Prof Rhoshel Lenroot is part of a large, multi-disciplinary team which seeks to improve the current treatments for children with conduct problems such as aggressive behaviours. Childhood conduct problems are the greatest risk factor for antisocial behaviour and violence, as well as later adult mental health issues. One of the most effective ways to treat early conduct problems is through […]
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Dr Justine Gatt is a Group Leader at NeuRA. She runs a research program in risk and resilience in mental health. Her research focuses on understanding the predictors of anxiety and depression risk, as well as the factors that promote resilience and wellbeing. It is hoped that these characteristics can be promoted in people who may be less resilient. In […]
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Improving resilience and how children feel about themselves and others may have an important knock-on effect for their future mental health, especially if they experience psychotic-like symptoms. In the first study of its kind, our group of researchers are investigating how schematic beliefs – that is, beliefs formed early in life and shaped by childhood experience – may be associated […]
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Most people find the sight of blood or a hypodermic needle enough to cause some discomfort, but why do some people faint when faced with them? If you’re someone who finds yourself sweating about your upcoming flu jab, you might have your prehistoric ancestors to thank. Phobias are part of the anxiety disorder family. They are thought to arise because […]
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Using fNIRS opens doors and provides new opportunities for studying brain activity that was not previously possible. Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a complex developmental disability; signs typically appear during early childhood and affect the ability to communicate and interact with others. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis and intervention lead […]
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Dr Muireann Irish uncovers the part of the brain that underpins social cognitive deficits in semantic dementia, further unraveling mysteries behind the disease. It may sound like the subject matter of a science fiction movie, but mind-reading is a process in which we regularly engage. On a daily basis, whenever we interact in social scenarios, we go beyond our own […]
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Motor neurone disease (MND), as discussed in previous posts, is not a disease of pure motor symptoms. MND can also affect one’s ability to perform complex judgments (e.g. financial decision-making) and leads to changes in behaviour (e.g. a person once very active and driven can become apathetic). These non-motor symptoms and behavioural changes often go unrecognised and underdiagnosed. In a […]
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In addition to the ‘classic’ symptoms of psychosis which include delusions and hallucinations, people with schizophrenia often have problems with ‘executive functions’. This is a cognitive system that resides predominantly in the frontal lobes and regulates other cognitive processes. It is typically invoked when automatic processes need to be overruled to produce appropriate goal-directed behaviour. Another domain that is often […]
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When looking at a human face we take it for granted that we can distinguish a happy face from a sad face and a scary face from a relaxed face. People with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias often exhibit deficits in this area, and while this is interesting from a cognitive perspective, it has real world implications for the families of people […]
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