The PLAN Lab opened in January of 2016. It is a CFI-funded laboratory space dedicated to researching the cognitive and neuropsychological aspects of psychopathology and stroke. The space is located on the ground floor of the Sciences building on the UBC Okanagan campus. The lab is equipped with EEG, eye-tracking and behavioural testing equipment. All data collection computers are equipped with experimental software supporting the respective methodologies. Laboratory space is subdivided into four rooms: 1) a large training and analysis room 2) an EEG testing room 3) an eye-tracking room and 4) a behavioural testing room . The PLAN Lab facilities offer a unique training environment for both graduate and undergraduate students interested in pursuing research in clinical and neuropsychology.
The collection and analysis of reaction time and accuracy data, to inform models of mental health and illness, is a fundamental component of the PLAN Lab research program. The PLAN Lab is equipped with 5 behavioural testing desktop computers, 4 data analysis computers, 3 laptops and 4 surface tablets. Combined with traditional assessment techniques, behavioural testing provides enhanced validity and reliability in measuring cognitive function and biases. As such, behavioural paradigms have been the cornerstone of many breakthroughs in the field of mental health (for a review on eating disorders, see Dobson & Dozois, 2004; for depression, see Segal et al., 1995; Gotlib & Joornann, 2010; for anxiety, see Cisler & Koster, 2010). These paradigms are typically self-perpetuating, allowing for continuous advancement and refinement of methodological techniques. Currently, members of the PLAN lab are using behavioural testing equipment to examine cognitive bias in eating disorders and to develop cognitive bias modification paradigms tailored for clinical and sub-clinical eating disordered populations.
The PLAN Laboratory is equipped with two an EyeLink 1000 and a Tobii Pro Fusion mobile eye-tracker. Eye-tracking technology allows for the naturalistic, continuous and temporally sensitive measurement of attention and cognitive processing. Individual measurements (including first fixation duration, gaze duration and saccade length) discretely reflect early automatic processing mechanisms and later integrative and/or strategic processes. Furthermore, pupil dilation serves as an index of gross neural activation. As such, eye-tracking serves as a powerful method to examine the time-course of information acquisition and integration among clinical and non-clinical populations.
The PLAN Lab is equipped with a BioGraph Infinity Neurofeedback System. Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that presents real-time feedback from brain activity in order to reinforce healthy brain function through operant conditioning. Typically, electrical activity from the brain is collected via sensors placed on the scalp using electroencephalography (EEG), with feedback presented using video displays or sound. There is significant evidence supporting neurofeedback for generalized treatment of mental disorders. In the PLAN Lab we conduct research on the application of neurofeedback as a treatment technique for concussion. Specifically, we are interested in the mechanisms by which neurofeedback can work to improve post-concussive symptoms following an mTBI.
The PLAN Lab provides research training for graduate and undergraduate students that intersects clinical- and neuro-psychology. Training in the PLAN Lab emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary applications to fuel broad scientific innovation. The available electrophysiological and eye-tracking equipment allows for hands-on training in the acquisition and analysis of neurocognitive data, as well as a unique opportunity to create novel paradigms combining these methodologies across the lifespan. State-of-the-art hardware and experimental software allow for training in computer programming, behavioural data acquisition and statistical analyses. Students interested in neuropsychology are afforded the opportunity to gain experience working in a hospital setting. Finally, graduate students in UBCO’s (scientist-practitioner) clinical program have the opportunity to engage in clinical research and training with neuropsychological assessment batteries, treatment interventions as well as the development and validation of new assessment and therapy technologies.
