BSI Studies Currently Seeking Volunteers

Would you like to volunteer to participate in a study at the Brain Sciences Institute? We are always looking for a range of people to participate in various studies. The links below outline the BSI studies that are currently seeking volunteers. If you would like to participate in one of the studies or if you would like more information about one of the studies listed below, please contact the researcher listed in the links.

Investigation of attention and its relationship to the Autism Spectrum Quotient in a normal population

INVESTIGATORS
Professor David Crewther and Alexandra Sutherland, Swinburne University of Technology

Compared to your friends, how would you perform on the dimensions of:

• Social Skill (Are you social in nature or do you prefer to do your own thing?)
• Attention Switching (Distracted easily or prefer to fixate?)
• Attention to Detail (Do you pay increased attention to detail or are you carefree when it comes to assignments?)
• Communication (Are you a chatterbox or just happy to listen?)
• Imagination (Is your imagination wild or conventional?)

EXPLANATION OF PROJECT
This fourth year honours university student project aims to investigate the relationship between an individuals score on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and performance on attentional tasks which involve local (processing of an objects parts) and global (processing of the whole object) attention and motion detection in a normal population. The AQ measures the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits a ssociated with the autism spectrum. The dimensions the AQ measures include social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication and imagination. Research has indicated that there may be a link between performance on certain attentional tasks and the extent to which an individual displays certain traits which are associated with autism. This project also aims to investigate whether there is a relationship between the AQ and electrophysiological measures of different neural streams to the area of the brain involved in vision (visual evoked potential; VEP). These streams have been related to global and local attention.

In participating in this study you will be invited to complete the Autism Spectrum Quotient online which will take no longer than 15 minutes. Depending on your score on the AQ, you may be invited to participate in a second testing session, which will involve a widely used test of intelligence and also various attentional tasks. You will also be invited to have your brain electrophysiology recorded by a non-invasive procedure, which is called electroencephalography (EEG) and involves the placement of three electrodes onto the scalp.

If at any time you do not wish to continue or wish to withdraw from the study you will be free to do so. At no time will you be placed at any risk by the experiment.

Due to certain conditions that may confound the results of this study those individuals who have been diagnosed with abnormal vision, any neurological condition, including epilepsy, or an attentional deficit need not apply.

If you are interested in participating in this experiment you can find the Autism Spectrum Quotient at http://opinio.online.swin.edu.au/s?s=4243

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Alexandra or David at dcrewtherswin.edu.au

Motivated to Quit Smoking?

Be part of a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of REMOTIV ® (St John’s Wort) in the management of smoking cessation in combination with nicotine patches.

The Brain Sciences Institute of Swinburne University is seeking people who are planning to stop smoking to take part in this exciting study.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

• Are aged between 18-65
• Have been smoking at least 7 cigarettes per day for at least 5
years
• Have had at least one prior attempt to quit smoking
• Do not have a history of anxiety or depression
• Are not taking oral contraceptives, anticoagulants or insulin

You will be receiving a treatment of either Remotiv and/or NicabateCQ FREE OF CHARGE, which may reduce the effects of nicotine withdrawal and assist with smoking cessation.

You will also be compensated with $50 at the end of the trial.

Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups.

Participation involves 4 testing sessions spread over a 14 week period.

Each 1 hour session will be conducted at Swinburne University in Hawthorn.

If you, or someone you know may be interested in taking part in this clinical trial and would like further information, please contact Marni Kras at the Brain Sciences Institute, Hawthorn on 9214 5094 or mkrasswin.edu.au

Research on Cognitive and Glucoregulatory Effects of Natural Substances

The Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University of Technology is currently investigating the effectiveness of herbal extract Panax ginseng (GenseniPureTM) on cognitive function, mood and stress.

This study will examine the neurocognitive and glucoregulatory effects of Panax ginseng (GenseniPureTM) using computerised cognitive tools, blood glucose measurements; and with the possibility of utilising brain imaging techniques to further investigate its effect on cognition, mood and stress.

We are seeking people who are willing to participate in this research.

You may be eligible if:

• You do not suffer from diabetes (hyperglycemia)
• You do not suffer from hypoglycemia
• You have no other health conditions that would effect food metabolism including the following: food allergies, kidney disease, liver disease and/or gastrointestinal diseases (e.g. Irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease, peptic ulcers)
• You are aged 18- 40 years, and
• You are a non-smoker
• You are not pregnant or lactating
• You have no history of anxiety, depression or psychiatric disorders
• You are not taking any medication (prescription or over the counter), herbal extracts, vitamin supplements or illicit drugs

You will be receiving one of four extracts at different doses which may assist in regulating blood glucose levels and improve memory. You will also be compensated with $200 at the end of the trial.

Participation involves 5 testing sessions, one session will be a practice session which will run for 3 hours, and Subsequent sessions will run for 7 hours and will be conducted at the Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University (Hawthorn Campus).

If you, or someone you know may be interested in taking part in this clinical trial and would like further information, please contact Anastasia Ossoukhova at the Brain Sciences Institute, Hawthorn on: 9214 5129 or aossoukhovaswin.edu.au

Participants required for multivitamin study

Participants are required for a study investigating the effects of multivitamin supplementation on cognition, brain electrical activity and general well being.

To participate in the study you will need to fulfil the following criteria:

• Aged 55-65 years
• Generally in good health
• A non-smoker
• Not currently taking multivitamins

The study will use a selection of tests to assess cognition, mood, stress and quality of life, before and after a 16-week course of a vitamin and herbal supplement.

If you are interested in participating or would like further information please contact:

Liz Harris
e-mail: eharris@swin.edu.au
phone: 9214 5656

An Investigation of the Chronic Effects of MDMA (ecstasy)
on Cognitive Abilities and Mood State .

We are conducting a research project examining the effects of certain drugs on how we think, remember and complete certain computer tasks. Chronic usage of MDMA (or more commonly referred to as ecstasy) may impair our ability to remember and to think clearly or may change our mood but there is not enough research on this question.

Given that the usage of MDMA is on the rise in Australia and the frequency of use of other illicit drugs such as cannabis and amphetamines, the issue of cognitive and mood impairment due to illicit drug use is an important one. The study will contribute to our knowledge of the effects of chronic usage of illicit drugs on cognition and mood/depression/anxiety. This will be useful information for educational perspectives and to help guide better intervention strategies if there is a problem caused by illicit drug use.

We will ask each participant to complete a mood questionnaire, a drug use questionnaire and also complete certain cognitive computer tasks. We will ask each participant to provide some saliva for a saliva test for cannabis and MDMA. The saliva test will be used to ascertain whether there has been no recent use of either cannabis or MDMA. After you complete the saliva test the saliva test kit will be destroyed.

The study will take approximately 1.5hours to complete and the computerised tests are easy and fun to complete.

You will never be identifiable by name. A participant number will be allocated to you and written on the psychological questionnaires in order to marry up your responses to the computerised cognitive tests that you will complete. Individual results will not be disclosed to the participants and involvement in this study ceases at the end of testing.

For more information please contact:

Adam Potter
P: 0411 695 457 or
E: uzza@optusnet.com.au
or E: 4162560@swin.edu.au
Link: Print this study (PDF document)

The Effects of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) on electrical brain activity.

The Brain Dynamics Research Unit at the Brain Sciences Institute (BSI) are seeking healthy male participants for research focusing on the effects of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) on electrical brain activity.

Participants who pass inclusion criteria will be asked to participate in a single testing session at the Brain Sciences Institute, where they will be administered a concentration of nitrous oxide/oxygen gas mixture. During the inhalation of the gas mixture participants will have their electrical brain activity recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), a non-invasive method which records electrical brain activity from the scalp via a standard cap.

Inclusion Criteria:
-Between the ages of 20-40 years
-Male
-Non-smoker
-Satisfactory general health
-No history of psychiatric/mental illness
-No history of neurological illness (e.g. epilepsy)
-No history of medical sleep apnoea
-No history of adverse reaction to Nitrous Oxide
-No history of regular analgesia or sedation treatments

Nitrous Oxide (N2O):
N2O is a colourless gas with a sweet odour and taste. Participants will be administered varying concentrations of N2O, higher concentrations of which may induce nausea in some cases. N2O has been used as an analgesic and mild anaesthetic in medicine for over 150 years. In more recent times N2O is used as an analgesic in dentistry and paediatrics. The popularity of N2O in both sedation and analgesia is testament to the efficacy and safety of this gas.

There is no payment for this study.

Please contact Brett Foster for more information:
Ph: 9214-5543(w)
email: bfoster swin.edu.au

Neurobiological correlates of Creativity

The Brain Sciences Institute at Swinburne University Hawthorn is currently conducting a research project looking into Neurobiological correlates of Creativity. The study consists of a single 1.5 hour session involving the measurement of brainwaves while completing simple tasks related to attentional and creative processes. This research will provide much-needed insight into the relatively unexplored area of creativity and brain function.

If you are a right-handed male between the ages of 18-45 and would like to participate in this research project then please contact:

David Camfield at dcamfield swin.edu.au.
$50 participant payment.

Study to help children traumatised by violence

Swinburne researchers are investigating the effectiveness of a treatment programme developed for children between the ages of 6 and 9 with fear reactions. The treatment programme has been designed for children whose parents have separated, with the aim of reducing the negative psychological impact of a history of exposure to parental violence and conflict.

This research follows a 2004 report from the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation estimating that one in four Victorian children has witnessed family violence and the study is funded by the Telstra Community Development Fund.

Interested families can call Fallon Cook or Marie Yap on (03) 9214 4762 for more information about the programme, or alternatively email FCook@swin.edu.au

• All Details of the Study ( Word ) ( PDF )

Exploration of the Psychological Variables that Influence People's Buying Behaviours

This online questionnaire is exploring a range of variables that have been related to buying behaviour, and specifically, the variables that distinguish between people who:

• Do or do not self-report having problems with their buying behaviour, and;

• Have varying levels of problematic buying behaviours

It is anticipated that a better understanding into the variables that distinguish between levels of buying severity will be gained from the findings of this study. Furthermore, results from this study may provide support for the idea that buying motivations and behaviour are ranging and diverse. This would prove valuable in moving forward with establishing specialised treatments for people who buy excessively, but are not yet at the severe level of problematic buying.

Questionnaire Link: http://opinio.online.swin.edu.au/s?s=1482

Student Researcher: Fallon Arnold
Primary Supervisor: Professor Michael Kyrios
Co-Supervisor: Doctor Joseph Ciorciari

PTSD study

Do traumatic events change our brains? A study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
This study seeking 3 groups of right-handed males 50-65 years of age who:

- Have never experienced a traumatic event
- Are male veterans without PTSD
- Are male veterans with PTSD

Top of Page