About
Professor of Psychology & Affective Neuroscience
Head of Psychology, Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences
My academic work is split across labs and programmes in Psychology (Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences) and Psychiatry & Pharmacology (Faculty of Medicine).
Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Neuropsychological mechanisms and treatment targets in anxiety disorders.
- Psychopharmacology/experimental medicine (acute pharmacological challenge).
- Psychophysiology (e.g. interoception, autonomic markers of emotion processing),
- Cognitive neuroscience (event related brain potentials, functional imaging)
- Current research uses these methods to evaluate integrated neurocognitive models of anxiety with particular reference to i) developing translational experimental models of anxiety for the evaluation of novel pharmacological and psychological treatments (e.g. CO2 challenge), ii) characterizing cognitive bias/dysfunction in anxiety; iii) fear-potentiated startle (eye-blink) and autonomic arousal; iv) application of signal detection theory to clarify biases in emotional face processing above and below conscious awareness; v) pharmacological (e.g. serotonergic/noradrenergic/alcohol) modulation of cognition and emotion processing; vi) effects of third-wave CBT interventions (e.g. mindfulness) on cognition and emotion processing; vii) computerised cognitive bias modification interventions for mood and anxiety disorders; viii) clarifying neuropsychological mechanisms that promote comorbid sleep disturbance, alcohol use, depression and pain in anxiety. This research is conducted in clinical, sub-clinical/at-risk and healthy populations.
Current research
Neuropsychological mechanisms in mood and anxiety disorders.
Experimental medicine models of anxiety e.g. social stress, pharmacological challenge (CO2 inhalation).
Interoception and emotion processing/regulation.
Worry and intolerance of uncertainty.
Neurostimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation).
Placebo/nocebo in mental health research.
Research projects
Active projects
Completed projects
Publications
Supervision
Current PhD Students
Teaching
I supervise Ph.D. students, Masters Degree students, D.Clin and D.Ed.Psyc trainees, and undergraduate research project students on the BSc Psychology and Bachelor of Medicine programmes.
Teaching topics: neuropsychology and mental health, neurostimulation.
Biography
Current Position:Professor Matthew Garner is Professor of Psychology & Affective Neuroscience within Psychology at the University of Southampton.
BSc Psychology & Cognitive Science - University of Sheffield (2000)
PhD Experimental Psychopathology - University of Southampton (2004)
Research Fellow/Teaching Fellow: School of Psychology & Division of Clinical Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Southampton (04-06)
Lecturer in Psychology & Medicine, University of Southampton (2006-2012)
Senior Lecturer in Psychology & Medicine, University of Southampton (2012 - 2014)
Associate Professor in Psychology & Medicine, University of Southampton (2014 - 2017)
Professor in Psychology & Medicine, University of Southampton (2017 - )