Atapour group research
Collaborations | Student research projects | Publications
About Dr Nafiseh Atapour
Dr Nafiseh Atapour is a Group Leader at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute in the Neuroscience Program, Physiology Department. She received her PhD in Neurophysiology followed by postdoctoral training in Prof.Takao K. Hensch’s Lab at RIKEN Brain Science Institute of JAPAN studying experience-dependent plasticity of visual circuits. She joined the Department of Physiology at Monash University in 2015.
Our research
Current projects
How brain plasticity shapes recovery of vision
The brain’s ability to reorganise synaptic connections after injury or stroke forms the basis for rehabilitation therapies. We aim to understand such plasticity mechanisms using one of the most studied models, the visual system. Lesions of the primary visual cortex leads to marked shrinkage and neuronal loss in the corresponding regions of the thalamus. Despite significant neuronal loss, our studies have shown that some neurons survive degeneration and make a viable pathway for the transfer of visual information. We investigate how plastic changes in these pathways contribute to vision recovery after injury.
Neocortical inhibitory neurons
Inhibitory neurons of the cerebral cortex form a highly diverse population, distinguished by their morphological, electrophysiological, and neurochemical characteristics, which we aim to understand. Although these GABAergic interneurons constitute about 30% of all cortical neurons, their reciprocal connections with glutamatergic principal neurons provide a balanced excitation-inhibition network that shapes cortical function. Disruptions of this balance, if uncompensated, can lead to major cortical dysfunction and disease. Beyond their individual properties, we map their distribution across the neocortex creating a foundation for understanding their functional relevance.
Brain ageing
Many fundamental questions remain unanswered about the cellular and molecular changes that occur during brain ageing. Our research aims to uncover how ageing affects cortical neurochemistry, gene expression, neuronal morphology, and physiology, and how these changes impact neural circuit function. By examining these processes at the level of individual neurons and specific cortical regions, we seek to identify patterns of vulnerability and resilience that contribute to cognitive decline or maintenance of function in ageing brains.
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Visit Dr Nafiseh Atapour's Monash research profile to see a full listing of current projects.
Collaborations
We collaborate with many scientists and research organisations around the world. Click on the map to see the details for each of these collaborators (and you'll be able to dive into specific publications and outputs).
Student research projects
The Atapour Group offers a variety of Honours, Masters and PhD projects for students interested in joining our group. There are also a number of short term research opportunities available.
Please visit Supervisor Connect to explore the projects currently available in our Lab.