The effect of carbohydrate (CHO) consumption on mood is at the center of a long-standing debate, with researchers reporting both mood improvements and decrements following CHO ingestion. As global consumption of sugar-sweetened products has sharply increased in recent years, examining the validity of claims of an association between CHOs … [Read more...] about Sugar rush or sugar crash?: A meta-analysis of carbohydrate effects on mood
Publications
A content analysis and ethical review of mobile applications for depression: exploring the app marketplace
Bowie, D., Sunram-Lea, S.I., Sas, C. and Iles-Smith. H. (2019). A content analysis and ethical review of mobile applications for depression: Exploring the app marketplace. CHI 2019 Symposium: Computing and Mental Health. 2019.
Research investigating commercial mobile applications for depression have shown a range of concerns from limited research evidence, poor treatment fidelity, and issues with privacy and data security. This study advances this work through a content analysis and ethical review of app store listings of apps for depression. Whilst past … [Read more...] about A content analysis and ethical review of mobile applications for depression: exploring the app marketplace
A systemic ethical framework for mobile mental health: From design to implementation
Bowie, D., Sunram-Lea, S-I. (Ed.), Sas, C. (Ed.), & Iles-Smith, H. (Ed.) (Accepted/In press). A systemic ethical framework for mobile mental health: From design to implementation. Poster session presented at NIHR MindTech MIC National Symposium 2018, London, United Kingdom.
The impact of diet-based glycaemic response and glucose regulation on cognition: evidence across the lifespan
Sünram-Lea, S. I., & Owen, L. (2017). The impact of diet-based glycaemic response and glucose regulation on cognition: evidence across the lifespan. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 76(4), 466-477.
The brain has a high metabolic rate and its metabolism is almost entirely restricted to oxidative utilisation of glucose. These factors emphasise the extreme dependence of neural tissue on a stable and adequate supply of glucose. Whereas initially it was thought that only glucose deprivation (i.e. under hypoglycaemic conditions) can … [Read more...] about The impact of diet-based glycaemic response and glucose regulation on cognition: evidence across the lifespan
Last in, first out: brain economy in times of limited resources
Sunram-Lea, S-I. (2017). Last in, first out: brain economy in times of limited resources. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , 17(12), 2586-2596.
It has been argued that cognitive abilities that developed last ontogenetically are likely the first to become impaired when cognitive and/or physiological resources are compromised. In phylogeny as in ontogeny, the prefrontal cortex is a late developing region of the cortex. Late maturing areas of the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex are … [Read more...] about Last in, first out: brain economy in times of limited resources
A temporary deficiency in self-control: can heightened motivation overcome this effect?
Kelly, C., Crawford, T. J., Gowen, E., Richardson, K., & Sünram-Lea, S. I. (2017). A temporary deficiency in self-control: can heightened motivation overcome this effect? Psychophysiology, 54(5), 773-779.
Self-control is important for everyday life and involves behavioral regulation. Self-control requires effort, and when completing two successive self-control tasks, there is typically a temporary drop in performance in the second task. High self-reported motivation and being made self-aware somewhat counteract this effect-with the result … [Read more...] about A temporary deficiency in self-control: can heightened motivation overcome this effect?