Brain Research Group

	Profile

The ultimate goal of the Brain Research Group is to develop therapies which will minimise neurological injury and improve infant outcome through a better understanding of the mechanisms of cell injury and death in perinatal asphyxia.

A severe hypoxic/ischemic insult to the developing infant brain carries with it a high risk of neurological disability and in some cases may result in infant death. Annual figures in Australia attribute approximately 3.5% of all perinatal deaths to asphyxia. With the development of neural rescue therapies, the disabilities resulting from this condition may be significantly reduced. However the opportunity to improve long-term outcome may only last 12 – 24 hours following a hypoxic insult. It is therefore necessary to rapidly identify infants at risk of a poor neurodevelopmental outcome so that potential benefits of neural rescue therapies can be maximised. Currently there is no technique available which can accurately identify these infants within the required time period. Thus prevention of perinatal asphyxia remains a constant challenge.

The numerous physiological and biochemical events that arise as a consequence of oxygen and glucose deprivation in hypoxia-ischemia, offer the potential for reducing neurological damage through interruption or possibly termination of neuronal cell death. In order to develop a clinical strategy to manage hypoxic-ischemic disease successfully, a greater understanding is needed of the complex processes which underlie hypoxic-ischemic neuronal pathology and dysfunction.

Current research interests of the PRC Brain Research Group include:

• Neuroprotection
  
• Excitotoxic-mediated cell death - transporters and receptors
  
• EEG analysis and seizure detection
  
• Individual resilience to lack of oxygen
  
• Inflammation and injury in the neonatal brain
  
• Cardiac contributions to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury
  
• Energy depletion and creatine metabolism
  

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