Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Heather completed her BPsych(hons) and Combined PhD/Master of Clinical Neuropsychology at Macquarie University in 2008 and 2013 respectively. She has held positions as a Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Neurology Department at Liverpool Hospital and as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New South Wales and Macquarie University. Currently, she is a Lecturer in Clinical Neuropsychology at Macquarie University and holds a position as a Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist in the Royal North Shore Hospital Neurology Department.
Research interests
Heather's primary research interest is in the area of nutritional neuroscience. Her studies have examined the effect of Western-style diets, high in saturated fat, refined sugar and processed foods, on cognition and mood. And conversely, the therapeutic potential of consuming a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet on improving symptoms of depressed mood.
Heather's has additional interest in the assessment and remediation of cognition and social function in neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis and brain injury. Current projects include the role of inflammation in cognitive fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis, the efficacy of a group memory training program in people with multiple sclerosis, and the impact of a group therapy program on cognition and mood in binge eating disorder.
Research student supervision
Heather supervises students in PhD, Masters of Clinical Neuropsychology and Honours. Topics include nutritional neuroscience, Western-style diet impact on cognition, therapeutic potential of Mediterranean-style diet, eating behaviour and cognitive remediation.
Teaching
Heather currently convenes and teaches on the following units:
1) PSYN855 (Convenor) Neuroanatomy for Neuropsychologists
2) PSYN916 (Lecturer) Advanced Neuropsychological Assessment
3) PSYN917 (Lecturer) Neuropsychological Practice
4) PSYN918 (Lecturer) Clinical Neuropsychology Research Proposal
5) PSY344 (Lecturer) Neuropsychology in Clinical Practice
6) MEDI921 (Lecturer) Musculoskeletal, Neurosciences and Aging
Education/Academic qualification
Psychology, Combined PhD/Masters of Clinical Neuropsychology, Macquarie University
2009 → 2013
Psychology, Bachelor of Psychology (honours), Macquarie University
2005 → 2008
External positions
Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist, Royal North Shore Hospital
20 Mar 2019 → …Fingerprint Fingerprint is based on mining the text of the person's scientific documents to create an index of weighted terms, which defines the key subjects of each individual researcher.
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Diet
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Snacks
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Fats
Medicine & Life Sciences
Cognition
Medicine & Life Sciences
Hunger
Medicine & Life Sciences
Aptitude
Medicine & Life Sciences
Hippocampus
Medicine & Life Sciences
Thirst
Medicine & Life Sciences
Network
Recent external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.
Projects 2017 2020
The role of the hippocampus in context dependent inhibition: implications for regulation of food intake
1/01/19 → 31/12/20
Project: Other
The role of inflammation in mediating the effects of Western style diet on cognition and mood
1/01/19 → 31/12/19
Project: Other
Diet, inflammation and mood: An intervention study and a causal analysis of physiological mechanisms
1/04/17 → …
Project: Research
Appointments and Schedules
Diet
Inflammation
Research Output 2009 2019
Outcome instruments in moderate-to-severe adult traumatic brain injury: recommendations for use in psychosocial research
Honan, C. A., McDonald, S., Tate, R., Ownsworth, T., Togher, L., Fleming, J., Anderson, V., Morgan, A., Catroppa, C., Douglas, J., Francis, H., Wearne, T., Sigmundsdottir, L. & Ponsford, J., 2019, In : Neuropsychological Rehabilitation. 29, 6, p. 896-916 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Research
Guidelines
Executive Function
Expert Testimony
Cognition
Wanting and liking for sugar sweetened beverages and snacks differ following depletion and repletion with energy and fluids
Pender, S., Stevenson, R. J., Francis, H. M. & Oaten, M. J., 1 Jun 2019, In : Appetite. 137, p. 81-89 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Snacks
Beverages
Lunch
Thirst
Hunger
Gustatory areas within the insular cortex
Stevenson, R. J., Francis, H. M. & Ragg, C. J., 24 Jul 2018, Island of Reil (insula) in the human brain: anatomical, functional, clinical and surgical aspects. Turgut, M., Yurttas, C. & Tubbs, R. S. (eds.). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, Springer Nature, p. 133-145 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Research › peer-review
Cerebral Cortex
Taste Perception
Food
Aptitude
Tongue
Hippocampal dependent neuropsychological tests and their relationship to measures of cardiac and self-report interoception
Stevenson, R. J., Francis, H. M., Oaten, M. J. & Schilt, R., Jun 2018, In : Brain and Cognition. 123, p. 23-29 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Neuropsychological Tests
Self Report
Learning
Verbal Learning
Hippocampus
Potential for diet to prevent and remediate cognitive deficits in neurological disorders
Francis, H. M. & Stevenson, R. J., 1 Mar 2018, In : Nutrition Reviews. 76, 3, p. 204-217 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Nervous System Diseases
Diet
Mediterranean Diet
Literature
Caloric Restriction