Research Focus 3: Neurodegeneration, Neuroprotection and Neurorepair

Intellectual Context

Understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which the brain develops and matures, and by which it responds to insult, are central unsolved problems of contemporary neuroscience. The major goals for the Neurodegeneration, Neuroprotection and Neurorepair thematic research area are therefore to identify new targets for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, and to engage in translational neuroscience by exploiting findings of preclinical studies for application to clinical disorders .

Scientific and Societal Impact

Treatments for neurodegenerative diseases are limited and clinical efficacy is poor. Research in the Neurodegeneration, Neuroprotection and Neurorepair thematic area aims to provide a panel of possible new targets, and to provide appropriate preclinical and clinical samples to evaluate the potential of these novel targets.

Strategic Research Objectives

Research on Neurodegeneration, Neuroprotection and Neurorepair has the following major objectives:

• Understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative changes in the aged brain, and how they apply to dementias, especially Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.
• Evaluate the contribution of neuroinflammation to the development of neurodegenerative changes and to identify modulatory strategies.
• Identify novel neuroprotective strategies based on analysis of molecular mechanisms.
• Develop novel behavioural and brain stimulation methods that can be integrated with pharmaceutical therapies to delay cognitive decline.
• Identify novel biomarkers of neurodegeneration using our advanced simultaneous functional MRI/electroencephalogram (fMRI/EEG) systems.