News and Events – March 2009
PUBLICATIONS
Innes CRH, Jones RD, Anderson TJ, Hollobon SG, Dalrymple-Alford JC (2009). Performance in normal subjects on a novel battery of driving-related sensory-motor and cognitive tests. Behavior Research Methods, 42(1), 284-294.
Mace JL, Porter RP, Dalrymple-Alford J, Anderson TA (in press). Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on mood in patients with Parkinson’s disease and the health elderly. Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Mace JL, Porter RP, Dalrymple-Alford J, Wesnes K, Anderson, TA (in press). Effects of acute tryptophan depletion on neuropsychological and motor function in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Mace JL, Porter RP, O’Brien J, Gallagher P (2008). Cognitive effects of acute tryptophan depletion in the healthy elderly. Acta Neuropsychiatrica, 20(2), 78-86.
CONFERENCES
Tim Anderson was an invited speaker at the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, Christchurch Polytechnic, Christchurch on 24th March. Tim presented ‘Teaching in the Management of Parkinson’s Disease, Living with Chronic Illness – Reviewing Parkinson’s disease as one example of living with chronic illness (GCPD700)’.
Tim Anderson attended the 9th International Conference on Alzhemier’s disease and Parkinson’s disease 11-15th March in Prague, Czech Republic and presented the following posters:
Melzer TR, Watts R, MacAskill MR, Shankaranarayanan A, Alsop DC, Keenan R, Graham C, Livingston L, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Anderson TJ. ‘Arterial spin labeling perfusion MRI in the characterisation of abnormal perfusion patterns in early, drug naïve Parkinson’s disease’.
Graham C, MacAskill MR, Livingston L, Dalrymple-Alford JC, Anderson TJ. ‘Influence of cognitive status in Parkinson’s disease on reflexive saccades’
Tim Anderson attended the National UPBEAT Weekend Conference in Christchurch on the 27th March. UPBEAT (Understanding Parkinson’s by Belief in Education, Attitude and Treatment) is a special interest group for people with early onset Parkinson’s Disease.
Tim Anderson attended the Clinicopathological Conference on Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (DLB/PDD) on the 8-10th March in Kassel, Germany.
John Dalrymple-Alford gave a presentation, entitled, “Parkinson’s disease, dementia and some recent observations,” to the “117th Annual Convocation of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Freemasons of New Zealand” in Palmerston North, 7th March.
Norsila Abdul-Wahab, Frauke Heck, Maggie-Lee Huckabee, and Phoebe Macrae, attended the 17th Annual Dysphagia Research Society Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA which was held 5-7th March. Ellen Nijhof’s poster (presented by Maggie-Lee) was selected as one of the top 6 conference posters to be orally presented during a platform poster session:
Nijhof E, Abdul-Wahab N, Huckabee M-L (in press). Influence of Olfactory and Gustatory Stimuli on Submental sEMG Amplitude (Abstract). Dysphagia.
The following posters were also presented:
Macrae P, Huckabee M-L, Doeltgen SH, Jones RD (in press). Intra- and inter-rater reliability of hyoid displacement as measured by ultrasound (Abstract). Dysphagia.
Abdul Wahab N, Huckabee M-L, Jones RD (in press). Effects of olfaction and gustation on motor-evoked potentials from floor of mouth muscles (Abstract). Dysphagia.
PUBLICITY
Verena Pritchard and Ewald Neumann’s recent paper on negative priming tasks (published in Developmental Psychology) has received international recognition online in a science blog called Cognitive Daily. The Cognitive Daily link is advertised in the Science Times section of the electronic version of the New York Times. The Cognitive Daily article on Verena and Ewald’s research can be viewed at:
http://scienceblogs.com/cognitivedaily/2009/02/a_special_case_of_the_stroop_e.php
PEOPLE AT VDVI
Nadia Borlase is an MSc student from the Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury. Nadia’s project will be ‘Cognition in Parkinson’s disease: Thalamus and Posterior Cingulate’ and supervised by John Dalrymple-Alford, Tim Anderson, Greg Crucian, Richard Watts, and Michael MacAskill.
Hannah Farr is a PhD Candidate from the Centre for Bioengineering, University of Canterbury. Hannah’s project will be ‘Cellular pathways to neurovascular coupling’ and supervised by Tim David and Richard Watts.
Vineetha Varghese Chirackal is an MSc student from the Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury. Vineetha’s project will be ‘The predictive value of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for cognitive status and everyday function in patients with Parkinson’s disease’ and supervised by John Dalrymple-Alford, Tim Anderson, Greg Crucian, and Michael MacAskill.
Amy Wang is a 4th year BSc(Hons) student from the Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury. Amy’s project will be ‘Cognitive and neuropsychiatric correlates of medial temporal lobe integrity in Parkinson’s disease’ and supervised by John Dalrymple-Alford, Tim Anderson, Greg Crucian, Richard Watts, and Michael MacAskill.