Plasma protein profiles in normal brain ageing and early stages of dementia. Brain changes related to ageing and dementia are associated with altered proteins that can be detected in the blood. This project will examine blood samples from a number of well-characterised ageing cohorts to discover proteins that may serve as potential markers of brain ageing and the early stages of dementia.
Poor social functioning in schizophrenia: understanding its causes and developing better treatments. This project will advance knowledge of the thinking processes and the associated neural changes that cause the lifelong social disability which characterises schizophrenia. Findings will, in turn, contribute to better identifying young people, at risk of developing schizophrenia, and inform the design of new interventions and treatments.
Moral reasoning and mental illness: towards a model of moral judgment and moral accountability. This research examines capacities for moral judgment in people with schizophrenia, some of whom act on their delusional beliefs and commit crimes. Findings will, in turn, inform legal and philosophical consideration of the moral accountability of mentally ill defendants, and advance theoretical knowledge of healthy moral decision making.
The electrophysiological signature of inner speech. This project aims to develop an objective neurophysiological marker that identifies when a person is talking silently to themselves in their head (inner speech), and what they are saying internally. Such a marker would be an important development in the field of cognitive science. It could reveal the fundamental nature of inner speech (whether inner speech is actually a special form of overt speech), and lead to ‘brain-computer interface’ techn ....The electrophysiological signature of inner speech. This project aims to develop an objective neurophysiological marker that identifies when a person is talking silently to themselves in their head (inner speech), and what they are saying internally. Such a marker would be an important development in the field of cognitive science. It could reveal the fundamental nature of inner speech (whether inner speech is actually a special form of overt speech), and lead to ‘brain-computer interface’ technologies that can decipher inner speech and communicate it with the outside world.Read moreRead less
Cannabis and the brain: the good, the bad and the unknown. Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug but much remains unknown about how it affects the brain. This research will examine effects on brain cells through to whole brain function in humans to determine how cannabis use may lead to impaired thinking or psychological symptoms and why cannabis might affect individuals in different ways.