Health Sciences

• Areas of study
• Research
• Your study experience
• Professional and community connections
• About the Faculty
  • Our staff
    • Allied Health staff
    • Nursing & Midwifery staff
    • Public Health and Human Biosciences staff
    • Health Sciences Research staff
    • La Trobe Rural Health School staff
    • Staff profile search
  • Teaching and learning
  • Our schools and departments
  • News
  • Events
• Contact us

 HBS1HBA (Regional Co-ordinator) (Human Biosciences A, Core First Year Phsyiology for Allied Health and Nursing)

HBS1HBB (Human Bioscience B)

DEN1DSA (Dental Science A, Physiology for first year Dentistry)

DEN2MDA (Pathophysiology for Dentals Science and Oral Health)

HBS2PAT (Pathophysiology for Podiatrist)

HBS2ANS (Anatomy and Neuroscience for Speech Therapy)

HBS2ANP (Anatomy and Neurosciece for Physiotherapy)

HBS3NPM (Neuroscience for Podiatrist)

HBS3PAN (Neuroscience for Occupational Therapist)

BIO3BMB (Brain mind and Behaviour, FSTE)

 Kosari S., Rathner J.A. and Badoer E., Under Review

Central resistin enhances renal sympathetic nerve activity via PI 3K but reduces the activity to brown adipose tissue via ERK1/2.  (Under Review)

Kosari S., Rathner J.A., Chen F., Kosari S. and Badoer E., 2011

Centrally administered resistin enhances sympathetic nerve activity to the hindlimb but attenuates the activity to brown adipose tissue. Endocrinology. Jul;152 (7):2626-33. Epub 2011 May 17.

Rathner, J.A., Madden, C.J. and Morrison S.F. 2008

Central Pathways for Spontaneous and Prostaglandin E2-evoked cutaneous vasocinstriction.  American Journal of Physiology, 295, R343-R354.

P. Sinnayah, E.E. Jobst, J.A. Rathner, A.D. Caldera-Siu, , L.Tonelli-Lemos, A.J. Eusterbrock, P.J. Enriori, E.N. Pothos, K.L. Grove and M.A. Cowley. 2008

Feeding Induced by Cannabinioids is Mediated Independently of the Melanocortin System.  PLos ONE, 3 (5) e2202.

Rathner, J. A.and Morrison S.F. 2006

Rostral ventromedial Periaquiductal Grey: A source of tonic inhibition of the sympathetic outflow to brown adipose tissue.  Brain Research, 1077 (1), 99-107.

Rathner, J.A., Owens, N.C. and McAllen, R.M., 2001,

Cold-activated raphé-spinal neurons in rats. Journal of Physiology (Lond), 535 (3), 841-854

Rathner, J.A. and McAllen, R.M., 1999,

Differential control of sympathetic drive to the rat tail artery and kidney by medullary premotor cell groups. Brain Research, 834, 196-199

Rathner, J.A. and McAllen, R.M., 1998,

The lumbar preganglionic sympathetic supply to rat tail and hindpaw.  Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System, 69, 127-131

•  Autonomic and Behavioural Neuroscience Laboratory 

Principal Investigators: Joseph Rathner, Keerthi Kulasekara (Rural Human Bioscience), Christine Kettle (FSTE, Bendigo)

Honours Student (2012): Anna Jennings (Pharmacy)

Project Title: Understanding the interaction between hedonic circuits in the brainstem and autonomic nervous system function in the development of obesity.

Obesity is a major epidemic in the developed world, and epidemiological data suggest that it is of particular concern in rural areas. Evidence suggests that overeating is the result of addictive behaviours driven by pleasure (hedonic) circuits in the brain rather than from hunger (appetitive) circuits.  Metabolic syndrome is the simultaneous clinical presentation of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, each of which is related to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).  Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) is a specialised organ of the body that consumes energy in the production of heat (often referred to as non-shivering thermogenesis) and is entirely controlled by ANS. Evidence in animal models points to BAT metabolism as being an important regulator of the development of obesity. However, the presence of BAT has only recently been confirmed in humans.  The recent development of new technologies that allow the recording of nerve activity and metabolism in awake animals provides us with new opportunities to research putative links between behaviour and autonomic function.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with neural circuitry that underlies hedonic food seeking behaviour.  Based on reported evidence we hypothesise that dopamine release in the brainstem may evoke a cascade of responses that effect sympathetic nerve function and metabolism.  The experiments we propose will allow investigation of a putative relationship between pleasure circuits and ANS activity. We will investigate the neural circuits that link hedonic feeding behaviour with BAT metabolism. Understanding this circuit may provide insight to new therapies and drugs to prevent and treat obesity

Project Title: Measuring Brown Adipose Tissue in Humans.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is specialised tissue that consumes fatty acid in the body to produce heat.  While the regulation of BAT has been well characterised in rodent models, it has only been as recently as 2007 that significant deposits of BAT have been identified in adult humans.  BAT in humans has been observed by measuring glucose utilization using a PET scanner (a prohibitivelyexpensive procedure).  Activating BAT thermogenesis has the potential to waste stored energy (fat) in the body, by consuming it for the production of heat.  We propose to use alternative methods to detect BAT thermogenesis in Humans.  Developing a cost effective mechanism for measuring BAT activation will open the door to intensive study of the regulation and pharmacologicla manipulation of BAT metabolism in Human.

• Scholarship of Learning and Teaching

Human Bioscience education provides an essential and increasingly vital part of nursing, paramedic and allied health education , at the same time these subjects are notorious for high failure rates across Australian Universities and around the world, creating a substantial stumbling block for student success in their degrees.  In Accademic year 2012, Human Biosciences introduced a new subject design for the Core First Semester Human Bioscience unit (physiology).  Changes incorporated into the subject included reorienting teaching activities away from the "A" level expectations and focusing teaching and learning tasks on "C" grade expectations, with the higher level learning (towards an "A" grade) achieved through teacher supported, but student self learning tasks.  Other changes include the introduction of team based Guided Inquiry Active Learning tasks, and the use of team based Collaborative (Pyramid) testing.  Over the next two years I am to analyse the impact these changes have on the success and learning of physiology.

• Internal (La Trobe University) Collaboration

P.I. Joseph Tucci, Daniel Tillet (FSTE, Bendigo)

Project Title: The use of bacteriophage as a chemotheraputic treatment of bacterial menegitis

• External Collaboration

P.I. Emilio Badoer (Medical Science, RMIT University)

Project Title: The endocrine hormone Resistin effects on Autonomic Nervous System Function