News and Events – November 2007
PUBLICATIONS
Cassel J-C, Mathis C, Majchrzak M, Moreau P-H, Dalrymple-Alford JC (in press). Coexisting cholinergic and parahippocampal degeneration: a key to memory loss in dementia and a challenge for transgenic models? Neurodegenerative Diseases.
Loukavenko EA, Ottley M, Moran JP, Wolff M, Dalrymple-Alford JC (2007). Towards therapy to relieve memory impairment after anterior thalamic lesions: improved spatial working memory after immediate and delayed post-operative enrichment. European Journal of Neuroscience, 26, 3267-3276.
McKinlay A, Kaller C, Grace R, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Anderson T, Fink J, Roger D (in press). Planning in Parkinson’s disease: a matter of problem structure? Neuropsychologia.
McKinlay A, Grace RC, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Anderson T, Fink J, Roger D (in press). A profile of neuropsychiatric problems and their relationship to quality of life for Parkinson’s disease patients without dementia. Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.
Will BE, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Wolff M, Cassel J-C (in press). The concept of brain plasticity – Paillard’s systemic analysis and emphasis on structure and function (followed by a translation of Paillard’s seminal paper on plasticity). Behavioural Brain Research.
Woodward LJ, Fergusson DM, Chesney A, Horwood LJ (in press). Punitive parenting practices of contemporary young parents. New Zealand Medical Journal.
CONFERENCES
Lianne Woodward was an invited speaker at the Paediatric Society of New Zealand 59th Annual Scientific Meeting, held at the University of Canterbury 26-28 November 2007. Lianne spoke on the subject “Preterm follow-up: clinical and methodological issues”.
GRANTS
Petra Hoggarth received an ACC Research Career Development Award for her PhD studies. The award is administered through the HRC and includes an emolument of $25,000 per annum for 28 months, $10,000 research expenses, fees for PhD enrolment, and up to $550 thesis preparation costs. Funding will cover three studies investigating off-road predictors of on-road driving performance in healthy older adults and those with suspected dementia/cognitive impairment.
AWARDS
Petra Hoggarth received first place in the Department of Psychology Postgraduate Research Conference 2007 with her talk “Computerized sensory-motor & cognitive tests for predicting driving ability in older adults”. The award included $1,500 towards conference travel.
Rob Hughes received MAF’s National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee’s “Three Rs Award” at the Royal Society of NZ’s Science Awards Dinner in Dunedin. The Three Rs Award is given in recognition of “an outstanding contribution to humane science in New Zealand and the practical application of the Three Rs”. The citation read at the dinner was as follows:
“This is a national award in its fifth year, recognising excellence in the humane use of animals in research, testing and teaching. The concept of the ‘Three Rs’ is to replace live animal subjects, reduce the number of animals used and refine experimental techniques to minimise pain and distress.
This year’s Award goes to Professor Rob Hughes, of the University of Canterbury, for his contributions towards the reduction and refinement of animal use in short-term memory testing. His behavioural testing methods, relying on animals’ natural curiosity to explore novel environments, have both reduced the number of animals used and avoided the need to use aversive methods.
NAEAC commends Professor Hughes’ work for its reduction and refinement benefits, and congratulates him warmly on his selection to receive this year’s Award.”
PEOPLE AT VDVI
Pariya Behnami - a 4th year Speech & Language Therapy student commenced a University of Canterbury Summer Studentship project “Evaluation of pharyngeal surface-EMG measures as a function of swallowing manoeuvre and bolus volume” under the supervision of Maggie-Lee Huckabee and Sebastian Doeltgen.
Belinda Butterfield - a research nurse and Parkinson’s clinical trials co-ordinator working with Tim Anderson.
Heng Teck Chong - a 4th year medical student commenced a University of Otago, Christchurch Summer Studentship project “Influence of catheter diameter on measurement of resting and deglutitive manometric pressures at the upper oesophageal sphincter” under the supervision of Maggie-Lee Huckabee and Sebastian Doeltgen. This study will be undertaken in cooperation with the Department of Gastroenterology, Christchurch Hospital.
Sue Coombe - a 4th year Speech & Language Therapy student will be working over the summer as a Laboratory assistant and assisting Maggie-Lee with clinical work.
Liisa Stone - a 4th year medical student commenced a University of Otago, Christchurch Summer Studentship project “Arm and eye movements in Parkinson’s disease: are trajectories different from controls?” under the supervision of Tim Anderson and Michael MacAskill.
Maarten van Megen - a Master of Electrical Engineering student from the University of Twente in the Netherlands commenced a University of Otago, Christchurch Summer Studentship project “Development of speech recognition and reaction time measurement in a divided attention test for improved prediction of safe driving ability” under the supervision of Carrie Innes and Richard Jones.
Sarah Wright - commenced a one-year Bachelor of Medical Science degree project “Saccadic function in Alzheimer’s disease: an fMRI analysis” under the supervision of Tim Anderson and Michael MacAskill.
Amy Montagu - a Psychology honours student commenced a Canterbury Medical Research Foundation / University of Canterbury Summer Studentship project “Memory-related fMRI in neurological patients: The BOLD response in healthy volunteers” under the supervision of John Dalrymple-Alford (Senior Supervisor), Greg Crucian (co-supervisor), and Richard Watts (co-supervisor). Tim Anderson is also affiliated with this project.