DoctorMatt Kirkcaldie

Project Total: $30,000; Project title: Excitatory-Inhibitory relationships in cerebral cortex affected by the pathology of Alzheimer's disease'. Funded by: The Yulgilbar Foundation ($30,000); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $94,140; This study seeks to elucidate a potential causal mechanism for Alzheimer's disease: that plasticity drives disease pathology, and that sleep compensates for these effects of plasticity in a manner which declines with age. The study will manipulate levels of cortical plasticity and the duration of sleep in a transgenic rodent model, the APP/PS1 mouse, and track the resulting development of pathology. Funded by: The Mason Foundation - Grant-Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannett Williams ($94,140); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $442,570; Stroke is a leading cause of death and chronic disability. Stroke therapeutics developed in animal models fail when translated into human clinical trials, due to flaws inherent in these models. We will break through this translational roadblock by using magnetic microparticles to induce an ischemic stroke that accurately represents human disease Funded by: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation - Grant - Project Grant Funding ($442,570); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $97,119; Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by degeneration and loss of nerve cell processes. The resulting loss of connectivity is likely to be the key contributor to the clinical symptoms of disease and is evident from the substantial axonal pathology present. In this project we will investigate mechanisms of axonopathy resulting from pathologic TDP-43, a key contributor to disease. We will utilize a novel of of axon degeneration in the cisual system which allows us to directly probe changes in the axon. Funded by: Motor Neurone Disease Research Australia - Grant-In-Aid ($97,119); University of Tasmania.

Project Total: $35,000; Establishinga mouse model of mild gestationaliodine deficiency to study its effects on brain structure and function. Funded by: Brain Foundation - Grant-Research ($35,000); University of Tasmania.