"What I cannot create, I do not understand" - Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
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How can we begin to understand the way in which our thoughts, experiences, and behaviours arise from the complicated operations of the brain?
Researchers in the Brain Mapping and Modelling Theme tackle this problem by combining sophisticated brain imaging with statistical and mathematical models.
The advanced analytic and modelling tools that we develop allow us to map the brain in unprecedented detail, and to generate models of its complex structural and functional properties.
The main questions tackled within this Program include:
What are the principles that underlie the structural and functional organization of the brain?
Can we generate realistic computer simulations of brain activity, development, and human behaviour?
How does brain function influence behaviour across the lifespan, in health and disease?
Can we use brain imaging and other data to predict treatment outcomes for people with brain disorders?
Can we objectively measure and quantify different aspects of conscious experience?
We investigate the answers to these questions through our five key capabilities: Network Neuroscience, Modelling Consciousness, Biophysical Modelling, and Multimodal Brain Imaging
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Program focus areas
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Brain Networks and Modelling (Leonardo Gollo Lab)View
Our research aims at investigating multiscale dynamics of brain networks to understand the underlying computational principles and neural mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction. To better understand brain networks, their dynamics, and the effects of brain stimulation, we use a combination of neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, and develop computational and theoretical models of neural systems.
We are interested in how our life experiences change our brains. We are highly interdisciplinary in our approach, converging information from cognitive, behavioural, and psychosocial measures with multimodal neuroimaging to understand brain-behaviour relationships.
Computational and Systems Neuroscience (Adeel Razi Lab)View
Our research combines engineering, physics, and machine-learning approaches to answer questions that are motivated by and grounded in neurobiology. Our research involves creating models of how the brain is wired and how it responds in different situations. These models are used to interpret measured brain responses using brain imaging.
Neural Systems and Behaviour (Alex Fornito Lab)View
We undertake interdisciplinary research to understand how the brain functions as an integrated network, in both health and disease. Our goal is to understand how different parts of the brain communicate with each other, how brain function supports adaptive behaviour, and how disruptions of brain function influence risk for mental illness.
Neuroscience and Consciousness (Nao Tsuchiya Lab)View
Why do we experience consciousness during awake periods but not deep sleep? During wakefulness, why do we experience a particular conscious experience, such as vision, audition, and so on? At Monash Neuroscience of Consciousness, we address these questions using a multitude of interdisciplinary methods, aiming to eventually uncover the link between consciousness and its physical substrate.