Almost 500,000 Australians have some kind of dementia, the most common form of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no cure, and only one drug was recently approved for treatment. Researchers here at the Queensland Brain Institute are working on an ultrasound treatment that may offer the best chance to hit the damaged neurons and slow the progression of this terrible disease. We talk to QBI’s Professor Jurgen Gotz about this cutting-edge technology.

S03Ep3 - The cutting edge of dementia research

When we pay attention to something, our minds are selectively concentrating on a discrete piece of information, while choosing to ignore other perceivable elements. Dr Anthony Harris is an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Fellow at the Queensland Brain Institute and an expert on human attention. He discusses what goes on in the brain when we are giving something our full attention, and breaks down whether or not multitasking is a myth.

S03Ep04 - Pay attention! How your brain decides what to focus on

Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham and Queensland Brain Institute Director, Professor Pankaj Sah talk about the lessons we can learn from conservation science and neuroscience, how to influence decision-makers, and why maths is so important!

S03Ep05 - When neuroscience meets conservation science

In this episode, we examine consciousness – what is it, when does it begin, and how might sleep and dreams be the key to answering these questions. Professor Bruno van Swinderen sheds more light on this fascinating topic.

S03Ep06 - The conscious brain

How can you study the human brain at the cell level, when you can't get inside to see these tiny processes in action? Well, you build your own brain in a dish of course! Organoids, or mini brains, are an exciting new area of neuroscience an have many applications, including personalised medicine. We talk to Professor Enrst Wolvetang, who's using this cutting-edge research to understand how brains are made.

S03Ep07 - Mini brains and the potential of organoids

The development of the brain is a fascinating process, with complex brain connections being made rapidly as a foetus grows inside its mother’s womb.
Darryl Eyles, Professor of neurobiology, is studying how known risk factors for certain mental disorders can change the way the brain develops.
In this episode we explore how the developing brain can adapt to risk factors for mental health disorders and why sometimes it can’t compensate.

S03Ep08 - How the developing brain adapts

A Grey Matter is for anyone who has ever wondered how we think, feel, reason and move. The Queensland Brain Institute's neuroscience podcast unlocks the wonders of the brain – the complex and mysterious core of who we are. QBI, at The University of Queensland, works to understand the development, organisation and function of the brain. www.qbi.uq.edu.au