Fields of Research

Central nervous system
Cellular nervous system
Neurosciences
Health promotion
Medicine, nursing and health curriculum and pedagogy
Peripheral nervous system
Neurology and neuromuscular diseases
Higher education
Autonomic nervous system
Other biological sciences
Social geography
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health promotion
Curriculum and pedagogy theory and development
Signal transduction
Cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health and wellbeing
Neurogenetics

Research Objectives

Clinical health
Health education and promotion
Other health
Learner and learning
Expanding knowledge in the information and computing sciences
Treatment of human diseases and conditions
Health related to ageing
Public health (excl. specific population health)
Assessment, development and evaluation of curriculum
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community service programs
Higher education
Expanding knowledge in human society
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Teaching and instruction technologies
Evaluation of health outcomes
Pedagogy

Career Best Publications

In-vivo single neuron axotomy triggers axon regeneration to restore synaptic density in specific cortical circuits; Nature Communications
Eph tyrosine kinase receptor EphA4 is required for the topographic mapping of the corticospical tract; National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America. Proceedings
Hardwiring the bain: Endocannabinoids shape neuronal connectivity; Science
Synaptic elimination and protection after minimal injury depend on cell type and their prelesion structural dynamics in the adult cerebral cortex; Journal of Neuroscience

Research Publications

In vivo 2-photon imaging of axonal regeneration and synaptic remodeling after laser-mediated micro lesions in the adult brain; Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
In vivo imaging of axonal degeneration; 2nd Annual Australian Neurotrauma meeting
In Vivo Visualization of Single Axons and Synaptic Remodeling in Normal and Pathological Conditions; Axons and Brain Architecture
In-vivo single neuron axotomy triggers axon regeneration to restore synaptic density in specific cortical circuits; Nature Communications
A learning place where a high-risk student cohort can succeed: curriculum, assessment and teacher recruitment; 36th Annual HERDSA International Conference
A shifting profile of students in a university-based distance dementia education program: implications for policy and practice; Australasian Journal of Ageing
Addressing student attrition within higher education online programs through a collaborative community of practice; Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching
Alteration in neurofilaments associated with reactive brain changes and axonal sprouting following acute physical injury to the rat neocortex; Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
Associate Degree in Dementia Care: Sustaining a course and maintaining the students; Teaching Matters
Axonal pathology in vivo; The Wicking School on the Neurobiology of Dementia
Axonal Reconstructions Going Live; Neuroinformatics
Can mature –age non-traditional students succeed in an online Bachelor of Dementia Care program?; International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress, San Francisco
Chair for session: Experiences in Health Sciences Education; ICERI2015: 8th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Construction and evaluation of rodent-specific rTMS coils; Frontiers in Neural Circuits
Construction and evaluation of rodent-specific TMS coils; 1st International Brain Stimulation Conference
Cytoskeletal changes during development and aging in the cortex of neurofilament light protein knockout mice; The Journal of Comparative Neurology
Defining the earliest pathological changes of Alzheimer's disease; Current Alzheimer research
Developmental expression of EphA4-tyrosine kinase receptor in the mouse brain and spinal cord; Mechanisms of Development
Eph tyrosine kinase receptor EphA4 is required for the topographic mapping of the corticospical tract; National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America. Proceedings
EphA4 in the developing corticospinal tract - what's going on?; National Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting
Expression of Ret-, p75(NTR)-, Phox2a-, Phox2b-, and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactivity by undifferentiated neural crest-derived cells and different classes of enteric neurons in the embryonic mouse gut; Developmental Dynamics
Facilitatory non-invasive brain stimulation in older adults: the effect of stimulation type and duration on the induction of motor cortex plasticity; Experimental Brain Research
GDNF and GFRa1 contribute to sub populations of GABAergic interneurons in the adult cortex; International NeuroNE EU Consortium Annual Meeting
GDNF is a chemoattractant for enteric neural cells; Developmental Biology: An International Journal
GFR-alpha1 signalling in the generation of cortical interneurons; International EU GDNF Consortium Meeting
GFR-alpha1 signalling in the generation of cortical interneurons; International Axon Degeneration and Regeneration Workshop
GFR-alpha1 signalling in the MGE; International NeuroNE EU Consortium Annual Meeting
GFRa1 and GDNF - how do they contribute to the network of cortical interneurons?; International Extracellular mediators and intracellular pathways determining axon growth and cell survival/death
Hardwiring the bain: Endocannabinoids shape neuronal connectivity; Science
How do our brains change as we age?
Identification of cells expressing somatostatin receptor 2 in the gastrointestinal tract of Sstr2 knockout/lacZ knockin mice; The Journal of Comparative Neurology
Imaging synaptic plasticity in the adult living brain; International 1st Imperial College Imaging Event
In vivo 2-photon imaging of laser-mediated microlesions in the adult brain; Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting
In vivo 2-photon imaging of laser-mediated microlesions in the adult brain; International British Neuroscience Association 20th National Meeting
In vivo 2-photon imaging of laser-mediated microlesions in the adult brain; International 7th FENS Forum of European Neuroscience
In vivo 2-photon imaging of laser-mediated microlesions in the adult brain; International 2nd Imperial College Imaging Event
In vivo imaging of injured cortical axons reveals a rapid onset form of Wallerian degeneration; BMC Biology
Inter- and intra-individual variability following intermittent theta burst stimulation: implications for rehabilitation and recovery; Brain Stimulation
Investigating the mechanisms of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation using motor learning paradigms and in vivo 2 photon imaging; 1st International Brain Stimulation Conference
Laser-mediated microlesions in mouse neocortex to investigate neuronal degeneration and regeneration; Current Protocols in Neuroscience
Low intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates skilled motor learning in adult mice; Scientific Reports
Making neuroscience important and relevant: Online learning in an innovative Bachelor of Dementia Care program; Second International Conference, eLEOT 2015
Meeting the challenge of designing and delivering an entry level unit of study to engage and inspire adult learners in online neuroscience education in a Bachelor of Dementia Care; 8th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Microtubule-dependent processes precede pathological calcium influx in excitotoxin-induced axon degeneration; Journal of Neurochemistry
Molecular mechanisms of axon guidance in the developing corticospinal tract; Progress in Neurobiology
Observing axonal degeneration following laser mediated micro-lesion in the living brain; Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting
Online Learning and Aspirations in the Bachelor of Dementia Care degree; Aspirations Matter 2014
Quality assurance in online learning: The contribution of computational linguistics analysis to criterion referenced assessment; eLearning Papers
Regional differences in beta amyloid plaque deposition and variable response to midlife environmental enrichment in the cortex of APP/PS1 mice; Journal of Comparative Neurology
Regionalized loss of Parvalbumin interneurons in the cerebral cortex of mice lacking RET-independent GFRα 1; Journal of Neuroscience
Relationship of the response of non-neuronal cells to the axonal changes that follow physical injury to the rodent neocortex; National Australian Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting
Rod microglia and their role in neurological diseases; Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Role of the GDNF-GFRa1 signalling system in the development and function of cortical parvalbumin interneurons; International Gordon Research Conference: Neurotrophic Factors
Role of the GDNF-GFRa1 signalling system in the development and function of cortical parvalbumin interneurons; International Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
Subthreshold repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation drives structural synaptic plasticity in the young and aged motor cortex; Brain Stimulation
Synaptic elimination and protection after minimal injury depend on cell type and their prelesion structural dynamics in the adult cerebral cortex; Journal of Neuroscience
The Bachelor of Dementia Care: Education as an essential intervention in building dementia literacy; 32nd International Conference of Alzheimer's Disease International
The DIADEM Data Sets: Representative Light Microscopy Images of Neuronal Morphology to Advance Automation of Digital Reconstructions; Neuroinformatics
The function of AphA4 in the developing corticospinal tract; National 3rd Asia Pacific Symposium on Neural Regeneration
The neuronal response to physical injury; National Australian Society of Medical Research Annual Meeting
The role of the EphA4 receptor in the developing corticospinal tract; International Keystone Symposium: Axonal Connections-Molecular Cues for Development and Regeneration
The successful and innovative Understanding Dementia Massive Open Online Course (UD MOOC); International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG) World Congress
Through the looking glass - observations of lesioned cortical axons using in vivo 2-photon microscopy; National Neural Injury and Regeneration Symposium
Will Superman ever fly again?; Traffic: An Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Journal

Research Projects

A Translational Approach to Understanding the Effects of Brain Stimulation; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Axon degeneration and axon protection in CNS disease and injury; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Axon protection in Alzheimer's disease; Equity Trustees Limited (EQT)
Characterisation of the axonal response to passive and environmentally induced neuroplasticity in an APP/PSl model of Alzheimer's disease; Dementia Collaborative Research Centre (DCRC)
How do microglia-synapse dynamics change with Alzheimer's disease?; Dementia Australia Research Foundation Ltd (DARF)
In pursuit of an innovative experimental model of vascular dementia-a pilot study; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
The mechanisms of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation: A translational approach; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
US Society for Neuroscience Meeting, USA November 2014; University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Why do we have SARM 1 protein if knocking it out prevents axons degenerating?; National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Laughter ISLAND: Using comedy to promote brain health and dementia risk reduction behaviours

Research Candidate Supervision

Traumatic Brain Injury- Characterisation of Healing, Reactive and Plasticity Response