Clinical Psychology Interventions and Translational Neuroscience
Summary
To improve cognitive-behavioural interventions and develop a better understanding of the interaction between biological and psychological processes. My current interests focus on anxiety disorders, autism, schizophrenia, and substance misuse. Please see the research summary below (synopsis) regarding project specifics. However, this research opportunity must be considered in the context of the facilities provided at the BMRI. The BMRI allows for front-line community-based research and the provision of quality treatment for hundreds of individuals across many mental health conditions, with over a thousand youth aged 12 to 30 acessing our services every year. The BMRI consists of interelated and integrated out-patient community treatment clinics across inner Sydney and western Sydney, with specialist centres included (Anxiety Clinic; Centre for Autism Research and Evaluation). We use a wide variety of neuroscience technology (e.g., Genotyping, PET, EEG, Chronobiology, eye-tracking) with a multi-disciplinary team of neuroscientists, neurologists, psychiatrists, general practitioners, clinical psychologists, nurses, social and youth workers to facilitate the development of research and psychobiological treatment approaches. This base provides a unique environment to conduct trials that have real community relevance while also integrating a range of potential neurobiological assessments/interventions.
Supervisor(s)
Associate Professor Adam Guastella
Research Location
Brain and Mind Research Institute
Program Type
Masters/PHD
Synopsis
Broadly, I am interested in developing new, more effective clinical treatments for a range of mental health conditions which are based on translating latest neuroscience findings. This may take the form of cognitive-experimental investigations aimed at understand how biology can interact with psychological processes to cause, maintain and recover from mental health problems. Alternatively, it may take the form of developing new interventions to be integrated and evaluated in our treatment clinics. My first and main focus of research is in social anxiety and I am interested in understanding how biological (e.g., genes; neurotransmitters, hormones) and behavioural/ cognitive (e.g., appraisals/ attention) factors interelate to recover from illness. As part of the anxiety clinic at BMRI, I am interested in treatments for other anxiety disorders and keen to explore unique intervention/ neuroscience projects across the spectrum. Second, I have a keen interest in understanding the psychobiological nature of human social bonds and associated social deficits so that we can develop new methods to improve social problems. This research has led me to study a range of mental health conditions (autism; schizophrenia; substance misuse) and I am very interested in exploring projects around the neuruoscience of social deficit in these disorders. I will provide two examples of my past research:
Oxytocin improves social-communication processes in humans: I showed the powerful enhancing effects of oxytocin administration on face-perception and social-stimuli processing in humans. This research showed that oxytocin increases gaze to the eye-region of human faces and enhances encoding of positive social information. This research has laid some of the experimental foundation for future clinical treatment applications for a range of disorders. We are now currently evaluating whether oxytocin can be used to treat a range of mental health problems that are primarily associated with a difficulty in developing social-relationships (e.g., Autism; Schizophrenia; Substance Misuse/ Dependence). This research advances our basic understanding for evolutionary and biosocial theories of bonding and attachment in humans and may lead an exciting new treatment approach for mental health problems. D-Cycloserine (DCS) facilitates fear-extinction in humans: I conducted some of the first clinical treatment trials of medications that are thought to facilitate learning to overcome fear in humans. Consisting of both experimental investigation of fear-extinction in humans and large clinical treatment trials for phobia, social anxiety, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, these trials have shown that the administration of a simple, low-cost antibiotic before psychological therapy, for instance, may enhance treatment outcomes. This has the potential to alter how mental health professionals treat anxiety disorders in the community. I am very keen to explore the neurobiological basis of fear extinction in humans and better understand how these medications can enhance learning.
Additional Information
I am open to research supervision for multi-disciplinary students/courses, although the majority of my students are currently from psychology with a neuroscience and clinical psychology interest. Please see my homepage: http://www.bmri.org.au/adam_g.html
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Keywords
Oxytocin, D-Cycloserine, anxiety, autism, substance misuse, cognitive-behaviour therapy, emotion-processing, youth mental health, interventon, community mental health, Neuroscience, DCS
Opportunity ID
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is: 714
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