CHARACTERISING FACIAL EMOTION PROCESSING NETWORKS IN BIPOLAR DISORDER
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$339,188.00
Summary
This research will use cutting edge imaging methodologies to investigate brain connectivity in neural circuits involved in emotion processing in people with bipolar disorder compared to their relatives and controls. It will provide insight into the factors associated with disease expression and genetic risk and will directly inform novel cognitive remediation treatments focused on directly addressing emotional processing difficulties in bipolar disorder at their source.
Reinstating Emotion Perception After Brain Damage: An Experimental Approach
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$338,421.00
Summary
Many people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) cannot recognise emotions in others. This disrupts social behaviour leading to isolation and unemployment. In this project we determine whether: (1) selectively attending to a person's expression improves empathy and emotion recognition; (2) whether mimicking an expression improves recognition of the emotion and; (3) whether poor recognition of emotional tone of voice (prosody) and audiovisual displays is improved by focusing on voice or face alone.
Identifying Novel Markers To Differentiate Frontotemporal Dementia From Alzheimer's Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,912.00
Summary
In people under 65 years of age, frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease are equally common. Distinguishing between these different types of dementia is extremely challenging. Patients can present with similar symptoms, even when the underlying dementia cause (i.e., brain pathology) is different. Inaccurate diagnosis means patients cannot access appropriate treatments, as these become available. I will develop novel tests of social function to improve the diagnosis of dementia syndromes.
Clarifying The Role Of Emotion Regulation In Anxiety: An Investigation Of Expressive Flexibility
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$46,157.00
Summary
I am a psychologist interested in how the way we deal with emotions is related to mental wellbeing. I am particularly interested in the importance of being flexible when dealing with our emotions and I intend to investigate this by looking at people's ability to flexibly alternate between expressing and suppressing emotions and their anxiety, adjustment, stress, depression and other emotional characteristics.
Mental health problems begin in childhood. I am a behavioural scientist funded to tease out the early markers of risk. I am specifically focusing on the behavioural and genetic aspects of abnormalities of emotion processing and how best to intervene early
Mapping The Specific Pathways To Early-onset Mental Health Disorders
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,287,730.00
Summary
The foundations of mental health versus disorder are laid early. Individual differences in vulnerability can be identified early in the child's emotionality, social attention, impulsivity, and quality of parenting. This study examines how these systems emerge to coalesce into the major forms of psychopathology in the first 5 years of life.The results will identify critical variables in the early prevention of psychiatric disorders.
Caregiving Practices And Child Development: A Cross-cultural Perspective.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$109,487.00
Summary
This program of research will investigate the cross-cultural differences in the types and prevalence of cognitive and socio-emotional caregiving practices in a community sample of parents in a low income country. The influence of cultural beliefs, caregiver distress and the common challenges experienced by caregivers will be explored and it will also test the effectiveness of an innovative psychological intervention to facilitate optimal child development.
Mechanisms Of Memory And Mood Impairment Associated With Sleep Disturbance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,613.00
Summary
Sleep loss is integral and pervasive in society today. There is a link between sleep disturbance, memory impairment and depressed mood, however, the mechanisms underlying these associations are unclear. We examine whether sleep disturbed populations have preferential memory for negative information and higher levels of negative affect and mood. These findings will help to explain higher rates of depression in sleep disturbed patients, and promote the benefits of healthy sleep on mood.