Hailing from a sleep research background Andrea is interested in the contribution of affective disorders and sleep disturbance to memory impairment.
Hailing from a sleep research background Andrea is interested in the contribution of affective disorders and sleep disturbance to memory impairment.
Forefront Group: Healthy Brain Ageing Program
Supervisors:
Professor Sharon Naismith, Dr Angela D’Rozario, Dr Rick Wassing, Associate Professor Fiona Kumfor
Affiliate Organisations:
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
Expertise:
Neurodegeneration of interest:
Late-life depression, Sleep disorders
Specific Skills:
Project - The Impact of Sleep Disturbance on Sleep Dependent Emotional Memory Consolidation: An Investigation of Late-Life Depression
Disease area:
Late-life depression
Research Project Description
Good quality sleep is crucial for optimal memory processing and specific brain waves (EEG) during sleep are intimately linked to the consolidation of information we learn. The purpose of this study is to examine brain waves during sleep to understand the impact of altered sleep neurophysiology on emotional memory in depressed and non-depressed participants. The main outcome of the study is emotional memory tested using emotional memory tasks completed before and after a night of sleep. Participants will be fitted with a 256-electrode high-density EEG cap to wear during sleep. High-density EEG is a novel non-invasive technology that combines precision in measuring brain dynamics across the entire cortex (256 electrodes) over long periods of time e.g. during sleep, allowing us to identify distinct regions of pathological activity during sleep.