Research summary
My overarching interest is in human memory, particularly spatial and episodic memory, and how it fails. My background is in pure research in this area; using a variety of techniques including functional brain imaging and virtual realities I was able to observe large-scale spatial behaviour in a controlled environment and design tasks which are sensitive to hippocampal damage. I am now developing a clinical research programme in which I will apply these techniques in clinical populations where memory is impaired. This includes applying sensitive tests for subtle memory deficits, and understanding the role memory plays in a number of mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, where there is currently considerable confusion about the cause of memory problems and their role in developmental psychopathology. The aim of this research is twofold - to further understand the fundamental neural processes of memory, and importantly, to generate new loci of treatment in mental disorder; by understanding the role of memory impairment in, say, PTSD, it may be possible to develop cognitive remediation treatments which can help in the recovery from these debilitating conditions.