Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Chapter Information
Local Committee Chair
Brian Lithgow
Depearment of Electrical & Computer Systems Engineering,
Monash University,
Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC 3800.
Tel: 9905 1893
Fax: 9905 3454
IEEE Victorian Engineering in Medicine Society Chapter Talk
Title: Insights into psychiatric and neurological conditions: Saccadic eye movements in schizophrenia, depression and Parkinson's disease.
When: 1:00 pm, Friday, 28 July 2006
Where: Room 136, Building 72 (Engineering), Monash Univerity, Clayton Campus
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.
Brief Biog: 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.
For further information contact Brian John Lithgow at Brian.Lithgow@eng.monash.edu.au
1. Director of Teaching,
Monash University Centre for Biomedical Engineering Room 225 Building 72 Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering Monash University Wellington Rd, Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 3800 Ph +613 9905 1893 Fax +613 9905 1893
2. Leader, Diagnostic and Neurosignal Processing Research Group Diagnostic and Neurosignal Processing Research Lab Room 201 Building 35 Ph +613 9905 3489 Current research see:- http://www.ecse.monash.edu.au/centres/dsp/medical-and-biomedical-signal-pr/medical-diagnostics-applications/odyframe.htm