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Claire Rostron

Senior Lecturer, The Open University

My research interests lie primarily in Behavioural Neuroscience/Biological Psychology. I am interested in understanding the brain mechanisms supporting cognition, particularly attention for goal directed behaviour, and in the valid and reliable capture of cognitive function and dysfunction using animal and human assessments. Recently my work has included investigating the goal directed behaviour of the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat which is an animal model of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I am now moving my work into the field of diabetes and diabetes care where I hope to better understand the changes in the brain that underlie this condition, and apply this understanding to improve the experiences of people with diabetes.

I joined the Department of Life Health and Chemical Sciences at the Open University in April 2007. I did my BPS accredited undergraduate Psychology degree at the University of Strathclyde and went on to study for a Behavioural Neuroscience PhD with Professor Philip Winn at the University of St Andrews. The research I was involved in aimed to understand the role of the brainstem pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in higher order (or executive) cognitive processes. These processes are usually associated with the frontal cortex. Following an (incorrect) diagnosis of laboratory animal allergy I went to the University of Aberdeen to work with Dr John Ross on a large multidisciplinary HSE funded research project to investigate the long term health effects of occupational diving. From there my work has broadened across the Health Sciences. I now have extensive teaching and curriculum development experience in the Health Sciences and I have worked, and continue to work, as an academic consultant for the BBC because I am passionate about improving public understanding in Health Science.

Four myths about diabetes debunked

May 09, 2017 15:43 pm UTC| Health

The World Health Organisation estimates that the number of people with diabetes is 422m, globally. And between 1980 and 2014 the number of people with the condition almost doubled. Despite the high prevalence of the...

Economy

The US is one of the least trade-oriented countries in the world – despite laying the groundwork for today’s globalized system

Given the spate of news about international trade lately, Americans might be surprised to learn that the U.S. isnt very dependent on it. Indeed, looking at trade as a percentage of gross domestic product a metric...

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Inflation is slowly falling, while student debt is climbing: 6 graphs that explain today’s CPI

Australias inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and its now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. The annual rate peaked at 7.8% in the December quarter of 2022 and is now just 3.6%, in...

Politics

US Urges China, Russia to Reject AI Control in Nuclear Arms, Align with Global Norms

Paul Dean, a senior U.S. arms control official, emphasized the critical need for China and Russia to join the U.S. in declaring that humans will always decide on the deployment of nuclear weapons, not artificial...

South Africa’s youth are a generation lost under democracy – study

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently painted a rosy picture in which the countrys youth democracys children had enormous opportunities for advancement, all thanks to successive post-apartheid governments led...

Sadiq Khan on track for third term as London mayor – but nearly half of Londoners dissatisfied with performance

Polls have consistently shown that the incumbent mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appears to be on track to win a third term in office at the upcoming mayoral elections on May 2. One poll we commissioned as part of our...

Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’

Most American workers are hired at will: Employers owe their employees nothing in the relationship except earned wages, and employees are at liberty to quit at their option. As the rule is generally stated, either party...

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

Science

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Peter Higgs was one of the greats of particle physics. He transformed what we know about the building blocks of the universe

Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics the area of...

Technology

Nintendo's Next-Gen: Switch 2 Could Hit 240FPS, Leaks Suggest

Leaked by data miner OatmealDome, Nintendos updated NintendoWare Bezel Engine reportedly supports frame rates potentially as high as 240FPS, a massive leap from the current 60FPS limit on the Nintendo Switch. The...

Shiba Inu Dead Cat Bounce: Price Rebound or Bearish Omen?

Investors in the cryptocurrency world are eyeing Shiba Inu (SHIB) with cautious optimism as the meme coin shows signs of a potential dead cat bounce, a dubious reversal often seen in volatile markets. With SHIB struggling...

PEPE Price Surges 7% Amid 4 Trillion Pepe Coin Accumulation by Whale

A monumental 4 trillion Pepe coin accumulation by a crypto whale on May 3 has sparked a significant 7% surge in PEPEs price. This surge, observed amid bullish market sentiments, follows a week of price consolidation,...

Hyundai Motor Scales Up Hydrogen EV Truck Business in the US

Hyundai Motor Company is expanding its hydrogen EV truck operations in the United States to take the lead in this line of business in the region. As part of the initiative, South Korean vehicle manufacturers are offering...

Kakao Enhances AI Focus, Merges Kakao Brain Into Core Operations

South Koreas Kakao Corporation finally decided to absorb Kakao Brains AI unit. The tech and internet giant is taking over its AI research and development (RD) business, which will include all of the departments staff and...