another question, as is whether they even work.
We all know what it feels like after a bad night’s sleep – you’re tired, sluggish, and it’s hard to concentrate. Lack of sleep can have lasting effects on the mind and body. So why is sleep so important?Dr Leonie Kirszenblat talks from a scientific and personal perspective about sleep deprivation and what happens to the brain when we don't get enough.
Sallyanne Atkinson AO, Chair of QBI’s Advisory Board, talks to Ita Buttrose AO OBE, about her experience caring for her father, who had dementia. Ita is a national ambassador for Dementia Australia (formerly Alzheimer’s Australia.
We have about 100 billion neurons in the brain, which contains a lot of information and processing power for a computer to try to emulate. So, how does AI work? Just how close are we to creating human-like computers, or even bionic body parts?
We talk to neurosurgeon and researcher Professor Peter Silburn about OCD and how deep brain stimulation, like in Parkinson's disease, could help those with the most severe form of the disorder.
QBI researchers are doing all they can to understand and develop new treatments for dementia. In this episode, Dr Gerhard Leinenga explains the different types of dementia, whether it's possible to reduce the risk of getting it, and exciting QBI research that has reduced the symptoms of Alzheimer's in animal models.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
"At 31, my mother had a stroke which happened in an instant, and whose effect will span her entire life." Zoe McDonald interviews her mother, Dr Lavinia Codd, who is a stroke survivor and now stroke researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute. Zoe was just two at the time and she talks with her mother about the impact the stroke had on their family.
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Produced by Jessica McGaw
We talk to Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri about the biological foundations of depression and anxiety. Two key structures, the hippocampus and the amygdala are integral to memory and emotions, respectively, and Dr Jhaveri studies how these function normally in order to understand what might happen when things go wrong.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
Dr Bianca Di Wit, from the Department of Cognitive Science at Macquarie University in Sydney talks gaming - of the neuro kind. Just what is this new field of neurogaming and how can it be used for learning? Can playing games make us more intelligent?
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
"Anxiety is often something that you can't even attach to something. It's just almost an existential feeling of dread or fear." Mia Freedman is the founder and director of the Mamamia Women's Network and seems to have it all together. But here she talks openly about her personal struggle with anxiety, how she was convinced she had a non-existent cancer, and when her world came tumbling down.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
Sleep. We all need it, but are we getting enough? How much sleep do we need to function on a day to day basis without feeling fatigued or irritable? What are the side effects of sleep deprivation? It is sleep awareness week and to get all the important answers we are talking to Dr Chelsie Rohrscheib, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Cognitive and Behavioural Lab of Associate Professor Bruno Van Swinderen at the Queensland Brain Institute.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
What is basic/fundamental science? Dr Steven Zuryn explains the slow burn of basic science, how it is the building block for many of our current scientific endeavours and that it has the ability to help affect generations to come.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
Most of what we know about neuroscience has been worked out from research on animals in the sea. One of those things is vision. Professor Justin Marshall talks about how important sea creatures are to our understanding of neuroscience, particularly vision. And Dr Fanny De Busserolles tells us what we can learn about vision from the creatures that inhabit the deep, dark depths of the oceans.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
What does the science say when it comes to healthy ageing? In this episode of A Grey Matter we speak to pioneering neuroscientist Professor Perry Bartlett about healthy ageing and how the brain regenerates itself.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
In this special edition of a A Grey Matter we talk with Rachel Corbett, who shares her personal experience with dementia and its harrowing effect on her family.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
What is autism exactly, what causes it and why are diagnoses on the rise? We talk to international autism expert Professor Elliott Sherr, from Neurology and Pediatrics at the Institute of Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco to find out more.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
We talk to three of our female researchers about their passions and experiences in neuroscience - Dr Mia Schaumberg (how excercise affects cognition), Dr Xiaoying Cui (Schizophrenia), and Dr Chelsie Rohrscheib (sleep models in fruit flies)
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive cancer originating in the brain, and it affects people of all ages. Dr Jens Bunt, a scientist in the Brain Disorders and Development lab at QBI, is researching to find a cure. In this episode, he explains what brain cancer is and how tumours occur. A Grey Matter is the Queensland Brain Institute's podcast about neuroscience.
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Hosted by Donna Lu & Jessica McGaw
Produced by Jessica McGaw
To mark Mental Health Week, we meet Dr Marta Garrido. Marta is a laboratory leader at QBI, and recently won a highly competitive UQ Research award for her work in schizophrenia. She's researching ways to use brain imaging to identify the onset of schizophrenia as soon as possible, to provide that all-important early intervention. But to understand how the brain works in people at risk of schizophrenia, Dr Garrido says we need to stop thinking of people as mentally healthy or mentally ill. Instead, we need to think of it as a spectrum.
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Hosted by Kirsten MacGregor
Produced by Jessica McGaw & Donna Lu
In a calendar full of awareness weeks and days, the need for a Schizophrenia Awareness Week remains paramount. Despite affecting more than 21 million people worldwide, schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood disorders in the broader community, and one of the most puzzling for neuroscientists. QBI’s Dr James Kesby recently received a $300,000 Advance Queensland Research Fellowship to research how the disorder develops, but also to bridge the divide between the lab and the clinic.
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Hosted by Kirsten MacGregor
Produced and edited by Donna Lu.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an increasingly common procedure for neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. This week's episode of A Grey Matter features Professor Peter Silburn, Director of the Queensland Brain Institute’s Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation. Professor Silburn is a neurologist and world expert in DBS. He and neurosurgeon Associate Professor Terry Coyne have together performed more than 800 DBS procedures. Professor Silburn discusses Parkinson's disease, DBS, and the wonder of the human brain. A Grey Matter is the Queensland Brain Institute's podcast about neuroscience.
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Hosted by Kirsten MacGregor
Produced and edited by Donna Lu
This week the grey matter in question is not, in fact, the brain, but the bleached corals of the Great Barrier Reef. Professor Justin Marshall leads the Sensory Neurobiology laboratory at the Queensland Brain Institute. He talks about working with Sir David Attenborough, the citizen science project Coral Watch, and the unprecedented coral bleaching that is unfolding on the Great Barrier Reef. A Grey Matter is the Queensland Brain Institute's podcast about neuroscience.
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Hosted by Kirsten MacGregor
Produced and edited by Donna Lu
Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that affects more than 21 million people worldwide. While genetics plays a part, several environmental factors can predispose someone to getting the condition. This episode of A Grey Matter features Professor John McGrath, a psychiatrist and schizophrenia researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute. He talks about smoking, vitamin D, and how common it actually is to experience hallucinations and delusions.
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Hosted by Donna Lu
Produced by Jessica McGaw
The recent furore about the booing of AFL player Adam Goodes has reignited a debate about racism in both the sport and in Australia. Why do we show prejudice towards people whom we perceive to be different to us? In this episode of A Grey Matter, we discuss how your brain might respond differently when you see the pain of someone from another racial group.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Donna Lu
In Australia, around 1.2 million people are involved in the care of a person with dementia. Suhanya Raffel, Deputy Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, was one of them—her mother Carmel suffered from Alzheimer's for nearly a decade after diagnosis. Tune in to find out about the benefits of speaking two languages, and the exciting breakthrough QBI researchers have made in the race to find a cure.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Donna Lu
What do Christopher Reeve and a tiny transparent worm have in common? What does a Sega video game have to do with the brain? In this episode of A Grey Matter we're talking about the Australian Brain Bee, and nerve regeneration, which might provide an avenue for treating spinal cord injury.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Donna Lu
Would you know what to do if someone were having a stroke? What if it were you, and you were 31? That's exactly what happened to Dr Lavinia Codd, a stroke researcher. Tune in to find out why she started memorising her children's clothes, and hear about the exciting work she's doing at QBI.
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Hosted, produced and edited by Donna Lu