Robert A. Battisti
As of mid 2011, Robert took up a position as a Clinical Psychologist and Researcher at The Children's Hospital at Westmead within the Oncology Late Effects Clinic. His work focuses on the provision of psychological services and neuropsychological assessment to survivors of childhood cancer in addition to research activities within the clinic, particularly relating to impacts from the childhood cancer experience.
Robert's prior work with the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) and Headspace Central Sydney has continued following the completion of his position at the University of New South Wales. He currently works as a Clinical Psychologist with Headspace Central Sydney, and as a Clinical Research Consultant with Dr Daniel Hermens.
Prior to this, he worked with the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) as a Research Officer in April 2009 and conducted studies into the efficacy of brief psychotherapeutic interventions for cannabis and ecstasy dependence in collaboration with the BMRI.
Robert's background is in quantitative research with expertise in human learning and memory, biological psychology, cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology and statistics. He has taught in these areas for a number of years. He has also worked as a clinical psychologist for the last few years specialising in child, adolescent and parenting psychology, and substance abuse disorders. Robert complted his PhD (Clinical Psychology) at the University of Wollongong investigating brain electrical biomarkers among heavy long-term cannabis users.
Phone: +61293850423
Address: Late Effects Clinic, Oncology
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Cnr Hawkesbury Rd and Hainsworth St
Westmead NSW 2145 AUSTRALIA
Robert's prior work with the Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI) and Headspace Central Sydney has continued following the completion of his position at the University of New South Wales. He currently works as a Clinical Psychologist with Headspace Central Sydney, and as a Clinical Research Consultant with Dr Daniel Hermens.
Prior to this, he worked with the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) as a Research Officer in April 2009 and conducted studies into the efficacy of brief psychotherapeutic interventions for cannabis and ecstasy dependence in collaboration with the BMRI.
Robert's background is in quantitative research with expertise in human learning and memory, biological psychology, cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology and statistics. He has taught in these areas for a number of years. He has also worked as a clinical psychologist for the last few years specialising in child, adolescent and parenting psychology, and substance abuse disorders. Robert complted his PhD (Clinical Psychology) at the University of Wollongong investigating brain electrical biomarkers among heavy long-term cannabis users.
Phone: +61293850423
Address: Late Effects Clinic, Oncology
The Children's Hospital at Westmead
Cnr Hawkesbury Rd and Hainsworth St
Westmead NSW 2145 AUSTRALIA
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Papers by Robert A. Battisti
Chronic cannabis use has been related to deficits in cognition (particularly memory) and the normal functioning of brain structures sensitive to cannabinoids. There is increasing evidence that conflict monitoring and resolution processes (i.e. the ability to detect and respond to change) may be affected.
Objectives
This study examined the ability to inhibit an automatic reading response in order to activate a more difficult naming response (i.e. conflict resolution) in a variant of the discrete trial Stroop colour-naming task.
Methods
Event-related brain potentials to neutral, congruent and incongruent trials were compared between 21 cannabis users (mean 16.4 years of near daily use) in the unintoxicated state and 19 non-using controls.
Results
Cannabis users showed increased errors on colour-incongruent trials (e.g. “RED” printed in blue ink) but no performance differences from controls on colour congruent (e.g. “RED” printed in red ink) or neutral trials (e.g. “*****” printed in green ink). Poorer incongruent trial performance was predicted by an earlier age of onset of regular cannabis use. Users showed altered expression of a late sustained potential related to conflict resolution, evident by opposite patterns of activity between trial types at midline and central sites, and altered relationships between neurophysiological and behavioural outcome measures not evident in the control group.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that chronic use of cannabis may impair the brain’s ability to respond optimally in the presence of events that require conflict resolution and hold implications for the ability to refrain from substance misuse and/or maintain substance abstention behaviours.
The endogenous cannabinoid system is sensitive to the introduction of exogenous cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which are known to impact upon memory functioning. We sought to examine the impact of chronic cannabis use upon memory-related brain function via examination of the subsequent memory effect (SME) of the event-related potential (ERP).
Methods
The SME is predictive of recall outcome and originates in structures that are dense with cannabinoid receptors (hippocampus and parahippocampus). The SME and performance on a verbal memory task were compared between 24 cannabis users (mean 17 years of near daily use) in the unintoxicated state and 24 non-using controls. The task involved the presentation of word lists, each with a short delay before recall. ERPs were recorded during encoding and later averaged by outcome (correctly recalled/not recalled).
Results
Cannabis users showed poorer recall and altered patterns of SME activation: specifically, attenuation of the negative N4 and an increase in the late positive component. Duration of cannabis use and age of initial use correlated significantly with SME amplitudes. A longer history of use also correlated with greater recall that was related to N4 expression.
Discussion
The results indicate that relative to non-using controls, chronic users of cannabis have altered memory-related brain activation in the form of dysfunctional SME production and/or poorer neural efficiency, which is associated with deficits in memory recall. Greater alteration was associated with a longer history of cannabis use and an earlier onset of use. Neuroadaptation to the effects of chronic exposure may additionally play a role.
Methods: Participants included 112 mothers and their children aged 2-6 years who were attending swim lessons at a Central Coast swim school. Mothers completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire to assess maternal attitudes, beliefs and control over child feeding. Child and maternal body mass indexes were measured. Correlational analyses, t-tests and multiple regression analyses were performed.
Results: Mothers reported a high overall level of control in child feeding, and a low level of concern for child weight. Child overweight and obesity were marginally lower than reported in previous studies. Mothers reported more concern for their daughters' weight, but did not report increased control over feeding based on child gender. Pressure to eat was negatively associated with maternal education, suggesting a link between socioeconomic status and child feeding practices. Mothers displayed higher levels of parental control over obese than normal-weight children, suggesting that they accurately assessed the weight status at the obese level.
Conclusion: Mothers may be able to detect obesity in their children, but not overweight. Mothers may also be unconcerned about their sons' weight, and this discrepancy should be investigated in clinical and educational settings. Nutrition education and child obesity prevention and treatment programs should take maternal attitudes, perceptions and child feeding practices into account when planning interventions.
METHODS: Fifty-three young people (17-36 years) were assessed: 17 FEP affective-spectrum (bipolar disorder with psychotic features and major depressive disorder with psychotic features), 18 FEP schizophrenia-spectrum (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder), and 18 healthy controls. MMN/P3a was acquired during a two-tone, auditory paradigm with 8% duration deviants. Clinical, psychosocial and neuropsychological assessments were also undertaken.
RESULTS: FEP schizophrenia- and FEP affective-spectrum showed significantly reduced fronto-central MMN and central P3a amplitudes compared to controls. FEP subgroups also showed significantly poorer cognitive and psychosocial functioning. The combined FEP sample showed significant correlations between fronto-central MMN amplitudes and cognitive measures.
DISCUSSION: FEP schizophrenia-spectrum and FEP affective-spectrum were similarly impaired in two biomarkers for schizophrenia. FEP subgroups showed impairments in fronto-central MMN consistent with chronic patients. Similarly, both subgroups showed reductions in P3a; although the affective subgroup showed an 'intermediate' frontal response. These findings suggest that FEP patients with both affective and schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses share common neurobiological disturbances in deviance detection/orienting processes in the early phase of illness.
Chronic cannabis use has been related to deficits in cognition (particularly memory) and the normal functioning of brain structures sensitive to cannabinoids. There is increasing evidence that conflict monitoring and resolution processes (i.e. the ability to detect and respond to change) may be affected.
Objectives
This study examined the ability to inhibit an automatic reading response in order to activate a more difficult naming response (i.e. conflict resolution) in a variant of the discrete trial Stroop colour-naming task.
Methods
Event-related brain potentials to neutral, congruent and incongruent trials were compared between 21 cannabis users (mean 16.4 years of near daily use) in the unintoxicated state and 19 non-using controls.
Results
Cannabis users showed increased errors on colour-incongruent trials (e.g. “RED” printed in blue ink) but no performance differences from controls on colour congruent (e.g. “RED” printed in red ink) or neutral trials (e.g. “*****” printed in green ink). Poorer incongruent trial performance was predicted by an earlier age of onset of regular cannabis use. Users showed altered expression of a late sustained potential related to conflict resolution, evident by opposite patterns of activity between trial types at midline and central sites, and altered relationships between neurophysiological and behavioural outcome measures not evident in the control group.
Conclusions
These findings indicate that chronic use of cannabis may impair the brain’s ability to respond optimally in the presence of events that require conflict resolution and hold implications for the ability to refrain from substance misuse and/or maintain substance abstention behaviours.
The endogenous cannabinoid system is sensitive to the introduction of exogenous cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which are known to impact upon memory functioning. We sought to examine the impact of chronic cannabis use upon memory-related brain function via examination of the subsequent memory effect (SME) of the event-related potential (ERP).
Methods
The SME is predictive of recall outcome and originates in structures that are dense with cannabinoid receptors (hippocampus and parahippocampus). The SME and performance on a verbal memory task were compared between 24 cannabis users (mean 17 years of near daily use) in the unintoxicated state and 24 non-using controls. The task involved the presentation of word lists, each with a short delay before recall. ERPs were recorded during encoding and later averaged by outcome (correctly recalled/not recalled).
Results
Cannabis users showed poorer recall and altered patterns of SME activation: specifically, attenuation of the negative N4 and an increase in the late positive component. Duration of cannabis use and age of initial use correlated significantly with SME amplitudes. A longer history of use also correlated with greater recall that was related to N4 expression.
Discussion
The results indicate that relative to non-using controls, chronic users of cannabis have altered memory-related brain activation in the form of dysfunctional SME production and/or poorer neural efficiency, which is associated with deficits in memory recall. Greater alteration was associated with a longer history of cannabis use and an earlier onset of use. Neuroadaptation to the effects of chronic exposure may additionally play a role.
Methods: Participants included 112 mothers and their children aged 2-6 years who were attending swim lessons at a Central Coast swim school. Mothers completed the Child Feeding Questionnaire to assess maternal attitudes, beliefs and control over child feeding. Child and maternal body mass indexes were measured. Correlational analyses, t-tests and multiple regression analyses were performed.
Results: Mothers reported a high overall level of control in child feeding, and a low level of concern for child weight. Child overweight and obesity were marginally lower than reported in previous studies. Mothers reported more concern for their daughters' weight, but did not report increased control over feeding based on child gender. Pressure to eat was negatively associated with maternal education, suggesting a link between socioeconomic status and child feeding practices. Mothers displayed higher levels of parental control over obese than normal-weight children, suggesting that they accurately assessed the weight status at the obese level.
Conclusion: Mothers may be able to detect obesity in their children, but not overweight. Mothers may also be unconcerned about their sons' weight, and this discrepancy should be investigated in clinical and educational settings. Nutrition education and child obesity prevention and treatment programs should take maternal attitudes, perceptions and child feeding practices into account when planning interventions.
METHODS: Fifty-three young people (17-36 years) were assessed: 17 FEP affective-spectrum (bipolar disorder with psychotic features and major depressive disorder with psychotic features), 18 FEP schizophrenia-spectrum (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder), and 18 healthy controls. MMN/P3a was acquired during a two-tone, auditory paradigm with 8% duration deviants. Clinical, psychosocial and neuropsychological assessments were also undertaken.
RESULTS: FEP schizophrenia- and FEP affective-spectrum showed significantly reduced fronto-central MMN and central P3a amplitudes compared to controls. FEP subgroups also showed significantly poorer cognitive and psychosocial functioning. The combined FEP sample showed significant correlations between fronto-central MMN amplitudes and cognitive measures.
DISCUSSION: FEP schizophrenia-spectrum and FEP affective-spectrum were similarly impaired in two biomarkers for schizophrenia. FEP subgroups showed impairments in fronto-central MMN consistent with chronic patients. Similarly, both subgroups showed reductions in P3a; although the affective subgroup showed an 'intermediate' frontal response. These findings suggest that FEP patients with both affective and schizophrenia spectrum diagnoses share common neurobiological disturbances in deviance detection/orienting processes in the early phase of illness.