Interactions between components of heteromeric receptor complexes; a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of alcoholism.

Co-supervisor: Dr Robyn Brown

Alcohol abuse remains one of the world’s leading health care problems. Rates of dangerous drinking and alcoholism in both the developing and developed worlds are unacceptably high and the current drugs available to treat alcoholism are largely ineffective. Our focus is to elucidate the neurobiology underpinning the persistent vulnerability to relapse shown by drug dependent individuals. We also aim to identify potential therapeutic targets which may help in the development of pharmacotherapy treatments for relapse prevention.

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Investigating Ca_v3.2 splice variant expression and the therapeutic potential of Ca_v3.2 Ca²⁺ channel blocking drugs in suppressing absence seizures in a polygenic rat model of idiopathic generalized epilepsy.

Co-supervisor: Prof Terry O'Brien

This project will investigate how a mutation in a calcium channel gene contributes to the epileptic phenotype of a well characterised animal model of absence epilepsy and investigate the therapeutic potential of t-type calcium channel antagonists at suppressing seizures.

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Investigating effects of cannabinoids on sensorimotor gating in a mouse model of autism

Co-supervisor: Dr Elisa Hill

This project will investigate the effects of pharmacological agents that modulate cannabinoid pathways (CB agonists and antagonists) on sensorimotor gating in a mouse model of autism.

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Investigating how antipsychotic drugs and the glutamate system are involved in schizophrenia.

Supervisor(s) - Dr Avril Pereira / A/Prof Suresh Sundram

This project will utilise primary murine neuronal cortical cultures, secondary cell cultures and in vivo mouse models to investigate the effects of antipsychotic drug signalling on the MAPK-ERK system and specifically the involvement of the glutamate system. The glutamate system is the major excitatory neuronal signaling system and is closely implicated in numerous animal models of psychotic behaviours; however, the molecular basis of this relationship to schizophrenia is unclear. We have demonstrated the interaction of antipsychotic drugs with the glutamate system in signalling to ERK and this project will expand upon these findings. This will be done primarily using animal treatment strategies and protein immunoelectrophoresis. This work has the ultimate aim of developing new treatment strategies for these devastating disorders. The student will gain an understanding of psychotic disorders from a molecular perspective and how drug treatments may work.

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Investigating how cannabis causes psychosis

The laboratory seeks to understand the intracellular mechanism of actions of psychotropic drugs focussing on antipsychotic and psychotomimetic agents. It uses a primary murine mixed neuronal cortical culture system that expresses receptors relevant to understanding the mechanism of action of these agents.

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