Staff Profile
Career Summary
Biography
I completed my PhD at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia in 2000. The focus of this work was to identify parts of the brain that controlled neuroendocrine responses to different forms of stress. This work showed that different categories of stress - psychological or physiological (e.g. infection) - elicit distinct cellular activity "footprints" within the amygdala and sub-populations of catecholamine cells within the brainstem. This finding was because the consensus at the time was that these brain regions responded homogenously to stress irrespective of the 'category' or nature of the stimulus.
At the end of my PhD I was awarded a CJ Martin fellowship from the NHMRC that allowed me to travel to the United States to undertake post-doctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute in California, San Diego. My post-doctoral research at The Scripps Research Institute contributed to the understanding of the neural pathways that control reinstatement of alcohol relapse. In articles published in the journal Biological Psychiatry and Journal of Neuroscience, I showed that the pattern of neural activity elicited by stimuli conditioned to predict the availability of alcohol, a factor linked to increased relapse risk in humans, is similar to the patterns produced by stimuli paired with the availability of other commonly abused drugs such as cocaine or nicotine. Additionally, we demonstrated how existing neuropharmacological treatments for alcoholism such as naltrexone, or newer agents that show promise in the treatment of addiction such as agonists for group II/III metabotropic glutamate (mGlu2/3) receptors, also modulate these patterns. We also showed that mGlu2/3 receptor agonists, which appear to have an anxiolytic profile, are effective in suppressing reinstatement (or relapse) elicited by stress - an important trigger for relapse in humans. At Scripps I also demonstrated that hypothalamic peptide systems, better known for their role in feeding behaviour, may be important neurotransmitters in the brain circuitry that trigger alcohol seeking behaviour.
After returning to Australia in 2006, I established my own laboratory in the Discipline of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle to investigate the role of these hypothalamic peptides in driving drug-seeking and relapse-like behaviour. I received an NHMRC grant in 2007 to commence this work. My laboratory therefore focuses on the brain pathways that are involved in addiction and stress.
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Queensland, 01/03/2001
- Bachelor of Science (Honours), University of Queensland
Research
Research keywords
- Biochemistry
- Cell Biology
- Neurosciences
Research expertise
Relapse to drug taking is considered the most significant obstacle to the successful treatment of addiction. Although much progress has been made in identifying individual brain regions that elicit drug-seeking behaviour and subsequently relapse, there are presently very few effectively pharmaceutical or indeed behavioural therapy strategies available to treat this disease. My research interests concern the following key issues:
1.Understanding the neuroanatomical and pharmacological interactions between key components of brain circuitry thought to be responsible for provoking drug relapse.
2.Determining the role of the neuropeptides (orexin/hypocretin and CART) recently found to be powerful modulators of drug-seeking and relapse.
3.Elucidating the cellular and molecular neuroadaptations that promotes long-term relapse vulnerability.
4.Determining the neurobiological basis for why some individuals become addicted and show greater vulnerability to drug relapse than others.
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 110900 | Neurosciences | 40 |
| 060600 | Physiology | 40 |
| 170100 | Psychology | 20 |
Memberships
Committee/Associations (relevant to research).
- Member - Australian Neuroscience Society
- Member - Research Society on Alcoholism
- Member - Society for Neuroscience
Appointments
| CJ Martin Biomedical Fellowships (Overseas) National Health & Medical Research Council (Australia) | 01/11/2006 - 01/12/2008 |
Invitations
| " Invited speaker at the Research Society on Alcoholism Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, 2004 Research Society on Alcholism, United States (Conference Presentation - non published.) | 2004 |
Collaboration
Relapse to drug taking is considered the most significant obstacle to the successful treatment of addiction. Although much progress has been made in identifying individual brain regions that elicit drug-seeking behaviour and subsequently relapse, there are presently very few effectively pharmaceutical or indeed behavioural therapy strategies available to treat this disease. My research interests concern the following key issues:
1. Understanding the neuroanatomical and pharmacological interactions between key components of brain circuitry thought to be responsible for provoking drug relapse.
2. Determining the role of the neuropeptides (orexin/hypocretin and CART) recently found to be powerful modulators of drug-seeking and relapse.
3. Elucidating the cellular and molecular neuroadaptations that promotes long-term relapse vulnerability.
4. Determining the neurobiological basis for why some individuals become addicted and show greater vulnerability to drug relapse than others.
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 19 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $812,877 |
For project grants received where the lead institution is other than the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics.
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
2013 (6 grants)
Ultra-Low Temperature Cryogenic Freezer$24,596
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Jude Weidenhofer, Doctor Rick Thorne, Doctor Kathryn Skelding, Doctor Nikki Verrills, Doctor Pradeep Tanwar, Associate Professor Phillip Dickson, Doctor Murray Cairns, Professor Hubert Hondermarck, Professor Xu Dong Zhang, Associate Professor Estelle Sontag, Doctor Chen Chen Jiang, Associate Professor Liz Milward, Doctor Jean-Marie Sontag, Associate Professor Paul Tooney, Doctor Severine Roselli, Doctor Matt Dun, Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Lin Kooi Ong, Professor Dirk Van Helden, Mr Ben Copeland, Ms Gabrielle Briggs, Conjoint Professor Leonie Ashman, Professor John Rostas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $24,596 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1201189 | ||
Identifying novel pharmacological targets for drug relapse$20,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300827 | ||
Identifying novel pharmacological targets for drug relapse$20,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300473 | ||
Addictive drugs rewire the hypothalamus to drive relapse through brain 'reward' circuits$10,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $10,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300828 | ||
Addictive drugs rewire the hypothalamus to drive relapse through brain 'reward' circuits$10,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $10,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300474 | ||
PhD Student Pulse Travel Award 'Dopamine 2013'$6,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas, Mr Morgan James | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Research Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $6,000 | 2013 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1300521 | ||
2012 (3 grants)
Characterizing psychostimulant-induced synaptic plasticity in the hypothalamus$20,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Brett Graham | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2012 | 2012 |
| GNo:G1200677 | ||
Roles of post-transcriptional gene silencing in the functional regulation of neuronal gene expression and plasticity in schizophrenia$19,500
Funding Body: Schizophrenia Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Murray Cairns, Ms Belinda Goldie, Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Postgraduate Research Scholarship | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $19,500 | 2012 | 2014 |
| GNo:G1200761 | ||
Addiction Research and Therapy, Embassy Suites Las Vegas, 20 - 22 August 2012$1,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle - Faculty of Health
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Travel Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $1,500 | 2012 | 2013 |
| GNo:G1200602 | ||
2011 (2 grants)
Brain Mechanisms Conferring Psychostimulant Addiction$25,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas, Emeritus Professor Peter Dunkley, Doctor Doug Smith | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Near Miss Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $25,000 | 2011 | 2011 |
| GNo:G1001052 | ||
IMPLEN NanoPhotometer pearl$10,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Murray Cairns, Associate Professor Paul Tooney, Associate Professor Alan Brichta, Professor John Rostas, Emeritus Professor Patricia Michie, Conjoint Professor Keith Jones, Professor Ulli Schall, Associate Professor Phillip Dickson, Doctor Frederick Walker, Doctor Rick Thorne, Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Nikki Verrills, Doctor Janet Holt, Doctor Severine Roselli, Doctor Kathryn Skelding, Doctor Jude Weidenhofer, Associate Professor Liz Milward, Doctor Charles De Bock, Doctor Julie Merriman-Jones, Doctor Jing Qin Wu, Doctor Bing Liu, Mr Dan Johnstone, Ms Belinda Goldie, Ms Natalie Beveridge | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $10,000 | 2011 | 2011 |
| GNo:G1100030 | ||
2010 (2 grants)
ABI 7500 Real Time PCR System
$34,000
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Rick Thorne, Doctor Nikki Verrills, Doctor Murray Cairns, Associate Professor Paul Tooney, Doctor Doug Smith, Professor Gordon Burns, Conjoint Professor Leonie Ashman, Conjoint Professor Keith Jones, Doctor Charles De Bock, Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Brett Graham, Doctor Martin Horan, Doctor Rebecca Lim, Doctor Severine Roselli, Doctor Larisa Bobrovskaya, Doctor Kathryn Skelding, Doctor Frederick Walker, Doctor Jude Weidenhofer, Associate Professor Philip Bolton, Associate Professor Alan Brichta, Professor Robert Callister, Professor Trevor Day, Associate Professor Phillip Dickson, Professor Manohar Garg, Doctor Phil Jobling, Associate Professor Derek Laver, Associate Professor Eugene Nalivaiko, Professor John Rostas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $34,000 | 2010 | 2010 |
| GNo:G1000055 | ||
Characterising the synaptic physiology of orexin neurons in response to cocaine: Implications for drug relapse$21,303
Funding Body: Hunter Children`s Research Foundation
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Brett Graham | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Research Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $21,303 | 2010 | 2010 |
| GNo:G0900151 | ||
2008 (1 grants)
Brain pathways underlying vulnerability to drug relapse$398,978
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Project Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $398,978 | 2008 | 2010 |
| GNo:G0187592 | ||
2007 (4 grants)
3D Imaging Software/Work station$20,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor David Pow, Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Phil Jobling, Associate Professor Derek Laver | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Equipment Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0188026 | ||
Characterisation of the brain mechanisms linking vulnerability to stress and vulnerability to drug addiction$20,000
Funding Body: Hunter Medical Research Institute
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Professor Trevor Day, Doctor Chris Dayas, Doctor Doug Smith | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Project Grant | Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $20,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0187255 | ||
Characterisation of the Brain Mechanisms linking vulnerability to stress and vulnerability to drug addiction$10,000
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Early Career Researcher Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $10,000 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0187312 | ||
Molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning drug relapse$7,500
Funding Body: University of Newcastle
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| New Staff Grant | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $7,500 | 2007 | 2007 |
| GNo:G0187726 | ||
2006 (1 grants)
Neural links between drug addiction and stress$134,500
Funding Body: NHMRC (National Health & Medical Research Council)
| Project Team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Chris Dayas, Professor Trevor Day | ||
| Scheme | Role | |
| Training (Postdoctoral) Fellowships - C.J. Martin Biomedical Fellowships (Overseas) | Chief Investigator | |
| Total Amount | Funding Start | Funding Finish |
| $134,500 | 2006 | 2008 |
| GNo:G0187071 | ||
Research Supervision
| Number of current supervisions | 7 |
|---|---|
| Total current UoN PhD EFTSL | 2.7 |
For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, details are shown in italics, and the institution name is listed below the program name.
Current Supervision
| Commenced | Proposed Completion | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2017 | PhD (Human Physiology) | Co-Supervisor | Understanding the Role of the Lateral Hypothalamus in Neuropathic Pain |
| 2013 | 2017 | PhD (Anatomy) | Principal Supervisor | The Role of Orexin in Stress and Psychopathology |
| 2012 | 2016 | PhD (Anatomy) | Principal Supervisor | Role of miRNA in Addiction Vulnerability |
| 2011 | 2015 | PhD (Medical Biochemistry) | Co-Supervisor | Roles of Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing in the Functional Regulation of Neuronal Gene Expression and Plasticity |
| 2011 | 2015 | PhD (Medical Biochemistry) | Co-Supervisor | Ageing of the Somatic Motor Nervous System: A Role for Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genome Changes |
| 2010 | 2014 | PhD (Anatomy) | Principal Supervisor | Understanding Drug-Induced Changes to the Lateral Hypothalamic Orexin Circuitry |
| 2009 | 2013 | PhD (Anatomy) | Principal Supervisor | The Role of Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript (CART) and Orexin in Drug-seeking and Addiction-Related Behaviours |
Past Supervision
| Year | Program | Supervisor Type | Research Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | PhD (Anatomy) | Co-Supervisor | Molecular Correlates of Dopamine Signalling in Addiction Vulnerability |
Dr (Chris) Dayas
| Work Phone | (02) 4921 5618 |
|---|---|
| Fax | (02) 4921 7904 |
| Christopher.Dayas@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Position | Senior Lecturer School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy Faculty of Health and Medicine |
| Focus Area | Anatomy |
| Office | MS306C/D, Medical Sciences, Callaghan University Drive Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia |
| URL: | www.newcastle.edu.au/profile/christopher-dayas |
