Neurological Foundation Grant Recipients July 07

Neurological Foundation Announces Recipients of July 2007 Grant Round

The Neurological Foundation of New Zealand awarded $868,709 in research grants for its July 2007 funding round, announced on Friday, July 5. Projects include a study into how adult stem cells can be harnessed to repair brain damage, potential stroke treatments and a computer-model of the brain to study seizures.

The amount given in grants was once again an increase on the previous year, a trend the Foundation expects to continue, said executive director Max Ritchie.

"Over the last year, New Zealand neuroscientists have had their findings published in the world's top scientific and medical journals, reflecting the high quality of research being conducted here. Each round builds on the last one and once again we have to thank the many generous donors whose support enables the researchers to produce this world-class work."

Neurological Foundation Grant Recipients July 2007

Mathematical model of brain for studying seizures

Prof. James Sleigh, Dr Logan Joss
University of Auckland, Waikato Clinical School, University of Waikato, Hamilton
$92,800

Prof. James Sleigh and Dr Logan Joss seek to validate a mathematical model of the brain developed to found out why general anaesthetic drugs can cause seizures in some cases. If the computer-based model proves accurate, it can help increase the understanding of seizures and epilepsy and how general anaesthetics affect the brain.

Is there a link between Parkinson's disease and severe depression?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Brian Hyland
Dept. Of Physiology, University of Otago, Dunedin
$139,903

Patients with Parkinson's disease, which is mainly a movement disorder, can suffer from depression, whereas patients with severe depression sometimes show slowed movements similar to Parkinson's disease. These crossover symptoms might reflect the interaction of different chemical systems in the brain that are involved in regulating movement and mood. This project will investigate if the serotonin system, a target for drugs treating depression, might play a role in controlling the dopamine system, the chemical pathway that degenerates in Parkinson's disease. The results may shed light on why these seemingly disparate diseases can share some symptoms.

How do brain stem cells move through the brain?

Dr Bronwen Connor, Dr Ailsa McGregor
University of Auckland, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology
$126,094

Neural progenitor cells (stem cells) found in the brain are a potential source to replace cells lost through brain injury or disease. To do this, however a method must be developed to send the stem cells to the specific areas of cell loss.
A brain signaling system that may have potential to do this is the chemokines and their receptors. Chemokines are small, secreted proteins that play a fundamental role in directing cell migration, in particular during brain inflammation and disease. This project aims to advance our knowledge regarding their role in the adult brain and identify the potential for specific chemokines to direct the movement of brain stem cells to areas damaged by injury and disease.

Autism gene study

Dr Marion Maw
University of Otago, Biochemistry Department
$66,068

Autism is a behaviourally defined disorder that arises from abnormal development of the brain. Twin studies suggest that affected children have inherited an unfortunate combination of multiple genetic factors, each of which may only moderately increase the risk of developing autism. A New Zealand family is affected by an inherited condition that is associated with intellectual impairment and autism. We have shown that this rare disorder is caused by a mutation in a calcium channel gene. The project will investigate whether mild variants in this same gene are a risk factor for autism in the general population.

Fast eye movement in Alzheimer's disease: an fMRI study

Prof. Tim Anderson, Assoc. Prof. John Dalrymple-Alford, Dr Michael MacAskill, Dr Richard Watts, Professor Tim Wilkinson, Mrs Saskia Van Stockum , Dr Ross Keenan
Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Otago
Van der Veer Institute for Parkinson's & Brain Research,
$68,166

This projects aims is to look for abnormalities of fast eye movements (saccades) in people with Alzheimer's disease, and to simultaneously map brain function using New Zealand's only 3 Tesla MRI scanner. This should show which areas in the brains of people with Alzheimer's are not functioning properly when glancing at objects of interest. Eventually this information can be used to follow or even predict the progress of Alzheimer's disease in patients, and especially as a way to monitor response to new therapies when they become available.

Brain injuries from birth to young adulthood: Prevalence, cause and risk factors.

Assoc. Prof. Randolph Grace, Ms Audrey McKinlay, Mr John Horwood, Prof. David Fergusson
University of Canterbury, Christchurch Health & Development Study
$9,970

Brain injury is one of the most frequent accident types between the ages of 0-25 years and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. However, little is known about the prevalence of these injuries and even less about characteristics of those who sustain them. This information is crucial to identify risk factors and develop appropriate prevention programmes. Using information from a longitudinal birth cohort (Christchurch Health & Development Study), this study will be one of the first in the world and in New Zealand to identify prevalence and risk factors associated with brain injuries across this high-risk age group.

Synaptic targets for brain repair

Dr Johanna Montgomery, Dr Bronwen Connor, Assoc. Prof.William Green, Dr David Genoux
University of Auckland, Department of Physiology
$80,000
Neurodegenerative diseases cause massive brain cell loss which we cannot repair. However, the ability of the adult brain to make new brain cells, particularly when injured or diseased, represents a powerful potential treatment for these diseases. But we need to understand how these new cells are incorporated into the damaged areas of the brain. This project aims to show how this functional integration of newborn neurons happens and whether a specific family of synaptic proteins controls this process.

Electrical signaling malfunction in cerebella ataxia

Dr Ruth M Empson
University of Otago
Department of Physiology University of Otago School of Medicine
$180,284
When did you last take for granted your ability to enjoy a cup of coffee without spilling it everywhere? Ataxia, or loss of controlled movement, occurs when the electrical circuits in a part of the brain called the cerebellum start to go wrong. It can affect anyone, young or old, has a variety of causes, usually gets worse and is rarely reversible. This projects aims to gain a better understanding of how the electrical circuits within the cerebellum start to go wrong in ataxia. With this information we can design approaches to rescue the defective circuits.

The use of "smart" anti-oxidants for stroke treatment

Prof. Janusz Lipski, Dr. Michael Grammer
University of Auckland, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
$57,452
Research has shown that oxidative stress plays significant role in brain damage associated with stroke, yet almost all clinical trials have found antioxidant therapy to be ineffective. This study will investigate protecting the brain from oxidative stress during stroke using newly developed 'smart' antioxidants. These specifically target the mitochondria, where oxidative molecules are produced. To further increase the effectiveness of these antioxidants, the study will simultaneously block a cell membrane channel (TRPM2) recently identified in oxidant-induced cell death processes. The project will study if this combined approach will significantly reduce the neural damage caused by stroke and other neurological disorders associated with similar cell death mechanisms.

For more information contact:
Adrienne Kohler
Communications manager
Neurological Foundation of New Zealand
tel: 09 309 7749 ext 7, 027 223 2757

Fact Sheet

The Neurological Foundation is a charitable trust that was formed to raise money for neurological research in New Zealand in order to prevent, treat or even cure neurological disorders. Each year it awards more than $1.5 million in grants to New Zealand's neuroscientists
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The Foundation receives no government assistance and is almost totally funded by the generosity of individual New Zealanders, with more than 95 per cent of contributions coming from donations and bequests.

The funds are capitalised and the interest is used to fund research grants. This system provides ongoing funding for career scientists and long-term research projects. All grant applications are internationally peer-reviewed to ensure only good-quality research is funded.

Since its inception, the Foundation has funded hundreds of projects and currently supports more than 40 research projects being run at tertiary institutions throughout the country.

This unique dedicated funding body has helped New Zealand produce world-class neuroscientists and research. It also uses the combined expertise and detailed knowledge of this group to help keep the public informed of the advances made in neurological disorder prevention and cures.

Projects supported by the Foundation include the Human Brain Bank at Auckland School of Medicine, brain cell regeneration in Huntington's disease, 3-D computer modeling of blood flow in the brain, and eye movement and brain imaging in Parkinson's disease.

A full list of research project is available on its website.

The Neurological Foundation Annual Appeal runs from Sunday July 8 to Saturday July 14, 2007, and is supported by Mitre 10. Every dollar raised goes into research to ensure a better future for thousands of New Zealanders. Every household will receive an appeal envelope, or individuals can donate online through www.neurological.org.nz or www.mitre10.co.nz

The Neurological Foundation of New Zealand raises money to support neurological research and education in New Zealand.
The Foundation is almost totally funded by individual New Zealanders, with more than 95 per cent of contributions coming from donations and bequests.

The funds are capitalised and the income is used to fund research grants. This system provides ongoing funding for career scientists and long-term research projects. All grant applications are internationally peer-reviewed to ensure only high-quality research is funded.

ENDS

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