Transcript
[Beginning of recorded material]
[Left side of Title card: Dementia Australia Research Foundation]
[Right side of Title card: Rotating word spheres - Understanding, Delay, Treat, Slow, Prevent, Cure, Diagnose]
Dr Longfield: Hi, my name is Dr Shanley Longfield and I am a neuroscientist at the Queensland Brain Institute. My research focuses on Frontotemporal dementia or ‘FTD’, which is one of the most common forms of early-onset dementia. My project is about investigating how a brain protein called 'tau' might be behaving abnormally in Frontotemporal dementia. This protein has been known to interfere with brain communication at the individual synapse level; the connection between brain cells.
We are especially interested in tiny, dynamic structures called "Biomolecular Condensates" that form and associate within cells, which have very specific functions that can sometimes help or harm the actual brain communication. When you think of Alzheimer's disease, for example, the first thing that is affected, is your memory. Whereas, in people who have Frontotemporal dementia, the first thing that's affected is their personality, the way that they behave, and it can be very confusing and distressing for both them and their families.
We will be using state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to actually investigate brain cells at the nanoscale level. So, we use our advanced microscopes to capture the behaviour, and we use our analysis techniques to actually characterise it. We are hoping to discover how mutant tau might change the behaviour of these biomolecular condensates and lead to synaptic dysfunction in the brain. Ultimately, we're trying to pinpoint processes that can be investigated for potential therapeutic strategies to combat Frontotemporal dementia. So, after this phase, we would like to look at how our findings translate across different models of FTD, and test potential interventions that could prevent tau from interfering with these crucial synaptic functions.
Through understanding the early molecular changes that happen in brain cells, we might be able to develop treatments that can slow or even halt the progression of Frontotemporal dementia, especially before major brain damage occurs. This could mean earlier diagnosis, better management, and hopefully a pathway for disease modifying therapies. I would like to thank the Dementia Australia Research Foundation for granting me the Bondi2Berry Project Grant. I would also like to thank the Dementia Research Community as well as the University of Queensland for their continued support.
[Title card: This research is supported by:
Dementia Research Community
Bondi2Berry Project Grant
The University of Queensland
Dr Shanley Longfield would like to acknowledge:
Professor Frédéric A Meunier, Dr Rumelo Amor, QBI Advanced Microscopy Facility, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research and the Queensland Brain Institute.
We thank Dementia Research Community for its support]
[Title card: Dementia Australia Research Foundation
A cure is just the beginning
If you would like to see dementia research make real impact, donate today:
1300 636 679
www.dementia.org.au/donate-research]
[END OF RECORDED MATERIAL]
