Dublin - TCD

      

School of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience
Trinity College
Dublin 2
Ireland

http://www.psychology.tcd.ie/

 

Role in project

The role of the TCD is recruitment and testing. TCD is also involved in the design of the fMRI tasks to be included in the neuroimaging battery.

Mr. Hugh Garavan, PhD Phone: +353 (1) 896 8448  Fax: +353 (1) 671 2006  Contact

Dr. Christian Kerskens: MRI physics implementation

Jennifer Jones: Research Assistant

Dr. Colm Connolly: Data management and coordination with NordicNeuroLab

Trinity was founded by a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth in 1592. The Corporation of Dublin granted the new university the lands of All Hallows monastery, a mile to the south east of the city walls. Trinity is today in the very centre of Dublin, as the city has moved eastwards. Trinity's campus contains many buildings of architectural merit, especially from the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the Chapel and Examination Hall designed by Sir William Chambers and the Museum Building designed by the Irish architects Thomas Newenham Deane and Benjamin Woodward.  During its early life, Trinity was a university exclusively for the Protestant Ascendancy class of Dublin. Following the first steps of Catholic Emancipation, Roman Catholics were first admitted in 1793 (prior to Cambridge and Oxford, upon which Trinity was modelled). In 1873 all religious tests were abolished, except for the Divinity School. However, it was not until 1970 that the Roman Catholic Church, through the Archbishop of Dublin John Charles McQuaid, lifted its policy of excommunication for Roman Catholics who enrolled without special dispensation, at the same time as the Trinity authorities allowed a Roman Catholic chaplain to be based in the college. Trinity College, Dublin is a sister college to Oriel College, University of Oxford and St John's College, University of Cambridge. Women were admitted to Trinity as full members for the first time in 1904, thus making it the first ancient university in Ireland or Britain to do so. The first female professor was appointed in 1934.

Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, TCIN, is an interdisciplinary research and teaching institute with a unique niche of investigators whose mission is captured in the phrase 'from molecules to mind', emphasising the vision stretching across differing levels of investigation of brain function.  The philosophy of the institute is that an innovative approach to research in neurosciences crosses traditionally distinct academic boundaries focusing on and anticipating the needs at the cutting edge of neuroscience, a quality that is necessary to be internationally competitive in the challenge of delivering molecule to mind to society.  The main areas of research are Behavioural/Systems/Cognitive Neuroscience, Development/Plasticity/Repair, Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience, Translational/Clinical.

Prof. Garavan’s research focusses on the neurobiology of cognitive control functions with a specific clinical interest in the control dysfunctions typical of drug dependence.  His lab uses functional MRI as its primary research tool.  The lab also has an interest in establishing genotype-endophenotype relations with ongoing research into the genetics and neurobiology of ADHD and schizophrenia.