Tag Archives: Maria Panagiotidi

New research links ADHD to multisensory integration

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Dr Maria Panagiotidi

Dr Maria Panagiotidi (Lecturer in Psychology & Member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) blogs about her new paper investigating sensory integration and ADHD:

In our daily life, we often take in information from multiple senses at the same time. As we interact with the environment, signals from various senses are integrated to create unified and coherent representation of our surroundings. This process is known as “multisensory integration”. The ability to integrate information from multiple senses has been shown to be abnormal in certain disorders such as autism. Anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) might also have deficits in multisensory integration. ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder and in roughly half of the children diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms persist into adulthood. It is characterised by attentional difficulties, hyperactive/impulsive behaviour, or both. ADHD can be viewed as the extreme end of traits found in the general population.

In a recent paper published in “Acta Psychologica”, we empirically tested multisensory integration in individuals with high and low level of ADHD traits and found significant abnormalities in the way they integrate visual and auditory signals. Specifically, adults who reported more inattention and hyperactivity symptoms, processed sensory information differently than adults with fewer symptoms.

In total, 40 participants with high and low ADHD traits were recruited and took part in a lab based task; they were presented with a series of brief sounds and simple images and were asked to decide whether they appeared at the same time or not. The image and the sound were presented either simultaneously or with slight delays (image before the sound or vice versa). The responses of the participants were used to measure multisensory integration. The effect of ADHD symptoms on performance was investigated by comparing the responses of the high and the low ADHD groups. The low ADHD group reported a higher number of simultaneous presentations. This finding suggests that individuals with ADHD symptoms are less likely to integrate multisensory information.

Perceiving signals from two or more modalities as occurring separately can lead to distractibility, one of the core and most disruptive symptoms of ADHD. Showing that ADHD might be linked to abnormal integration of sensory information also informs our understanding of neural mechanisms involved in the disorder. In particular, it provides further evidence for the involvement of the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) – a sensory structure linked to orienting the eyes and head towards salient stimuli – in ADHD (located towards the top of the image).

Our study identified a new area of focus for future ADHD research, which could potentially improve our ability to diagnose and assess ADHD. In addition to this, our results may provide future directions for possible ADHD treatment and behavioural interventions.

You can read the publication via the below link:

Panagiotidi, M., Overton, P. G., Stafford, T. (2017). Multisensory integration and ADHD-like traits: Evidence for an abnormal temporal integration window in ADHD. Acta Psychologica, 181, 10-17.

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams: Health and Behaviour Change and Applied Perception and Cognition.

The Centre provides training for PhD students, Research Masters degrees, as well as Professional Doctorates in Clinical and Health Psychology (click here for more details). The Centre also provides bespoke training to private and public organisations, as well as expertise for consultancy research opportunities. For more details about the Centre, its research activities, events and consultancy, please visit our website (click here).

New research shows a positive relationship between ADHD and autistic traits in adults

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Dr Maria Panagiotidi

Dr Maria Panagiotidi (Lecturer in Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) blogs about her new research:

In a recent paper published in the “Journal of Attention Disorders”, we found that there is a positive relationship between Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits. Specifically, adults who reported more inattention and hyperactivity symptoms, also reported more behaviours related to autism spectrum conditions (e.g., difficulties in communication).

ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder and in roughly half of the children diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms persist into adulthood. It is characterised by attentional difficulties, hyperactive/impulsive behaviour, or both. ASD is a developmental disorder that severely affects development in three main areas: language ability, social interaction, and stereotyped or repetitive behaviours. Clinical and genetic studies suggest that these conditions often co-occur and share genetic susceptibility. ADHD and ASD can both be viewed as the extreme end of traits found in the general population.

In collaboration with Dr Tom Stafford and Professor Paul Overton from the University of Sheffield we examined the co-occurrence of ADHD and ASD traits in an adult healthy population. In total, 334 participants were recruited and were asked to complete a number of online questionnaires measuring current and retrospective (from their childhood) ADHD and ASD symptoms and behaviours. A positive relationship was found between ADHD and autistic traits. In particular, higher inattention and overall ADHD scores were associated with self-reported deficits in communication and social skills. Both childhood and current ADHD traits were associated with autistic symptoms. The only autistic symptoms not associated with ADHD scores were related to attention to detail. This finding suggests that that tendency to focus on detail might be specific to autism.

Overall, our results are similar to findings from previous studies on clinical populations, in which a significant overlap exists between the two conditions. This further supports the dimensionality of ADHD and ASD, and suggests that these disorders might share substantial aetiology.

You can read the publication via the below link:

Panagiotidi, M., Overton, P. G., & Stafford, T. (2017). Co-occurrence of ASD and ADHD traits in an adult population. Journal of Attention Disorders. Advance Online Publication. doi: 10.1177/1087054717720720

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams: Health and Behaviour Change and Applied Perception and Cognition.

The Centre provides training for PhD students, Research Masters degrees, as well as Professional Doctorates in Clinical and Health Psychology (click here for more details). The Centre also provides bespoke training to private and public organisations, as well as expertise for consultancy research opportunities. For more details about the Centre, its research activities, events and consultancy, please visit our website (click here).

Dr Maria Panagiotidi blogs on attending the 22nd Annual CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy & Social Networking Conference (CYPSY22)

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Dr Maria Panagiotidi (Lecturer in Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) blogs about attending a recent Cyberpsychology conference:

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend the 22nd Annual CyberPsychology, CyberTherapy & Social Networking Conference (CYPSY22). CYPSY is an international networking and sharing platform for researchers, clinicians, policymakers and funding agents to share and discuss advancements in the growing disciplines of CyberTherapy and Cyberpsychology. This year’s conference took place in Wolverhampton and consisted of three days of fascinating sessions on the latest developments in the relatively new filed of Cyberpsychology. The conference was jointly organised by the Interactive Media Institute in collaboration with the University of Wolverhampton, and Cyberpsychology Research at the University of Wolverhampton (CRUW), the Virtual Reality Medical Institute and the International Association of Cyberpsychology, Training, & Rehabilitation (iACToR). The topics covered various areas related to the way humans interact with technology, from virtual reality applications and cybersecurity research to Pokémon Go!

Professor David Wall discussing the future of Cybercrime

In the opening keynote of the conference Professor David Wall, who researches cybercrime at the University of Leeds, explored the impact of new technologies on cybercrimes and identified the generations of cybercrime and offender behaviour. The talk was focussed on the need to understand the various pathways into cybercrime taken by offenders, their motivations and the organisation of cybercrimes in order to frame interventions. Dr. Elaine Kasket, an HCPC-Registered Counselling Psychologist, gave the second keynote speech about how digital-age technologies are affecting bereavement and mourning on social networking sites and ways our online data could both facilitate and disrupt the mourning process for our loved ones after we are gone. The final keynote was given by Dr Daria Kuss was focussed on Internet and Gaming Addiction and empirical evidence.

Cyberpsychology is an interest of mine (see my blog post on my study on ADHD and problematic video game play) but this was the first time I attended a conference focussed on this area. The atmosphere was very friendly, inspiring, and welcoming to anyone with an interest in Cyberpsychology. It was a great opportunity to meet potential collaborators and discuss research ideas with field experts. Looking forward to presenting my work in a future CYPSY conference!

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers an optional final year undergraduate module on Cyberpsychology. The module brings together psychological theory and research methods to explore contemporary issues in the field of Cyberpsychology.

The Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an open day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

For more information about the Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit the below pages:

New research shows relationship between ADHD traits and problematic video game play in adults

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Dr Maria Panagiotidi

Dr Maria Panagiotidi (Lecturer in Psychology & member of the Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research) blogs about her recent research into the relationships between traits associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the potentially problematic use of videogames:

In a recent paper published in “Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking”, I found that there is a positive relationship between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) traits and problematic video game play. In other words, healthy adults who reported more inattention symptoms were at higher risk of pathological gaming.

Mainstream video games first appeared in the 1970s and their popularity has been steadily increasing since. Recently, the idea of problematic video game play has emerged. Such behaviour refers to persistent, recurrent, and excessive video game play, which can have a negative impact on an individual’s life (e.g., their performance at school, social life). A number of factors have been associated with problematic video game play including poor time management, underlying personal problems, or mental health problems. There is some emerging evidence suggesting that children and adolescents with ADHD exhibit more problematic video game behaviours compared to typically developing children. The majority of studies so far were focussed on children and adolescents. However, problematic video game use is also common among adults (4.1%).

The main aim of this study was to examine the contribution of inattention and hyperactivity, along with overall ADHD to problematic video game play. Two hundred and five adults completed an online survey measuring ADHD symptoms and problematic video game play. Overall, higher level of ADHD traits was associated with more problematic behaviour in video game play. This is consistent with previous research on children and adolescents with ADHD.

In particular, inattention symptoms and time spent playing video games were the best predictors of problematic video game play. These findings suggest that subclinical ADHD symptoms, especially inattention symptoms, could contribute to pathological gaming in adults. Further research on ADHD and problematic video game play has the potential to improve our understanding of how best to help people who experience video game addiction.

You can read the publication via the below link:

Panagiotidi, M. (2017). Problematic Video Game Play and ADHD Traits in an Adult Population. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 20(5), 292-295.

The full version of the article is available to the public until 19/06: http://bit.ly/2rby9zR

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day

Dr Maria Panagiotidi is one of a number of research-active psychologists based in the Department of Psychology at Staffordshire University. The Department offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology at the University’s £30 million Science Centre in Stoke-on-Trent.

Find out more about these exciting Psychology courses by attending an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an open day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research is home to research activity in the Psychology Department at Staffordshire Centre. The Centre is home to a number of research-active psychologists who are engaged in research across a wide range of psychological subdisciplines. The Centre has two overarching research streams: Health and Behaviour Change and Applied Perception and Cognition.

The Centre provides training for PhD students, Research Masters degrees, as well as Professional Doctorates in Clinical and Health Psychology (click here for more details). The Centre also provides bespoke training to private and public organisations, as well as expertise for consultancy research opportunities. For more details about the Centre, its research activities, events and consultancy, please visit our website (click here).

Dr Maria Panagiotidi joins the Psychology Department at Staffordshire University!

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Dr Maria Panagiotidi, who has recently joined the Psychology Academic Staff as a Lecturer in Psychology at Staffordshire University, writes an introductory blog about herself and her research:

I am delighted to be joining the team at Staffordshire University as a Lecturer in Psychology.

oct-16-mpanagiotidi

Dr Maria Panagiotidi

I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at Pantio University in Athens, Greece. I fell in love with research and cognitive psychology while working on my research project, which investigated the effects of music training on time perception. After graduating I moved to London, where I obtained a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience.

I completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Sheffield under the supervision of Dr Tom Stafford. During my studies I examined the role of the superior colliculus in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and worked on establishing a potential objective test for the disorder using a variety of methodologies (eye tracking, behavioural testing, clinical eye tests). The initial findings from my studies were promising and led to a successful grant application (White Rose Collaboration Fund) to fund a study investigating the role of the superior colliculus in ADHD using neuroimaging in collaboration with researchers from the University of York and Leeds.

Over the last year, I have been working as a research psychologist at Arctic Shores, a Manchester based start-up creating psychometric mobile games. My role involved designing and conducting experiments to validate psychometric games. Being part of a multidisciplinary team and an innovative organisation was a great experience and provided me with useful insight into applied psychology and new technologies. As a result, I have developed a passion for cyberpsychology, a subject I am hoping to further explore in the future.

Alongside my previous roles, I have been actively involved in a number of science communication and public engagement activities. A recent project I worked on was the Empathy Station, an installation in collaboration with British Council Film exploring the role of Virtual Reality on Empathy, which was presented at last year’s Sheffield International Documentary Festival. I’m looking forward to continuing this work and taking on some public engagement responsibilities here at Staffordshire University!

If you want to hear more about my research or want to get in touch, please follow me on twitter @mariapage.

I’m looking forward to getting stuck into teaching and meeting more of the students and staff at Staffordshire, which has been a very supportive and welcoming place so far! I’m also excited to start doing research using the fantastic facilities here at the Science Centre.

Staffs-Uni-Hi-Res_45-1024x683The School of Psychology, Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University is a leading School in the UK for Psychology degrees and is situated in the heart of England.  We produce internationally recognized research which is driving knowledge in this area forward and we work with a variety of healthcare providers, charities, international sports teams and private sector organisations.

Interested in a Psychology degree? Come to an Open Day – for further details, and to book your place at an open day, please visit: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/openyourmind/

For more information or details of the wide range of Psychology degrees on offer at Staffordshire University please visit our website and our courses page.