In neurodegenerative diseases, about 99% are associated with protein molecules aggregating together. In recent years, super-resolution microscopy has revolutionised how scientists view these minute molecules aggregating, along with other cellular events. 

QBI’s Professor Fred Meunier advocated that The University of Queensland invest in super-resolution microscopy; this had paid dividends, revealing fascinating discoveries about the nanoworld. Professor Meunier and his lab can now observe molecules moving in space and time and are developing new techniques to better understand how our cells help us treat brain disorders and diseases.

In this dynamic conversation, Professor Fred Meunier and Anusha Malapaka discuss

• How super-resolution microscopy works
• The different types of super-resolution microscopy
• What super-resolution microscopy allows us to see
• AI’s impact on future super-resolution microscopy technology

Related resources

Unravelling the mysteries of the presynapse with super-resolution microscopy 

Nanoscale spatiotemporal cluster analysis of expressed and endogenous proteins

Despite its everyday use in hospitals, scientists have yet to fully understand how general anaesthesia works. Professor Bruno van Swinderen began studying general anaesthesia using the tiny worm C.elegans in the 1990s. Now in his lab at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Bruno and Dr Drew Cylinder are studying general anaesthesia reversal agents, which could shorten patients’ recovery time and potentially reduce the risk of post-operative complications.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Bruno and Drew explore:

• How party drugs led to general anaesthetics 
• The difference between local, regional, and general anaesthetics 
• General anaesthesia’s effect on the brain
• Improving anaesthesia and the role of reversal agents
• Sleep, consciousness and anaesthesia

Related resources

• Corals and fruit flies aid understanding of anaesthesia

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouses of our cells, but research is revealing their wide role in brain health and links to rare genetic diseases that affect the brain. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, Professor Steven Zuryn, a leading researcher in this field, and PhD student Tessa Onraet are investigating how keeping mitochondria healthy may help brain function. By studying tiny but experimentally powerful worms, C. elegans, their discoveries may help us understand more about the ageing brain and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.   

In this engaging conversation, Steven and Tessa discuss:

• Mitochondria’s role in evolution
• The unique DNA inside mitochondria
• Why tiny worms called C.elegans are useful for studying mitochondria
• How our brain cells react to damaged mitochondria
• The future of mitochondria research

Related papers and resources

• Digging deep into distinctly different DNA
• C. elegans as a model to study mitochondrial biology and disease

Exercise has many health benefits, including for our brains. Recent discoveries at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute offer new clues about the mechanisms that generate exercise’s positive effects. In their labs, Dr Tara Walker and Professor Jana Vukovic investigate how exercise enhances cognitive capacity from different angles. They study various mechanisms that can improve learning, memory, and neurogenesis. They are both on the cusp of clinical trials to begin translating their findings into practice.  

In this captivating conversation, Tara and Jana explore:

• How exercise impacts the brain
• The process of neurogenesis
• Whether we can replicate the effects of exercise
• How exercise affects the brain’s primary immune cells (microglia) 
• Why they want to see exercise prescribed

Related papers and resources 

Exercise can help slow cognitive decline

What the evidence tells us about exercise and healthy brain ageing

Platelets can replicate the benefits of exercise in the brain

UQ research reveals exercise brain boost can last for years 

Virtual reality (VR) is changing how scientists study memory, and it involves exploring virtual mazes. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, cognitive neuroscience leader Professor Jason Mattingley, PhD student Richard Ronayne, and research assistant Jayce Rushton are conducting VR experiments that they hope will be adopted in clinical settings to test people’s navigational and spatial memory.  

In part two of this two-part series, our guests discuss:

• The challenge of using VR when conducting experiments
• Participants’ reactions to trying the VR memory test
• Building a virtual maze to test memory
• How VR can be used in a clinical setting
• Why VR could help people struggling with memory loss

Related papers and resources 

Interpreting memory  

Virtual reality (VR) is more than just a video game tool — it’s helping advance our understanding of memory. At UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, cognitive neuroscientist Professor Jason Mattingley, PhD student Richard Ronayne, and research assistant Jayce Rushton are using VR to immerse people in a world they can explore to test their navigational and spatial memory.  

In part one of this two-part series, our guests discuss:

• The different types of memory 
• Why traditional memory tests may need refining
• Richard’s unique journey from mining sites to neuroscience labs
• The inspiration behind using VR to test memory 
• What a VR experiment looks like for participants

Related papers and resources:

What is memory?

Types of memory

Professor Massimo Hilliard and Dr Ramon Martinez-Marmol grew up far from Queensland – Massimo in Naples, Italy, and Ramon in Catalonia, Spain. Their passion for biology led them both overseas as postdoctoral researchers: Massimo to the United States, and then Ramon to Australia. In 2015, they met at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute, where Ramon joined the Meunier lab before moving to the Hilliard lab in 2020 as a Research Fellow. Together, they have been extending the limits of what is known or expected about neuronal fusion.   

In this fascinating conversation, Massimo and Ramon explore:

•  What happens when neurons fuse 
• How viral infections, like Covid-19, can induce fusion, disrupting neural circuits 
• The surprising role of a tiny, transparent roundworm, C.elegans, in advancing their research 
• How the lab’s discoveries of critical molecular players, like fusogens, may one day revolutionise nerve injury repair
• Advice for early-career researchers pursuing discovery science

Related resources
 
SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral fusogens cause neuronal and glial fusion that compromises neuronal activity

EFF-1-mediated regenerative axonal fusion requires components of the apoptotic pathway

Fusogen-mediated neuron−neuron fusion disrupts neural circuit connectivity and alters animal behavior
 

In this special World Stroke Day edition, three remarkable women open up about stroke from every angle — surviving it, treating it, and fighting it in the lab. Letishia Living was just 35 when her life changed overnight; today, she’s a powerful voice for young stroke survivors. Tennille Rowland, an occupational therapist on the frontlines of recovery, reveals the strategies behind rebuilding lives and QBI neuroscientist, Dr Matilde Balbi, takes us inside her cutting-edge research searching for new treatments to heal the brain.

In this informative podcast, our three guests discuss:

• Surviving a stroke as a parent
• Advice for stroke survivors and the importance of support networks
• The challenges for young stroke survivors in the acute recovery phase
• Strategies to support young stroke survivors
• How the brain recovers from stroke
• Gamma frequency stimulation's role in stroke recovery

Related papers and Resources 

The brief executive language screen: sensitivity and specificity in acute to early sub-acute stroke

New screening tool to help stroke survivors

Stroke signs and symptoms

Queensland Brain Injury Collaborative

The Stroke Foundation

In this episode, Dr Margreet Ridder — whose project was ranked the top FightMND-funded study in 2024 — reflects on her journey to becoming a researcher at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) with her group leader, Professor Pankaj Sah. She shares how her fascination with neuronal communication led her to electrophysiology and ultimately to pursue gene therapy as a potential treatment for motor neurone disease (MND). 

In this insightful conversation, Pankaj and Margreet discuss: 

• Why hyperactivity in neurons has become an attractive target for MND treatments 
• The science of gene therapy 
• Gene therapy’s potential to treat MND  
• How viruses can be harnessed for good  
• The challenges discovery scientists face 

Discover how their work is paving the way for future treatments — and why hope for MND starts with discovery.  

Related resources 

The story behind Margreet’s pioneering research into MND 

Motor neurone disease  

Please note that this episode contains discussions about suicidal ideation, which some listeners may find distressing. If you or someone you know is affected by these kinds of issues, we encourage you to seek support from professional services. 

Heather Cruickshank was pursuing a lifelong dream to become a medical doctor when bipolar disorder, a complex mental health condition, stopped her in her tracks and forced her to rethink her career. A chance encounter with QBI Associate Professor Susannah Tye, internationally renowned for her research into the biological mechanisms behind mood disorders, encouraged Heather to use her lived experience to pave the way for more effective treatments for bipolar disorder.    

 In this compelling conversation, Sue and Heather explore:

 ·       The link between mental and physical health 

·       What it’s like to have bipolar disorder 

·       Why studying the biology of mood disorders matters 

·       The role of melatonin, oxidative stress and dopamine

·       How lived experience can help shape research