Paper on schizophrenia in the Journal of Neuroscience - Davide Rivolta

Source-reconstruction of event-related fields reveals hyperfunction and hypofunction of cortical circuits in antipsychotic-naive, first-episode schizophrenia patients during Mooney face processing.

Rivolta D1, Castellanos NP, Stawowsky C, Helbling S, Wibral M, Grützner C, Koethe D, Birkner K, Kranaster L, Enning F, Singer W, Leweke FM, Uhlhaas PJ.

Schizophrenia is characterized by dysfunctions in neural circuits that can be investigated with electrophysiological methods, such as EEG and MEG. In the present human study, we examined event-related fields (ERFs), in a sample of medication-naive, first-episode schizophrenia (FE-ScZ) patients (n ? = 14) and healthy control participants (n ?= 17) during perception of Mooney faces to investigate the integrity of neuromagnetic responses and their experience-dependent modification. ERF responses were analyzed for M100, M170, and M250components at the sensor and source levels. In addition, we analyzed peak latency and adaptation effects due to stimulus repetition. FE-ScZ patients were characterized by significantly impaired sensory processing, as indicated by a reduced discrimination index (A?). At the sensor level, M100 and M170 responses in FE-ScZ were within the normal range, whereas the M250 response was impaired. However, source localization revealed widespread elevated activity for M100 and M170 in FE-ScZ and delayed peak latencies for the M100 and M250 responses. In addition, M170 source activity in FE-ScZ was not modulated by stimulus repetitions. The present findings suggest that neural circuits in FE-ScZ may be characterized by a disturbed balance between excitation and inhibition that could lead to a failure to gate

information flow and abnormal spreading of activity, which is compatible with dysfunctional glutamatergic neurotransmission.

The full paper can be accessed here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24760850

Davide Rivolta

“Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring paranormal belief and experience" by Chris French and Anna Stone.

Published October 2013.

 

The science behind claims of alien encounters and visions of ghosts can be even more fascinating than the sensationalist headlines. What leads some people to believe in the paranormal? Why might someone think they have been abducted by aliens? And is there any room for superstition in the modern world of science?

Anomalistic Psychology
* Provides a lively and thought-provoking introduction to the psychology underlying paranormal belief and experience
* Covers the latest psychological theories and experiments, and examines the science at the heart of the subject
* Uses a unique approach to apply different psychological perspectives – including clinical, developmental and cognitive approaches – to shed new light on the key debates

Whether you are a psychology student or simply curious about the paranormal, Anomalistic Psychology is the essential introduction to this contested and controversial field. Belief in the paranormal has been reported in every known society since the dawn of time – find out why.

 

For more information visit: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=271718

 

Anna Stone

Supporting the Well Being of Girls. An Evidence-based School Programme by Tina Rae and Elizabeth Piggott

This book by Tina Rae (UEL) and Elizabeth Piggott (The Springfield's Academy) is published in June 2014

Supporting the Well being of Girls will provide teachers, psychologists, youth workers and learning mentors with an evidence based approach to the vitally important task of supporting and maintaining the well being of girls. This tried and tested programme offers teachers in upper primary and secondary schools sixteen tailored, expert sessions which engage girls and young women in tackling and addressing some of their key concerns and issues.

Written by hugely experienced educational psychologists, the sessions utilise tools and strategies from a range of therapeutic interventions including cognitive behavioural therapy and positive psychology to provide a safe and nurturing environment in which to consider some sensitive issues and ultimately providing young women with the strength and self-awareness to maintain overall well-being.

Areas covered include:-

Body image and appearance; Bullying; Mental health, anxiety and depression; Relationships; Stereotypes; Self-harm; Stress; Healthy Living

Throughout, clear guidance is offered to teachers on running sessions including, welcome and ground rules, talk time and inviting students to share experiences, ice-breakers, activities and feedback.

For more information visit:
www.routledge.com/9781138015265

Supporting Successful Transition from Primary to Secondary School: A Programme for Teachers, by Tina Rae

This is the first of two books by Tina Rae. This one is published in May 2014.
 
The transition from primary to secondary school is extremely important in the lives of children and young people but it is also a time of significant stress for many.

This unique programme is designed to support children during this process, helping to build the confidence, skills and the resources that they will need in order to ensure a smooth and successful transition. This accessible text provides teachers, parents and professionals working with young people with a comprehensive range of resources to effectively support this process, and also:
 

• promotes the development of resilient children and young people who can cope effectively with the process of change

• encourage pupil participation and ensure that well-being is further fostered and maintained both for young people and staff within the learning context

• includes specific strategies, techniques and ideas regarding the transition process including systems and individualised approaches

• helps young people to visualise success, manage strong and complex emotions, cope with stress and anxiety, problem solve difficult situations, recognise their own signature strengths and build upon these through a series of activities and problem based learning opportunities.

The programme itself also makes use of solution-focused approaches, motivational interviewing techniques, cognitive behaviour therapy strategies and a range of ideas and techniques taken from positive psychology and resilience theory. The wealth of resources offered here make this programme unique and engaging, and will be particularly useful to those who support children with SEN and higher levels of vulnerability.

For more information visit:
www.routledge.com/9780415731652

Tina Rae

Masculinity, Meditation, and Mental Health by Tim Lomas

'Masculinity, Meditation, and Mental Health (http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=675073).

It is said that men are ‘in crisis,’ blighted by the adverse effects of corrosive masculine norms ranging from emotional disconnection to aggression. Consequently, with men in considerable ‘trouble’ relative to their female counterparts – from higher levels of suicide, alcoholism and violence to poorer health and educational outcomes – the question of how to help men ‘change’ is a pressing one for society. This book offers one possible solution, as it shows how one group of men learned to overcome their masculine inheritance by taking up meditation. Here we follow their difficult but ultimately rewarding life journeys as they sought and found an elusive sense of wellbeing. The book interweaves these personal narratives with the very latest research and theory at the intersection of gender and mental health, together with practical recommendations for those working with men (and indeed for men themselves). The result is a powerful account of the potential for men to change and to lead lives that are more conducive to wellbeing.

Tim Lomas

Personal Consultancy, by Nash Popovic and Debra Jinks (Routledge 2013)

Making the case for an integrated approach to the practices of counselling, psychotherapy and coaching, Personal Consultancy provides a coherent and systematic framework for working with clients. Nash Popovic and Debra Jinks use their experience in the area of integrative practice to demonstrate how this wider approach can be a more comprehensive way of helping clients than coaching or counselling on its own. The authors explain how a range of techniques and approaches from various one-to-one practices can be brought together under the framework of Personal Consultancy, creating a method that is systematic, ethical and professional but not limited by any particular theoretical bias or preconceptions. With chapters by guest authors who discuss their perspectives on the approach and its application across various contexts, Personal Consultancy demonstrates that it is possible to combine the reparative work normally associated with counselling with the more proactive, goal-oriented approach of coaching. The result is a framework that allows clients to have their counselling and their coaching needs met within one relationship and that allows the practitioner more flexibility and freedom than when using a single approach.

Personal Consultancy is one of the core texts for the UEL based PostGraduate Certificate in Integrative Counselling and Coaching, the first programme of its kind in the world!

Nash Popovic

British feeding and Drinking Group Conference 2014-04-29 - conference report

Caroline Edmonds and I recently attended the Annual Meeting of the British Feeding and Drinking Group (BFDG), which was held in Portsmouth this year.  Our particular interest is the effect of drinking water on mood and cognition and it is difficult to find conferences that cater specifically to this topic. Fortunately, the BFDG presents the perfect opportunity to meet and discuss with colleagues from other universities who also investigate the effects of a variety of beverages and foods such as caffeine, glucose and grape juice on cognition and mood.  Caroline presented two posters, the first, Differential Effects of Water Supplementation on Cognitive Performance: Dose Response Characteristic, showed how memory and visual attention task performance responded differently to varying amounts of water. The second poster, Does Fasting During Ramadan Affect Children’s Cognition and Mood? A Pilot Study of Children’s Performance and Teachers’ Perceptions, showed that teachers perceived children that were fasting to have less energy during Ramadan but that it didn’t appear to affect their academic performance, while formal testing of the children showed that their visual attention was poorer if they were fasting during Ramadan.  I presented a poster, The Effect of Exposure to an Unfamiliar Fruit and Positive or Neutral Message on Consumption and Attitude Change in Young Children, and this showed that it was exposure to an unfamiliar fruit, dragonfruit, that appeared to increase consumption over time rather than exposure to a daily story which either had a positive or neutral message about eating fruit.  Our posters attracted many attendees and generated some very fruitful conversations.  Hopefully, future collaborations may arise from these discussions. 

This year a large proportion of the presentations were focussed on how public food consumption can be reduced so as to curb the increase in obesity. It seems that a lot of research is now being directed at trying to increase the feelings of satiety after eating with the inference being that food consumption will be reduced. Interventions such as increasing the thickness of drinks and soups, water loading before eating and increasing the time spent chewing were investigated and seemed to be successful, although testing under laboratory conditions when participants are aware they are being monitored is a considerable limitation. A very simple but seemingly effective idea that was presented was to graphically show ideal portion size on a packet of food rather than giving a numeric weight or volume.  Additionally, some presentations focussed on how sugar content in both foods and beverages continues to increase leading to a higher risk of weight increase, diabetes and behavioural consequences such as a decrease in memory and spatial learning. However, a study in which parents and children were asked to rate sugar content in drinks, by placing different drinks in order from high content to low content, showed that parents and even young children were very accurate in their knowledge. It is encouraging that the public seem to be more aware of what is healthy to eat and drink but as we all know this often doesn’t relate to the choices we make.  Having enjoyed two days of delicious desserts at the conference lunch and dinner I can definitely offer anecdotal evidence that this is the case.

A nice feature of this conference is that an event is always arranged for the evening so that discussion can become more informal. This year a dinner was held on board the ‘HMS Warrior’ at the Historic Dockyard. This venue was amazing and exceeded my expectation. All four decks of the ship are open to be explored and the restoration is immaculate and gives a real feel of life as a Victorian sailor. I would definitely recommend it as a place to visit particularly for those colleagues with children. 

This was my second visit to the BFDG and I hope to go again next year although, interestingly, this British event is becoming more international, with attendees coming from around the globe. Next year the conference is due to be held in the Netherlands and presumably will be renamed the IFBG (International Feeding and Drinking Group).

Paula Booth