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Maddie Groom

Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

I graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2000 with a BSc in Psychology. I spent 1 year in the School of Psychology at Leeds University developing a project to investigate animal models of anxiety and drug addiction, before returning to the University of Nottingham, Division of Psychiatry in 2002 to a research post investigating cognitive risk markers for early-onset schizophrenia. I completed a PhD in this topic in 2006, followed by a post-doc position investigating the effects of motivational incentives and stimulant medication on neural markers of response inhibition in ADHD. In 2009 I was appointed to my current post of lecturer in applied developmental cognitive neuroscience, in the Division of Psychiatry, section of Developmental Psychiatry.

Expertise Summary

Keywords:

developmental psychiatry, EEG, neuroimaging, cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience

Teaching Summary

I convene or co-convene the "Cognitive Neuroscience of Neuropsychiatric Disorders" and "Behavioural Sciences" modules for the undergraduate medical (BMedSci) degree course. I also supervise a number… read more

Research Summary

My research aims to understand the neural basis of developmental psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette Syndrome (TS) and schizophrenia, to develop… read more

Recent Publications

Postgraduate Representative (Division of Psychiatry)

This entails liaising regularly with postgraduate research (PGR) students to identify issues that are relevant to them, as well as handling initial queries and applications, and being the first point of contact for any students who are facing difficulties completing their PhD.

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Education Committee (Division of Psychiatry)

This committee makes decisions about the content and structure of material delivered by the Division on the medical degree, masters in mental health and other teaching external to the Division.

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Other Networks/Committees

I am also a member of the following networks/committees:

  • European Network of Hyperkinetic Disorders (EuNetHyDis)
  • EEG/ERP Research in ADHD (ERA) international network
  • British Neuropsychological Society
  • Institute of Mental Health, a partnership between the University of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
  • Human, Development and Language (HDL) group (University of Nottingham)
  • Mind Brain Behaviour Group (University of Nottingham)

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Public Engagement and Dissemination of Research Findings

I take an active role in public engagement and dissemination of research findings including:

  • University of Nottingham community open day, giving a demonstration of cognitive testing and describing my research to members of the public
  • Magazine article for Rethink, a local support group for service users with significant mental health problems and their families
  • Press conferences both for local (East Midlands Today, BBC Radio Nottingham) and international media (Times and Guardian)
  • Oral and poster presentations at NHS research conferences and Royal College of Psychiatrists
  • Newsletters to research participants

I convene or co-convene the "Cognitive Neuroscience of Neuropsychiatric Disorders" and "Behavioural Sciences" modules for the undergraduate medical (BMedSci) degree course. I also supervise a number of undergraduate, taught and research postgraduate students.

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BMedSci Teaching

Cognitive Neuroscience of Neuropsychiatric Disorders (BMedSci, honours year)

This is a 6-week module in which students are taught about current theories and research which applies the techniques of cognitive neuroscience to the investigation of major neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, ADHD, autism and depression.

Behavioural Sciences (BMedSci, year 1)

Students are introduced to psychological models of health and illness, the application of these models to treatment and the impact of psychological and social factors on health. A proportion of the course consists of self-directed learning in which students work in groups to develop an evidence-based solution to a medical case.

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Other Teaching Commitments

  • Communication skills to Yr 1 BMedSci students
  • Cognitive neuroscience to Masters students
  • Research supervision
  • Supervision of year 3 BMedSci students research projects
  • One masters project investigating functional brain networks underlying visual attention using magneto-encephalography
  • One PhD student who is investigating electrophysiological correlates of cognitive control in Tourette syndrome and ADHD.

Current Research

My research aims to understand the neural basis of developmental psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette Syndrome (TS) and schizophrenia, to develop more effective tools for diagnosis and treatment in child and adolescent psychiatry. In particular, I'm interested in why the symptoms and cognitive deficits of these disorders so frequently overlap and what this overlap tells us about shared (and specific) mechanisms of risk for psychiatric disorders.

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How I Achieve These Aims

To achieve these aims I use cognitive neuroscience methods and techniques including:

  • Behavioural measures of cognitive function
  • Questionnaires and rating scales
  • Electroencephalography (EEG)
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
  • Magneto-encephalography (MEG)

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In my research I work closely with other scientists and with psychiatrists and healthcare professionals, integrating the techniques of cognitive neuroscience with the real-world issues faced by psychiatrists when trying to improve diagnosis and treatment in clinical practice.

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Current Projects

Current projects include:

  • Electrophysiological correlates of cognitive control in children with Tourette Syndrome with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Attention to social and non-social cues in typical development and in children with ADHD
  • Measuring cognitive control of motor responses using fMRI
  • A MEG study of functional brain networks in children, adolescents and adults
  • Motivation, inhibition and development in ADHD Study (MIDAS) - www.nottingham.ac.uk/~mczmidas/

School of Community Health Sciences

The University of Nottingham
Medical School
Nottingham, NG7 2UH

telephone: +44 (0) 115 823 0208
fax: +44 (0) 115 823 0214
email: chs-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk