November 30th, 2008 by carrie
PUBLICATIONS
Robb MP, Chen Y (in press). Is /h/ phonetically neutral? Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics.
Wermke K, Robb MP (in press). Fundamental frequency of neonatal crying: Does body size matter? Journal of Voice.
CONFERENCES
Tim Anderson was co-chairperson of the Neurology Association of New Zealand conference in Christchurch, on 20-21st November.
Tim Anderson was the CMRF Invited Speaker to members of the University of the Third Age (U3A) on 3rd October at Knox Church, Christchurch.
Tim Anderson was an invited lecturer at the Royal Australasian College of Physicians ‘Brain School’ via videolink on 12th November.
Tim Anderson was an invited lecturer at a Royal Australasian College of Physicians teaching course in Dunedin, lecturing on ‘Extrapyramidal disorders’ and ‘Video illustration of movement disorders’ on 18th November.
Phil Bones, Marcus Heitger, Carrie Innes, Richard Jones, Tracy Melzer, Daniel Myall, and Govinda Poudel attended the Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and the Australian Biomedical Engineering (EPSM ABEC) Conference on 16-20th November in Christchurch. The following papers were presented:
Bones P, Wu B, Millane R P, Watts R. Towards better temporal resolution in magnetic resonance angiography.
Heitger MH, Jones RD, Macleod AD, Snell D, Wilson I, Anderson TJ. A novel biomarker of postconcussion syndrome.
Innes CRH, Jones RD, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Severinsen J, Gray J. Prediction of driving ability in people with dementia- and non-dementia-related brain disorders is more accurate when based upon different models of sensory-motor and cognitive performance.
Melzer TR, Butler AP, Cook NJ, Watts R, Anderson N, Tipples R, Butler PH. Feasibility of spectroscopic biomedical imaging with Medipix2.
Myall D, MacAskill M, Davidson P, Anderson T, Jones RD. A modular low-latency virtual-environment platform for applications in motor adaptation research, neurological disorders, and neurorehabilitation.
Myall D, MacAskill M, Anderson T, Jones RD. Submovements in reaching tasks: the effect of Parkinson’s disease.
Poudel GR, Jones RD, Innes CRH, Davidson PR, Watts R, Signal TL, Bones P. Increased multisensory activity during cued slow-eye-closure while performing a visuomotor tracking task: an fMRI study.
Poudel GR, Jones RD, Innes CRH. A 2-D pursuit tracking task for behavioural detection of lapses.
Daniel Myall attended the symposia ‘New developments in Neural Networks 2008 (NNN’08)’ on 24-25th November in Auckland.
Daniel Myall attended the ‘15th International Conference on Neuro-Information Processing of the Asia Pacific Neural Network Assembly (ICONIP 2008)’ on 25-28th November in Auckland.
Mike Robb attended the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on November 20–22. The following paper was presented:
Schaefer M, Robb M. Stuttering characteristics of German-English bilingual speakers.
EVENTS
A guest seminar was presented at the Van der Veer Institute on the 12th November by Kathleen Thomas, Associate Professor of Child Psychology at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. Associate Professor Thomas presented ‘A neurobehavioral approach to the study of cognitive and emotional development’ in which she presented examples from her work examining links between brain structure and function and the development of cognitive and emotional skills in childhood.
November 24th, 2008 by michael
The final Van der Veer Brain Research Forum for 2008 will be held on Monday Dec 1st:
Beaven Lecture Theatre, 7th floor
Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Sciences
12:00 Lunch (in the adjoining foyer)
12:30 – 1:30 Presentation
Dr Greg O’Beirne
Senior Lecturer in Audiology,
Department of Communication Disorders,
University of Canterbury
Waveforms, Boltzmann functions, and tuning curves – What electrophysiological measures can tell us about auditory function.
November 13th, 2008 by michael
In conjunction with the University of Canterbury, the Van der Veer Institute is offering a PhD scholarship for a brain research project, starting in 2009, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques.
The successful student will be based at the Van der Veer Institute and will conduct research using the Hagley Radiology 3T MRI scanner in the same building. See here for information on our current MR research capabilities and projects.
The award of the scholarship will take into account both the attributes of the student and the potential projects in which they may be involved. Applicants should examine current research projects at the Institute and identify areas in which they would like to be involved. Students will be considered from a variety of backgrounds and do not need to have experience in MRI research, although that may be an advantage. Current students in MRI projects have backgrounds in psychology, medicine, physics, and engineering. However, the first award of this scholarship is likely to favour a project with a focus on the physics and techniques of MRI rather than other areas.
Submit:
- a brief CV,
- academic record, and
- preferred area of research
To:
Dr Michael MacAskill, Chief Scientist
Van der Veer Institute
michael.macaskill@vanderveer.org.nz
By:
Friday 30 Jan, 2009
Direct queries related to research projects to Dr Richard Watts, Director of MRI Research
Direct other queries to Dr MacAskill.
November 12th, 2008 by michael
“A Neurobehavioral Approach to the Study of Cognitive and Emotional Development”
Kathleen M. Thomas
Assoc. Prof. of Child Psychology, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota
Wed 12 November, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Level 2, Van der Veer Institute, 66 Stewart St
ABSTRACT – The human brain is arguably the most complex system in the world. Each of our everyday thoughts, actions, memories, or emotions stems from a combination of both simple and complex functions of the brain. Over the past 20 years, neuroscientists have learned much about the cellular structure of the brain and its chemical and electrical signaling pathways, providing valuable insights into the workings of the mind as well as the mechanisms underlying neurological disease. Despite this incredible knowledge base, the development of the brain, and more particularly, its relation to the emergence of higher-level thought and behavior, remains a relative mystery. In this talk, I will present examples from our work examining links between brain structure and function and the development of cognitive and emotional skills in childhood. This research includes the use of neuroimaging methods as a tool for examining the neural systems supporting learning, memory, and attention in typical children. In addition, I will describe ongoing research combining multiple behavioral and neuroscience techniques to address brain and cognitive function in children at-risk for atypical development.
BIO – Dr. Kathleen Thomas is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. She received her PhD in Child Psychology in 1997. Her graduate and postdoctoral training focused on the use of neuroimaging methods including event-related potentials (ERP) and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the study of cognitive development in infants and young children. Dr. Thomas was a faculty member at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) and the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology (Weill Medical College of Cornell University) prior to accepting her current position in 2002. Her current research addresses neurobehavioral development in both typical and atypical child populations.