
Overview
Background
Dr Carlie Cullen leads the Glial Neurobiology, Cognition and Behaviour Research Group at Mater Research and is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania. Her research vision is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that drive healthy brain function, and what happens when the system goes awry, to inform the development of sustained and effective treatments for neurodevelopmental, neurological, and neuropsychiatric disorders. More specifically, Carlie and her team are working to demonstrate the importance of myelin formation during brain development and ongoing adaptability of myelin content in shaping the way information is processed in the brain, and subsequently how this impacts behavioural actions throughout life. By uncovering how myelination and myelin plasticity influences brain function and behaviour, Carlie hopes to determine whether these processes could be targeted to treat the pathological symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders, neuropsychiatric disease, and other neurological conditions.
Dr Cullen attained her PhD from The University of Queensland in 2014, under the supervision of Professor Karen Moritz, Associate Professor Nickolas Lavidis and Associate Professor Thomas Burne, where she used rodent models to demonstrate that chronic exposure to even a small amount of alcohol during gestation was associated with long-lasting anxiety-like behaviour in adult offspring. Carlie then joined the laboratory of Prof. Kaylene Young at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania where she developed a passion for understanding how glial cells influence healthy brain function, cognition and behaviour. In particular, her research focussed on understanding how cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage communicate with neurons; how this communication influences learning, memory and motor behaviour and whether this interaction could be targeted to promote brain repair in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).
Availability
- Dr Carlie Cullen is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Research interests
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Myelin Biology
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Developmental Neuroscience
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Brain plasticity
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Biological underpinnings of behaviour
Research impacts
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease characterised by the loss of myelin (insulation) in the central nervous system. MS has no cure, and no treatment stops the underlying loss of myelin forming cells (insulating cells; a type of glial cell). “The development of a cure for MS via the repair and regeneration of brain cells” is the highest priority for people with MS [MS Community Consultation on Priorities for MS Research report, 2017].
Recognising the need for a brain repair therapy we were able to build upon existing knowledge that new insulating cells are continually added to the brain & their immature precursors respond to electrical input. We used non-invasive brain stimulation [transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)] to the addition of new myelin to the healthy brain, and the repair of damaged myelin in mouse models of demyelination. This work has been translated to a phase 1 (TAURUS*) and subsequent phase 2 clinical trials (TAURUS.2) investigating non-invasive transcranial magnetic brain stimulation as a potential myelin repair therapy in people with MS.
More recently we discovered that existing insulating cells (oligodendrocytes) are plastic and adapt to help modulate brain function. This has already directly inspired primary clinical research exploring white matter plasticity after brain stimulation.
*magneTic brAin stimUlation foR mUltiple Sclerosis
Works
Search Professor Carlie Cullen’s works on UQ eSpace
2025
Journal Article
Pericyte ablation causes hypoactivity and reactive gliosis in adult mice
Cashion, Jake M., Brown, Lachlan S., Morris, Gary P., Fortune, Alastair J., Courtney, Jo-Maree, Makowiecki, Kalina, Premilovac, Dino, Cullen, Carlie L., Young, Kaylene M. and Sutherland, Brad A. (2025). Pericyte ablation causes hypoactivity and reactive gliosis in adult mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 123, 681-696. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.10.014
2024
Journal Article
A phase II trial examining the safety and preliminary efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people living with multiple sclerosis
Stevens, Natasha, Ezegbe, Chigozie, Fuh-Ngwa, Valery, Makowiecki, Kalina, Zarghami, Amin, Nguyen, Phuong Tram, Sansom, Julie, Smith, Kate, Laslett, Laura L., Denham, Meg, Cullen, Carlie L., Barnett, Michael H., Hinder, Mark R., Breslin, Monique, Young, Kaylene M. and Taylor, Bruce V. (2024). A phase II trial examining the safety and preliminary efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people living with multiple sclerosis. Trials, 25 (1) 598. doi: 10.1186/s13063-024-08425-x
2024
Journal Article
Low intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation enhances remyelination by newborn and surviving oligodendrocytes in the cuprizone model of toxic demyelination
Nguyen, Phuong Tram, Makowiecki, Kalina, Lewis, Thomas S., Fortune, Alastair J., Clutterbuck, Mackenzie, Reale, Laura A., Taylor, Bruce V., Rodger, Jennifer, Cullen, Carlie L. and Young, Kaylene M. (2024). Low intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation enhances remyelination by newborn and surviving oligodendrocytes in the cuprizone model of toxic demyelination. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 81 (1) 346. doi: 10.1007/s00018-024-05391-0
2024
Journal Article
Low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is safe and well tolerated by people living with MS – outcomes of the phase I randomised controlled trial (TAURUS)
Nguyen, Phuong Tram, Zarghami, Amin, Makowiecki, Kalina, Stevens, Natasha, Ezegbe, Chigozie, Kyle, Kain, Wang, Chenyu, Ly, Linda, De La Rue, Katie, Hinder, Mark R, Johnson, Lewis, Rodger, Jennifer, Cooper, Samantha, Cullen, Carlie L, Barnett, Michael, Young, Kaylene M and Taylor, Bruce V (2024). Low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation is safe and well tolerated by people living with MS – outcomes of the phase I randomised controlled trial (TAURUS). Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical, 10 (2) 20552173241252571, 1-14. doi: 10.1177/20552173241252571
2022
Journal Article
Safety of low-intensity repetitive transcranial magneTic brAin stimUlation foR people living with mUltiple Sclerosis (TAURUS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Makowiecki, Kalina, Stevens, Natasha, Cullen, Carlie L., Zarghami, Amin, Nguyen, Phuong Tram, Johnson, Lewis, Rodger, Jennifer, Hinder, Mark R., Barnett, Michael, Young, Kaylene M. and Taylor, Bruce V. (2022). Safety of low-intensity repetitive transcranial magneTic brAin stimUlation foR people living with mUltiple Sclerosis (TAURUS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials, 23 (1) 626. doi: 10.1186/s13063-022-06526-z
2022
Journal Article
Protocadherin 15 suppresses oligodendrocyte progenitor cell proliferation and promotes motility through distinct signalling pathways
Zhen, Yilan, Cullen, Carlie L., Ricci, Raphael, Summers, Benjamin S., Rehman, Sakina, Ahmed, Zubair M., Foster, Antoinette Y., Emery, Ben, Gasperini, Robert and Young, Kaylene M. (2022). Protocadherin 15 suppresses oligodendrocyte progenitor cell proliferation and promotes motility through distinct signalling pathways. Communications Biology, 5 (1) 511, 511. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-03470-1
2021
Journal Article
Oligodendrogenesis and myelination regulate cortical development, plasticity and circuit function
Fletcher, Jessica L., Makowiecki, Kalina, Cullen, Carlie L. and Young, Kaylene M. (2021). Oligodendrogenesis and myelination regulate cortical development, plasticity and circuit function. Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology, 118, 14-23. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.03.017
2021
Journal Article
Periaxonal and nodal plasticities modulate action potential conduction in the adult mouse brain
Cullen, Carlie L., Pepper, Renee E., Clutterbuck, Mackenzie T., Pitman, Kimberley A., Oorschot, Viola, Auderset, Loic, Tang, Alexander D., Ramm, Georg, Emery, Ben, Rodger, Jennifer, Jolivet, Renaud B. and Young, Kaylene M. (2021). Periaxonal and nodal plasticities modulate action potential conduction in the adult mouse brain. Cell Reports, 34 (3) 108641, 1-23. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108641
2020
Journal Article
Kif3a deletion prevents primary cilia assembly on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, reduces oligodendrogenesis and impairs fine motor function
Cullen, Carlie L., O'Rourke, Megan, Beasley, Shannon J., Auderset, Loic, Zhen, Yilan, Pepper, Renee E., Gasperini, Robert and Young, Kaylene M. (2020). Kif3a deletion prevents primary cilia assembly on oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, reduces oligodendrogenesis and impairs fine motor function. Glia, 69 (5), 1184-1203. doi: 10.1002/glia.23957
2020
Journal Article
Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation in the adult mouse brain
Auderset, Loic, Pitman, Kimberley A., Cullen, Carlie L., Pepper, Renee E., Taylor, Bruce V., Foa, Lisa and Young, Kaylene M. (2020). Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) is a negative regulator of oligodendrocyte progenitor cell differentiation in the adult mouse brain. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8 564351. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.564351
2020
Journal Article
Amyloidosis is associated with thicker myelin and increased oligodendrogenesis in the adult mouse brain
Ferreira, Solène, Pitman, Kimberley A., Wang, Shiwei, Summers, Benjamin S., Bye, Nicole, Young, Kaylene M. and Cullen, Carlie L. (2020). Amyloidosis is associated with thicker myelin and increased oligodendrogenesis in the adult mouse brain. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 98 (10), 1905-1932. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24672
2020
Journal Article
Oligodendrogenesis increases in hippocampal grey and white matter prior to locomotor or memory impairment in an adult mouse model of tauopathy
Ferreira, Solène, Pitman, Kimberley A., Summers, Benjamin S., Wang, Shiwei, Young, Kaylene M. and Cullen, Carlie L. (2020). Oligodendrogenesis increases in hippocampal grey and white matter prior to locomotor or memory impairment in an adult mouse model of tauopathy. European Journal of Neuroscience, 54 (5), 5762-5784. doi: 10.1111/ejn.14726
2019
Journal Article
Periconceptional maternal alcohol consumption leads to behavioural changes in adult and aged offspring and alters the expression of hippocampal genes associated with learning and memory and regulators of the epigenome
Lucia, D., Burgess, D., Cullen, C. L., Dorey, E. S., Rawashdeh, O. and Moritz, K. M. (2019). Periconceptional maternal alcohol consumption leads to behavioural changes in adult and aged offspring and alters the expression of hippocampal genes associated with learning and memory and regulators of the epigenome. Behavioural Brain Research, 362, 249-257. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.009
2019
Journal Article
Low‐intensity transcranial magnetic stimulation promotes the survival and maturation of newborn oligodendrocytes in the adult mouse brain
Cullen, Carlie L., Senesi, Matteo, Tang, Alexander D., Clutterbuck, Mackenzie T., Auderset, Loic, O'Rourke, Megan E., Rodger, Jennifer and Young, Kaylene M. (2019). Low‐intensity transcranial magnetic stimulation promotes the survival and maturation of newborn oligodendrocytes in the adult mouse brain. Glia, 67 (8), 1462-1477. doi: 10.1002/glia.23620
2018
Journal Article
How do cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage affect neuronal circuits to influence motor function, memory and mood?
Pepper, Renee E., Pitman, Kimberley A., Cullen, Carlie L. and Young, Kaylene M. (2018). How do cells of the oligodendrocyte lineage affect neuronal circuits to influence motor function, memory and mood?. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 12 399, 1-14. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00399
2018
Conference Publication
Maternal alcohol consumption around conception leads to sex specific behavioural changes in rat offspring
Lucia, D., Burgess, D. J., Cullen, C. L., Rawashdeh, O. and Moritz, K. M. (2018). Maternal alcohol consumption around conception leads to sex specific behavioural changes in rat offspring. 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, San Diego, CA, United States, 16-20 June 2018. Malden, MA, United States: Wiley-Blackwell.
2017
Journal Article
Can Thyroid Hormone Analogues Be Used to Overcome Hypomyelination and Demyelination of the Central Nervous System?
Cullen, Carlie L. and Young, Kaylene M. (2017). Can Thyroid Hormone Analogues Be Used to Overcome Hypomyelination and Demyelination of the Central Nervous System?. EBioMedicine, 26, 15-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.11.004
2017
Journal Article
The impact of periconceptional alcohol exposure on fat preference and gene expression in the mesolimbic reward pathway in adult rat offspring
Dorey, E. S., Cullen, C. L., Lucia, D., Mah, K. M., Manchadi, M.-L. Roy, Muhlhausler, B. S. and Moritz, K. M. (2017). The impact of periconceptional alcohol exposure on fat preference and gene expression in the mesolimbic reward pathway in adult rat offspring. Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, 9 (2), 223-231. doi: 10.1017/S2040174417000824
2017
Journal Article
Maternal hypomagnesemia alters hippocampal NMDAR subunit expression and programs anxiety-like behaviour in adult offspring
Schlegel, R. N., Spiers, J. G., Moritz, K. M., Cullen, C. L., Bjorkman, S. T. and Paravicini, T. M. (2017). Maternal hypomagnesemia alters hippocampal NMDAR subunit expression and programs anxiety-like behaviour in adult offspring. Behavioural Brain Research, 328, 39-47. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.04.009
2016
Journal Article
Amyloid β precursor protein regulates neuron survival and maturation in the adult mouse brain
Wang, Shiwei, Bolós, Marta, Clark, Rosemary, Cullen, Carlie L., Southam, Katherine A., Foa, Lisa, Dickson, Tracey C. and Young, Kaylene M. (2016). Amyloid β precursor protein regulates neuron survival and maturation in the adult mouse brain. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 77, 21-33. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2016.09.002
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Carlie Cullen is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Redefining the role of myelin in neural development
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Itia Favre-Bulle
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring neuronal networks and functions in zebrafish
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Itia Favre-Bulle
Media
Enquiries
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