Laboratory Director
Jeffrey S. Bedwell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Clinical Ph.D. Program, Department of Psychology
Office: (Orlando) Psychology Building - Room 332
Phone: 407-823-5858
Email: jbedwell@mail.ucf.edu

Laboratory Location: Psychology Building - Rooms 136 and 137
Lab phone: 407-823-5607

My research focuses on exploring neurocognitive abnormalities related to the genes that place individuals at risk for schizophrenia (“endophenotypes”). I attempt to create new methods of detecting these abnormalities that are more sensitive and specific to schizophrenia-related genes than existing methods. The long-term goal of this research is to help identify particular genes that place individuals at risk for developing the disorder, which may then lead to prevention efforts and improved treatment. My work in this area has focused on visual processing, but I also have interest in other endophenotypes, which include olfaction, emotional processing, cognitive inhibition, and attention. Our laboratory investigates these neurocognitive endophenotypes in individuals with schizophrenia and their healthy first-degree relatives, as well as in adults with schizotypal personality features. We are currently correlating performance on the neurocognitive measures to coding on the neuregulin, dysbindin, and COMT genes. We have published findings that lend support for a novel endophenotype for schizophrenia that had not been previously reported. This involves a qualitatively unique reaction of the visual system to diffuse red light in individuals with schizophrenia, as well as in their first-degree relatives. This effect is unique from most existing endophenotypes in that it represents a distinct qualitative performance pattern rather than simply performing more poorly than a comparison group. Current research is examining this effect for its usefulness as a new endophenotype for schizophrenia, by exploring heritability and temporal stability.

I also have interest in the neurocognitive correlates of social phobia and we have started a line of research in this area recently. We are recruiting individuals from the community that meet diagnostic criteria for generalized social phobia and are comparing them to a control group on a battery of neuropsychological tasks. We hope to better understand potential pre-existing cognitive and neurobiological abnormalites that may place individuals at risk for social phobia.

In addition, we have started research on neurocognitive correlates of autistic-spectrum disorders, with a particular focus on visual processing and identification of emotion from faces.

The CCNL features a high-quality Neuroscan Synamps 32-channel event-related potentials (ERP) system, with E-Prime 2.0 Professional software for stimulus presentation and BrainVision Analyzer software for analysis.

Clinical Ph.D. students working in my lab are currently researching the:

1) Relationship between olfaction, cognition, and empathy processing in schizophrenia (Doctoral Dissertation - Vidya Kamath)

2) Relationship between emotion processing, reasoning, and delusions in schizophrenia (Doctoral Dissertation - Diana Orem)

3) Relationship between chronic stress and executive functioning/memory in older adults (Doctoral Dissertation - Diane Petrac)

4) Neurocognitive functioning related to generalized social phobia (Master's Thesis - Scott Sutterby)

5) Relationship of theory of mind functioning to autobiographical memory functioning in adults with schizotypal personality features (Master's Thesis - Andrew Deptula)

6) Does working memory ability moderate the relationship between the experience of anticipatory pleasure and schizotypal personality features? (Master's Thesis - Doug Dykstra)

For Students:

Graduate students in the Clinical Ph.D. Program who choose to work in my laboratory have the opportunity to focus their thesis and dissertation on the topic of neurocognitive aspects of schizophrenia/schizotypy or social phobia. This includes access to DNA and hormone analysis through collaboration with Dr. Sugaya at UCF (see: sugaya.ucf.edu), as well as a range of neuropsychological and neurophysiological measures in our laboratory on campus. Our laboratory includes a high-quality 32-channel ERP system, high-speed monitors, chin rests, and computers for behavioral tasks such as visual backward masking.  As a research mentor, I would enjoy working with graduate students who share similar research interests and are highly motivated, enthusiastic, and creative. Students with a natural curiosity and passion for investigating the neurocognitive correlates of schizophrenia/schizotypy, social phobia, or autistic-spectrum disorders will likely enjoy working in my lab.

Undergraduate students can participate in ongoing research in the lab or form their own independent project in the form of an Honors in the Major (HIM) project. These HIM projects are typically related to the general topics currently being addressed in the lab.

Recent Representative Publications from Lab

Recent Representative Presentations from Lab