Ground A - Cognition, intelligence and executive function
Relevant disciplines reflected in this group will be cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, clinical psychology, genetics and neuroscience (developmental, systems and behavioural including e.g., learning, memory, anxiety).
The big issues in the area can be articulated as follows:
- Is our research benefitting society?
- Significant funding is being devoted to imaging – is it getting us anywhere?
- There is a push towards translation. Is this good? How much basic research do we need?
- Many clinical trials fail – why?
- Clinical trials are the gold standard to test new treatments. Are they the best way to determine efficacy?
- Vast amounts of data are already available. Are we capturing it? Should we spend more resources on databases and comparative effectiveness research?
- How can we integrate our diverse disciplines when we often don’t talk the same language?
How do we address the big issues? Questions the group might discuss include:
- Can we do better basic and clinical research as well as clinical trials?
- How can we “integrate” and promote interactions and collaborations between our diverse disciplines?
- Do we need any other disciplines outside those listed above (e.g., engineering, nanotechnology)?
- Which new things are we discovering about the brain (e.g., mirror neurons, brain computer interfaces, plasticity) that can be used to help “areas with major societal implications”?
- How can we improve public understanding of cognitive neuroscience and prevent relentless sensationalisation by the media (and sometimes by university press offices)?
- What is the role of conventional diagnostic categories such as “schizophrenia” or “autism” in scientific research on these kinds of disorders?
- Since everyone has unique genetics that determine particular traits, does this mean everyone will have a unique interaction with the environment, and also with any drugs/interventions that may be developed?
Chair
- Professor Max Coltheart
- Professor Sarah Dunlop
Rapporteurs
Participants
