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PsychologyOur news, events & seminars

Cognitive & neuromodulation of health & disease: The chicken, the egg and all what is between Seminar

Time:
16:00 - 17:00
Date:
23 April 2015
Venue:
University of Southampton Highfield Campus Building 44 (Shackleton Building) Level 1, Room 1087

For more information regarding this seminar, please telephone Sue McNally on 02380595150 or email S.McNally@soton.ac.uk .

Event details

Health psychology and cognitive neurosciences have lots to offer to each other. My talk will present three examples of cognitive and neuromodulation of health and disease.

Health psychology and cognitive neurosciences have lots to offer to each other. My talk will present three examples of cognitive and nueromodulation of health & disease. First, I will introduce the possible role of the vagus nerve in cancer modulation, and in decision making. This nerve modulates multiple systems which are etiological to chronic diseases, hence it may have a protective role. It also projects to the brain, hence it could affect and be modulated by higher brain regions. Data on the prognostic role of vagal nerve activity (indexed by heart-rate variability) in cancer will be shown. Effects of vagal activation on decision making will also be shown. Second, I will show how left hemispheric lateralization (HL) may protect against the adverse effects of negative life events on mental health. New data from a war zone will be shown. Finally, I will introduce the method of “psychological inoculation” – (PI, introduced to me by a famous Greek “self-psychology” scholar). PI is a cognitive method in which people are exposed to exaggerated sentences which reflect their barriers for behaviour change, they then must refute. Data showing, that PI alters health behaviours much more effectively than health education, will be demonstrated, in domains of physical activity, smoking prevention and traffic safety. Finally, limitations and suggestions for future research will be given.

Speaker information

Professor Yori Gidron, Free University of Brussels. Professor Yori Gidron is a Professor of behavioral medicine at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium.

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