Dr Rebecca Elliott , BA, PhD

My research interests focus on understanding the neurobiological basis of emotional, motivational and social processes, particularly in the context of psychiatric disorders.

I use a combination of brain imaging techniques (particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI) and neuropsychological testing to explore neurocognitive aspects of emotional, motivational and social function, in healthy volunteers and patients with neuropsychiatric problems. With my colleagues in the Neuroscience and Psychiatry Unit, I also study how these functions are modulated by pharmacological interventions.

My main current projects are: (i) exploring the effects of treatment on emotional functions in depression; (ii) exploring the neurobiological basis of resilience to depression in the face of acute and chronic stress; (iii) exploring interactions between physical health, depression and neurocognitive profile in older adults and (iv) exploring neurobiological mechanisms of craving and cognition in drug addiction and how these influence relapse.

I am also involved in methodological developments in cognitive brain imaging and neuropsychology., collaborating with colleagues in other research groups in Manchester and other universities in the UK and Europe to develop new paradigms for exploring emotional, motivational and social functions in a wide range of clinical populations.

I supervise a number of PhD students on projects relating to my research interests and am always happy to discuss potential research projects with students hoping to carry out PhD or postdoctoral research.

Recently I became involved in the STEMNET ambassador project, which aims to increase the involvement of professional scientists in public engagement activities, with an emphasis on school activities. Whether through STEMNET or other means, I welcome opportunities to discuss my research activities with a range of audiences.

Design, programming and interpretation of neuropsychological tests.

Design, programming and interpretation of cognitive challenge tasks to use with functional neuroimaging.

MSc Psychiatry (School of Community Based Medicine)

MSc Cognitive Brain Imaging (School of Psychological Sciences)

Undergraduate teaching:  supervisor for SSMs and project options for medical school undergraduates. I offer projects in the general area of psychiatry and brain function.

Manchester collaborators:

• Elise Kleyn and Chris Griffiths, Dermatology. Neural basis of emotional dysfunction in chronic skin disease
• Anthony Jones, Rheumatology. Neural processing of pain.
• Ian Bruce, Rheumatology. Neural correlates of mood disturbance and fatigue in Lupus.
• Wael el-Deredy, School of Psychological Sciences. Reward processing mechanisms.
• Daniela Montaldi, School of Psychological Sciences. Emotional memory in depression.
• Penny Lewis, School of Psychological Sciences. Sleep and memory impairments in depression.
• Adrian Heald, Endocrinology. Neural mechanisms of antipsychotic-induced weight gain.

UK/European collaborators:

• Imperial College, University of Cambridge: new treatments for addiction.
• Anna Barnes, University of Cambridge: fractal analysis in fMRI
• Center for Integrated Molecular and Biological Imaging, Copenhagen: serotonin, impulsivity and depression.
• Asa Hammer, Kenneth Hugdahl, University of Bergen: neural mechanisms of executive functioning in depression.

• Neuropsychological mechanisms of resilience to depression
• Advanced modelling of pharmacological and psychiatric imaging data