Tim Aumann is a research fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. His research interests are adult brain plasticity and neural control of movement.
He currently heads the midbrain dopamine plasticity laboratory and is studying how our environment and the neural activity it stimulates in the midbrain controls the dopamine phenotype of midbrain neurons. We have discovered that the number of midbrain dopamine neurons can be increased or decreased by exposing adult mice or humans to different environmental stimuli such as the amount of light, pairing with the opposite sex, or novel physical activity. Administering drugs that alter the activity of midbrain neurons produces similar changes. We are also compiling evidence that these changes in number of midbrain dopamine neurons regulate midbrain dopamine-dependent behaviors. If so, our discovery may be useful for treating symptoms of too much or too little midbrain dopamine in e.g. drug addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson’s disease (PD), dyskinesia and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Selected recent publications:
1. Aumann, T.D., Raabus, M., Tomas, D., Prijanto, H., Churilov, L., Spitzer, N.C. & Horne, M.K. (2016) Differences in number of midbrain dopamine neurons associated with summer and winter photoperiods in humans. PLOS ONE (in press 06/20/2016).
2. Aumann, T.D. (2016) Environment- and activity-dependent dopamine neurotransmitter plasticity in the adult substantia nigra. J Chem Neuroanat 73:21-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jchemneu.2015.12.009.
3. Aumann, T.D. and Prut, Y. (2015) Do β-oscillations maintain motor system muscle representations? Trends in Neurosciences 38:77-85 doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2014.12.002.
4. Tomas, D., Prijanto, A.H., Burrows, E.L., Hannan, A.J., Horne, M.K. & Aumann, T.D. (2015) Environmental modulations of the number of midbrain dopamine neurons in adult mice. J Vis Exp 95:e52329, doi: 10.3791/52329.
5. Aumann, T.D., Tomas, D. & Horne, M.K. (2013) Environmental and behavioral modulation of the number of substantia nigra dopamine neurons in adult mice. Brain and Behavior Sep 7. doi:10.1002/brb3.163
6. Aumann, T.D. & Horne, M.K. (2012) Activity-dependent regulation of the dopamine phenotype in substantia nigra neurons. J. Neurochem. 14 Mar, doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07703.x
7. Horne, M.K., Lord, K. & Aumann, T.D. (2012) Activity-Dependent Regulation of the Dopamine Phenotype in the Adult Substantia Nigra: Prospects for Treating Parkinson’s Disease. In: “Neuroscience - Dealing with Frontiers” C.M. Contreras (Ed. ), InTech Open Access, ISBN 978-953-51-0207-6, 277-294.
8. Aumann, T.D., Egan, K., Lim, J., Boon, W.C., Bye, C.R., Chua, H.K., Baban, N., Parish, C.L., Bobrovskaya, L., Dickson, P. & Horne, M.K. (2011) Neuronal activity regulates expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in adult mouse substantia nigra pars compacta neurons. J. Neurochem. 116(4):646-58.
9. Aumann, T.D., Gantois, I., Egan, K., Vais, A., Tomas, D., Drago, J.D. & Horne, M.K. (2008) SK channel function regulates the dopamine phenotype of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Exp. Neurol. 213(2):419-430.
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FEATURED Journal article
Lack of Sez6 Family Proteins Impairs Motor Functions, Short-Term Memory, and Cognitive Flexibility and Alters Dendritic Spine Properties
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9
Research Grant
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Credentials
Positions
Honorary
Florey Department Of Neuroscience And Mental Health
Education
PhD
Monash University