Projects registered at MindSearch
As new projects are registered to take advantage of the MindSearch system, we will add their details here. You do not have to pick which projects you wish to take part in. Instead, you simply register through the "Join MindSearch " button above, and if you fit the criteria for the project, you may be contacted about it, or other projects.
Co-morbid clinical syndromes, personality traits and disorders in adults with ADHD
ADHD is a common disorder of childhood that is now recognised to persist into adulthood in many cases. ADHD in adulthood often leads to numerous difficulties for the individual. Research has found that adults with ADHD are more likely to suffer from other mental health problems and personality disorders than other people. The aim of this project is to explore this further. The research involves completing two questionnaires that look at personality and social functioning. It also involves completing a brief interview with someone who knows the person well in order to look at the reliability of self report and informant report. The questionnaires take around 20-30 minutes to complete as does the interview. Recruiting all healthy volunteers without ADHD. Expected end date for study: July 2007.
Processing of sensory information in healthy men and women
Men and women are found to process stimuli differently. Some sounds are more deeply processed by men and others by women. This is important for our understanding of deficient processing of acoustic stimuli in various mental illnesses for example schizophrenia, which seems to appear slightly different in men and women. The aim of this study is to examine processing of different kinds of acoustic stimuli to increase our knowledge of the mechanism underlying it. Recruiting healthy volunteers age 55-65 and who are right handed. Expected end date: July 2007.
The Neuroanatomical Basis of Frontal Lobe Cognitive Dysfunction in Frontal Lobe and Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsies
We know that some people with epilepsy may have difficulties with things like memory and concentration. We believe that this is because the part of the brain which should be doing these jobs may be affected by epilepsy. At the moment, this is just a good guess, and we don’t know for sure if this is the case. In this study, we will asking a group of people with epilepsy to do a set of tests which will tell us if there are certain things they find difficult – such as memory, concentration or planning tasks. Recruiting healthy volunteers age 18-50 with no metal objects in their body or females who are pregnant (procedure: MRI). Expected end date: December 2007.
fMRI study of Spatial Memory using Virtual Reality Olton Arena Task
The purpose of this fMRI project is to pilot the task with young healthy volunteers in order to establish that it engages hippocampus. If this is demonstrated, the task will then be tried out using a wider age range and will be used for research into the neuropsychology of degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, with the end purpose of developing new effective treatments to alleviate suffering associated with this condition. For Right-handed male aged 18-35 with no history of claustrophobia. Expected end date: June 2007.
Visual and Emotional mechanisms of social perceptual deficits in schizophrenia
We are investigating if visual perceptual deficits and emotion processing deficits in schizophrenia contribute towards deficits in social perception and societal role functioning which have been observed in some persons with schizophrenia. For those aged 18-65 with English as your first language, right-handed and healthy. Expected end date: April 2009.
Brain Anatomy in Autism : A multi-centre study
This project aims to investigate the idea that adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have abnormalities in the anatomy and connectivity of ‘social brain’ systems. We will also test the hypothesis that these anatomical differences are linked to specific autistic symptoms. Open to Males who are right handed and healthy. Expected end date: January 2009.
Apathy and the brain: a study using psychological tests and functional MRI scans
Apathy refers to loss of motivation, and is a common problem in a number of diseases affecting the brain (including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease). This project will study which parts of the brain are involved in causing apathy symptoms, with the ultimate aim of helping to develop new treatments. The study has two parts: psychological testing (involving completing some questionnaires and computerized tests) and MRI brain scans. Volunteers can choose to take part in the psychological part only, or in both parts of the study. Taking part will involve a single visit lasting 2-3 hours. Expected end date: October 2008.
The role of slow wave and REM sleep in the consolidation of spatial memory and their effect on executive function
There are several different stages of sleep. Two of these stages are called slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep. The purpose of this study is to understand the role of these two parts of sleep on memory and executive function. Executive function is the term we use to describe a particular type of thinking that is used for tasks such as planning and organization of activities, priority-setting, time management and decision making. This study is intended to run over two years in total. However in terms of your participation we will be asking you to spend a total of three separate nights in the sleep laboratory. The sleep laboratory is located at the Princess Grace Hospital, Nottingham Place, London. Expected end date: March 2008.
Processing of sensory information in healthy men and women
Men and women are found to process acoustic stimuli differently. Some sounds are more deeply processed by men and others by women. This is important for our understanding of deficient processing of acoustic stimuli in various mental illnesses, for example in schizophrenia, which seems to be appear slightly different in men and women. The aim of this study is to examine processing if different kinds of acoustic stimuli to increase our knowledge of the mechanism underlying it. Expected end date: June 2007.
Changes in sensory processing across the menstrual cycle
A variety of different neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and Huntington’s disease, show impairment in processing of sensory information. Research in this area is being used to increase our knowledge about neuropsychiatric disorders and potential treatments of them. There has been found that sex differences and menstrual cyclic fluctuations affect the processing of acoustic stimuli, which has important value for our understanding of information processing. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of hormones on sensory processing by examining menstrual cyclic fluctuations. Expected end date: June 2007.
A virtual reality and questionnaire study of everyday worries
The project is looking at people’s reactions to virtual reality environments. The aim of the study is to develop our understanding of worries about other people. Participation in the project has two parts. In part I we invite people to complete questionnaires about everyday worries about other people, sensory experiences, general wellbeing and thinking style. Part II of the study involves exploring a virtual environment for 4 minutes. You will also be invited to complete some questionnaires about the virtual reality experience. Expected end date: January 2008.
Genetics and Psychosis
The GAP (Genetics and Psychotic Illness) study is a large study of 1000 individuals presenting to services in South East London with their first episode of psychosis, as well as 2400 epidemiologically matched healthy controls. Comprehensive genetic, biological, neuropsychological and neurophysiological data, as well as social, demographic and other clinical information is currently being collected from this sample. expected end date: December 2007.
Child and adolescent mental health in primary care: quality standards for access to care
This study will be carried out by primary care and child mental health researchers based in Southwark and Lambeth services, King’s College London and the Institute of Psychiatry. It aims to find out which factors arouse concerns in parents and influence them to seek help on behalf of the child. Information will also be obtained about why parents are reluctant to discuss these concerns. This will provide a better understanding about factors that act as barriers to children receiving appropriate services. Based on these parental views, a set of measures that reflect quality standards for child mental health in primary care will be developed. These quality of care measures will be further refined following feedback from other parents, user groups, and professionals. Expected end date: September 2008.
Detection of Endogenous Dopamine (DA) Release in Male Volunteers During a Computerized Spatial Planning Task, using 11C-Raclopride Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
This study uses Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans to investigate the release of the brain neurotransmitter dopamine in healthy men of different ages. This is important because it will help us to better understand the changing role of dopamine in the brain across the lifespan. Dopamine release is related to planning tasks, so male volunteers will perform a spatial planning task while in the scanner. Volunteers will have 3 scans, each on a different day. A PET scan takes about one hour, and it is necessary to have a small cannula placed in a vein in the arm. One session of training in the task will also take place, before the first scan. Volunteers will be given £40 per scan to cover travel expenses etc, and can also have a picture of their brain! Expected end date: December 2008.
Social and Emotion Processing in Individuals with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a rare neurological condition in which the corpus callosum, which links the two hemispheres of the brain, fails to develop. The cognitive effects of ACC have been little studied, and conclusions have been complicated by the rarity of identified ‘pure cases’; that is, without additional genetic syndromes or neurological abnormalities. This study provides a thorough examination of social, communicative and emotional functioning in individuals with pure ACC with the aim to establish whether problems in these areas are characteristic of this condition. We will also explore the extent to which social and emotional difficulties experienced by individuals with pure ACC are similar to the difficulties shown by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), such as Asperger Syndrome. Expected end date: July 2008.
A neurophysiological study of adult ADHD
In order to understand more about the development of ADHD in adults and develop effective treatments, we need to know more about the underlying causes of ADHD. Electrophysiology, also known as EEG, allows us to record the brain’s activity very precisely so that we can identify the processes that underlie some of the difficulties experienced by people with ADHD and link these to genes that are known to be associated with ADHD. With this understanding, we hope to develop better treatments and interventions for adult ADHD. Expected end date: October 2008.
Neural Basis of the Vulnerability to suicidal behavior in patients with major depressive disorder: a functional magnetic resonance study
Research suggests that some people may be more vulnerable than others when facing difficult and stressful situations. This may have led them to have had depression, suicidal thoughts and even to attempt to commit suicide. We are conducting a research study examining the nature of the vulnerability to suicidal behavior and the brain regions associated with it. For that purpose, we plan to compare people with a personal history of suicidal behavior and depression to people with a history of depression but no history of suicidal behavior, and to people with no history of either depression or suicide attempt. Expected end date: December 2007.
An investigation into how emotions affect the way we think
This is a project investigating how emotional arousal affects memory. Participants are asked to look at lists of words presented on a laptop screen. Some of the words are intended to be emotionally arousing (positive or negative). There is then a memory test consisting of some of the words from the lists and new words. Participants are asked to distinguish previously seen words from new words by pressing one of two keys on the laptop keypad. This takes approximately 30 minutes altogether. Expected end date: October 2007.