Staff
| Personal Information | ||
| Name | Dockree, Paul Michael | |
| College Address | Psychology, Aras An Phiarsaigh |
|
| Main Department | Psychology | |
| College Title | Assistant Professor | |
| dockreep@tcd.ie | ||
| College Tel | +353 1 896 3910 | |
| Web | http://people.tcd.ie/dockreep | |
| Biography | |
| My research focuses on understanding cognitive dysfunction following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and developing new methods for cognitive rehabilitation. In collaboration with the National Rehabilitation Hospital, we are conducting a program of neuropsychological testing and electrophysiological recordings that is uniquely well placed to help dissect the clinical heterogeneity of TBI. The program aims to identify separable symptom-clusters in patients paving the way for different treatment trajectories. In partnership with Headway, we are beginning a cognitive rehabilitation program funded by IRCHSS to address a clinical problem that TBI patients commonly report: difficulty concentrating in context of background noise or concurrent interference. This is known as impaired sensory gating and often means the patient is less able to attend, encode or recall the details of an episode clearly. We employ a multi-disciplinary approach combining and applying the expertise of cognitive neuroscientists, biomedical engineers, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. | |
| Teaching interests and responsibilities | |
| I am currently responsible for teaching two foundation courses: Introduction to Psychology (PS1201) and History of Psychology (PS1203). Both courses are offered as part of the Psychology degree course for Junior and Senior Freshmen and Introduction to Psychology is also taken by Higher Diploma postgraduate students and Occupational Therapy students. My other teaching responsibilities include supervision of undergraduate final year projects. | |
| Professional Qualifications | |
| Qualification | Institution | Class of Degree | Title of Dissertation | Date Conferred |
| PhD in Psychology | University of Reading | Prospective remembering in younger and older adults | 2001 | |
| MSc in Research Methods in Psychology | University of Reading | 1998 | ||
| BSc in Experimental Psychology | University of Sussex | 1996 |
| Administrative Functions | |
| Details | Level | Date From | Date To |
| School of Psychology Erasmus Coordinator. I am the contact point for all psychology students who wish to participate in an international exchange. In addition, I am responsible for providing academic support and pastoral care for incoming international students within the School. | School of Psychology Erasmus Coordinator | 2010 | present |
| Member of School of Psychology Ethics Committee To assess ethics application of research conduced in the School of Psychology. |
| Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies |
| Details | Date From | Date To |
| Cognitive Neuroscience Society | 2004 | 2008 |
| Awards and Honours | |
| Award | Date |
| Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Trinity College Dublin. | 2001 – present |
| Education Details | |
| School/College | Date From | Date To |
| University of Reading | 1997 | 2001 |
| University of Sussex | 1993 | 1996 |
| Research Institutes / Centres / Groups | |
| Research Institutes / Centres / Groups | Description of Role | Date From | Date To |
| Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience | Post-doctoral Reaerch fellow | 01-OCT-03 | 01-OCT-08 |
| Employment Details | |
| Position Held | Job Description | Where | Date From | Date To |
| Post-doctoral Resarch Fellow | Engaged in cognitive science and electrophysiological research under mentorship of Prof Ian Robertson | Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience | 2003 | 2008 |
| Description of Research Interests |
| COGNITIVE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, SUSTAINED ATTENTION, RESPONSE INHIBITION, ERROR PROCESSING, AWARENESS, PROSPECTIVE MEMORY, FALSE MEMORY, TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, COGNITIVE REHABILITATION |
| Research Interests | |||
| ADHD | Ageing, memory and other cognitive processes | Alzheimer's disease | Clinical neurology |
| Cognitive science | Developmental and mental disorders | Emotional, behavioural and cognitive disorders | Human Learning and Memory |
| Neurobiology | Neurodegeneration | Neuropsychology | Neuropsychology and Neurorehabilitation |
| Neuroscience and Cognition | Physiology | Rehabilitation | Rehabilitation/Therapy |
| Research Projects | |
| Project title | Cognitive impairments in Traumatic Brain Injury: Novel biomarkers for new treatments |
| Summary | Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) represents an urgent and growing mental health burden for which new treatments must be developed. Standardised assessment of cognitive problems in TBI patients provides the clinician with an accurate profile of key disabling behavioural problems of memory, attention, emotional regulation and insight that are present to a greater or lesser extent in different TBI patients. Basic brain science reveals that microscopic haemhorrages invisible to standard MRI, diffuse white matter (axonal) damage and widespread neurotransmitter disruption underlies TBI deficits and as such there is poor specificity and sensitivity linking discrete cognitive problems with associated functional neuroanatomy in TBI patients. However, we urgently require biomarkers for new treatments that target the different types of cognitive problems experienced by TBI patients. A highly successful technique for identifying biomarkers of cognitive function is the electroencephalogram (EEG). EEG provides a continuous recording of the brains electrical activity and discrete neural signals can be extracted called Event-Related-Potentials (ERPs). We propose that key EEG/ERP biomarkers can dissociate symptom-clusters in different TBI patients that reflect 1) inattention and related memory problems, 2) impulsivity/disinhibition and 3) reduced insight/self-awareness. Biomarkers for these three clusters will help elucidate the neuro-cognitive processes underlying a range of distressing problems frequently experienced by TBI patients that have thus far been largely untreatable. We will select 100 post-acute outpatients suffering from TBI. Patients' symptom rating scores will be divided into high, medium and low categories; therefore, the relative pervasiveness of each symptom clusters can be determined for each patient. EEG/ERP biomarker signals will be compared across each of the patients and controls for key cognitive probes (laboratory tasks) that measure cognitive deficits which map to each symptom cluster. Finally, structural equation modelling will be employed to test the predictive strength of biomarkers for symptom rating severity. |
| Funding Agency | HRB |
| Programme | |
| Type of Project | Post-doctoral Research Fellowship |
| Date from | Oct 2007 |
| Date to | Oct 2010 |
| Person Months | |
| Publications and Other Research Outputs |
| Peer Reviewed |
| Dockree, P. M., Kelly, S. P., Roche, R. A., Hogan, M. J., Reilly, R. B., & Robertson, I. H., Behavioural and physiological impairments of sustained attention after traumatic brain injury, Brain Res Cogn Brain Res, 20, (3), 2004, p403 - 414 | |
| Bellgrove, M. A., Dockree, P. M., Aimola, L., & Robertson, I. H., Attenuation of spatial attentional asymmetries with poor sustained attention, Neuroreport, 15, (6), 2004, p1065 - 1069 Notes: [ ] |
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| Roche, R. A. P., Dockree, P. M., Garavan, H., Foxe, J. J., Robertson, I. H., & O'Mara, S. M., EEG alpha power changes reflect response inhibition deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans, Neuroscience Letters, 362, (1), 2004, p1 - 5 | |
| O'Keeffe, F. M., Dockree, P. M., & Robertson, I. H., Poor insight in traumatic brain injury mediated by impaired error processing?: Evidence from electrodermal activity, Cognitive Brain Research, 22, (1), 2004, p101 - 112 | |
| Dockree, P. M., & Ellis, J. A., Forming and canceling everyday intentions: implications for prospective remembering, Mem Cognit, 29, (8), 2001, p1139 - 1145 | |
| More Publications and Other Research Outputs >>> | |
| References |
| Name | Address | Telephone | Details | |
| Prof Ian Robertson | The Lloyd Building Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience | iroberts@tcd.ie | +35318962684 | Academic mentor |
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Last updated 15 May 2013 .