At an international neural stem cell conference in Australia, ninety of the world's top scientists in neural stem cell and brain development research, from 11 different countries were brought together last month by the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI).
Queensland is rapidly developing a growing reputation as a leading centre for neuroscience excellence, particularly in the Asia/Pacific region.
Research being carried out by QBI has implications for many common mental and neurological disorders such as dementia, psychosis, depression, anxiety and motor neuron diseases as well as other conditions.
The QBI has one of the largest groups working in the area of neural stem cells including Professor Perry Bartlett, Professor Brent Reynolds and Dr. Linda Richards, who in 1992 co-discovered that the adult brain has neural stem cells which have the potential to produce new neurons.
Professor Bartlett director of the QBI said the conference brought together many of the world's leading researchers in neural stem cells and explored their role in brain function and disease.
New research by Professor Bartlett and his team presented at the conference will no doubt raise some controversy as it says there is no evidence that the consumption of alcohol leads to the death of brain cells.
The QBI scientists have discovered that though alcohol may affect a person's behaviour temporarily it does not permanently damage the brain.