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ECSE Departmental Research Seminar, Friday 28 - 07 - 2006

Title: "Insights into psychiatric and neurological conditions: Saccadic eye movements in schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson's disease"

Speaker: Dr. Caroline Gurvich

Abstract:

Multiple lines of evidence suggest an overlap in the symptomatology of subgroups of patients with schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson's disease (PD). Eye movement studies provide a non-invasive method of identifying deficits that may underlie a patient's clinical presentation. Advantages of this system include the limited degrees of freedom of movement and the wealth of literature defining the characteristics of different types of eye movements and related pathways in the brain. This presentation will discuss some of the advantages of using eye movements as a research tool. Results will be presented for a series of studies that employed saccadic (rapid eye movements) paradigms to define cognitive and motor deficits as well draw inferences about the normal and pathological brain function of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, melancholic depression and PD.

About the speaker:

Caroline Gurvich recently completed her Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology) through Monash University, in conjunction with the Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre and the Mental Health Research Institute. Her research thesis compared cognitive and motor performances in negative symptom schizophrenia, melancholic depression and Parkinson's disease using eye movements as a research tool. Caroline is currently working as a clinical neuropsychologist at The Movement Disorders Clinic at the Kingston Centre and as a Research Fellow at Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre. One of her research collaborations is with Brian Lithgow.

Caroline Gurvich, Research Fellow, Neuropsychologist, Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, 1st Floor, Old Baker Building, Commercial Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Tel: 03 9276 6591, Fax: 03 9276 6556, Email: c.gurvich@alfred.org.au

  
Visitors Information
A map of the Clayton Campus of Monash University indicates the venue, Building 72, and visitor parking on the top floor of the North carpark, Building 76.

Limited reserved parking spaces are available for visitors attending the seminar. (Requests for parking should be made in advance)