Dr Emma Robinson

Summary

Work in our laboratory uses behavioural studies alongside neuropharmacological and neurochemical approaches to study the role of specific neural and neurochemical systems in the control of behaviour. We are particularly interested in developing novel models, that can be also be used in humans, to study the cause and treatment of psychiatric conditions where emotional changes are an important feature e.g. depression and anxiety. In addition, our work is also relevant to other psychiatric conditions including drug addiction, schizophrenia and ADHD.

The majority of our research uses operant and non-operant methods to assess particular aspects of behaviour such as emotional behaviour, attention, behavioural control and decision making.

Animal models of emotional behaviour are limited in terms of their relevance to human psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. We have now developed a number of translational models which replicate symptoms associated with cognitive affective behaviour. For example, have developed an exciting new method for rodents which exhibits Face, Construct and Predicitive validity and provides a quantitative measure of both antidepressant and pro-depressant manipulations in animals. We have used a judgement bias task to test how both animal and human subjects respond to emotional stimuli and ambiguous stimuli under different affective states. This work adds to a growing literature showing that animal and human judgement and decision-making is influenced by their affective state.

These novel behavioural methods are used in combination with pharmacology and/or genetic approaches to manipulate specific neural and neurochemical processes to test specific hypotheses relating to the cause and treatment of different pscyhiatric disorders.

The laboratory uses a wide range of techniques to compliment the behavioural procedures including receptor autoradiography (see figure right) and immunocytochemistry to quantify the expression and distribution of receptors in the brain. Neurochemical experiments using microdialysis facilitate quantification of brain transmitters whilst genetic approaches such as antisense technology and viral-mediated gene transfer are used to alter the expression and/or function of target proteins in the brain.

Activities / Findings

• Development and testing of novel approaches to measure affective state
• Characterisation of noradrenergic mechanisms in attention and impulse control
• New insights into possible neuropsychological mechanisms in depression and drug-induced antidepressant and pro-depressant effects

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Teaching

• BSc Pharmacology Level 1, 2 and 3
• MBChB - Central nervous system
• 2nd and 3rd BVSc
• 2nd BDS
• Animal Behaviour unit, Langford

Keywords

• Antisense technology
• small intefering RNA
• monoamine neurotransmitters

Skills

• Clinical depression
• Anxiety
• ADHD
• Schizophrenia
• Parkinson's disease
• hypertension

Processes and functions

• Neurobiology of emotions
• regulation of behaviour
• regulation of neurotransmission
• central control of blood pressure

Methodologies

• Operant models of attention and executive function
• behavioural pharmacology
• receptor autoradiography
• radioligand binding studies
• central bioavailability studies

Memberships

Organisations

School of Physiology and Pharmacology

Other sites

• Neuroscience

Research Areas

• Learning and Memory
• CNS and Disease

Research Themes

• Neuroscience
• Education Research

Links

•   home page

Selected publications

• Robinson, E, Eagle, D, Mar, A, Bari, A, Banerjee, G, Jiang, X, Dalley, J & Robbins, T 2008, ‘Similar effects of the selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor atomoxetine on three distinct forms of impulsivity in the rat’. Neuropsychopharmacology, vol 33 ., pp. 1028 - 1037
• Paterson, L, Tyacke, R, Robinson, E, Nutt, D & Hudson, A 2007, ‘In vitro and in vivo effect of BU99006 (5-isothiocyanato-2-benzofuranyl-2-imidazoline) on I₂ binding in relation to MAO: evidence for two distinct I₂ binding sites’. Neuropharmacology, vol 52 (2)., pp. 395 - 404
• Dalley, J, Fryer, T, Brichard, L, Robinson, E, Theobald, D, Lääne, K, Peña, Y, Murphy, E, Shah, Y, Probst, K, Abakumova, I, Aigbirhio, F, Richards, H, Bacon, J-C, Everitt, B & Robbins, T 2007, ‘Nucleus accumbens D_2/3 receptors predict trait impulsivity and cocaine reinforcement’. Science, vol 315 (5816)., pp. 1267 - 1270
• Anderson, N, Sief, I, Nutt, D, Hudson, A & Robinson, E 2006, ‘Autoradiographical distribution of imidazoline binding sites in monoamine oxidase A deficient mice’. Journal of Neurochemistry, vol 96 (6)., pp. 1551 - 1559
• Anderson, N, Tyacke, R, Husbands, S, Nutt, D, Hudson, A & Robinson, E 2006, ‘In vitro and ex vivo distribution of [³H] harmane, an endogenous β-carboline, in rat brain’. Neuropharmacology, vol 50 (3)., pp. 269 - 276

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Recent publications

• Button, KS, Ioannidis, JPA, Mokrysz, C, Nosek, BA, Flint, J, Robinson, ESJ & Munafò, MR 2013, ‘Power failure: why small sample size undermines the reliability of neuroscience’. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol 14., pp. 365-376
• Stuart, SA, Butler, P, Munafò, MR, Nutt, DJ & Robinson, ESJ 2013, ‘A translational rodent assay of affective biases in depression and antidepressant therapy’. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
• Button, KS, Ioannidis, JPA, Mokrysz, C, Nosek, BA, Flint, J, Robinson, ESJ & Munafò, MR 2013, ‘Confidence and precision increase with high statistical power’. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience.
• Button, KS, Ioannidis, JPA, Mokrysz, C, Nosek, BA, Flint, J, Robinson, ESJ & Munafò, MR 2013, ‘Empirical evidence for low reproducibility indicates low pre-study odds’. Nature Reviews. Neuroscience.
• Anderson, MH, Munafò, MR & Robinson, ESJ 2012, ‘Investigating the psychopharmacology of cognitive affective bias in rats using an affective tone discrimination task’. Psychopharmacology.

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Networks & contacts

• Prof David Nutt - Psychopharmacology Unit - Bristol

• Prof Mike Mendl - Animal Welfare and Behaviour Group - School of Veterinary Sciences - University of Bristol

• Prof Marcus Munafo - Department of Experimental Psychology - University of Bristol

• Dr John Crosby - Department of Chemistry - University of Bristol

• Prof Trevor Robbins - Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute - Department of Experimental Psychology - University of Cambridge

• Dr Jeffery Dalley - Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute - Department of Experimental Psychology - University of Cambridge