Biography
Dr Ford completed her Ph.D. in 2017 at Swinburne University of Technology, in which she investigated the neurobiology of social processing difficulties that span multiple spectrum conditions, including autism and schizophrenia. Talitha then took up a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship role at Swinburne’s Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, where she led the neuroimaging arms of several clinical trials, and ran a clinical trial looking at the combined effects of prescription benzodiazepines and alcohol on driving and cognition.
Dr Ford joined the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit within Deakin University's School of Psychology as a Dean's Postdoctoral Research Fellow in March, 2019. In this position, Dr Ford will pursue her primary research interests: characterising the neurobiology and genetic profiles of specific symptom domains of multi-dimensional spectrum conditions, with a particular focus on the excitatory-inhibitory processes involved in the social processes deficits central to autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Career highlights
2018 Dean’s Research Postdoctoral Fellowship
2018 Emerging Researcher Award, Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society
2018 Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant
2017 School of Health Sciences Dean’s Award: Best HDR Thesis, Swinburne University
2016 Woman of Swinburne, Swinburne University’s International Women’s Day Award
2015 Student Travel Award, Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference
Research interests
austism, schizotypy, social processing, neuroimaging, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, M/EEG, genetics
Affiliations
Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology
Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology
Deakin Child Studies Centre, School of Psychology
Teaching interests
Neuroimaing, neurodevelopmental disorders, social and cognitive functioning
Knowledge areas
Autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, social processing, neuroimaging (functinoal MRI, MRS, MEG, EEG).
Conferences
2018
- Social dysfunctions of autism and schizophrenia are interactively modulated by excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Melbourne, Australia
- #academiclife: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Early Career Researcher Workshop, Melbourne, Australia
- The effect of Ecstasy/MDMA use on psychiatric symptoms in recreational users. “Poster Jam Sessoin”, 31st European Congress for Neuropsychopharmacology Meeting, Barcelona, Spain.
- PhD and Beyond. School of Health and Social Sciences Student Association Symposium Series, Swinburne University.
2017
- Magnetoencephalography reveals an increased P3a, but not P3b, that is associated with high non-clinical psychosocial deficits. Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Adelaide, Australia
- A shared autism and schizophrenia spectrum trait phenotype may be marked by increased glutamate/GABA ratio. Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Newcastle, Australia.
- A step-by-step guide for MEG users. Victorian Biomedical Imaging Capability Network Meeting, Monash University.
2016
- Mismatch field in a shared autistic and schizotypal phenotype. Swinburne Brain Symposium, Melbourne, Australia.
2015
- GABA level abnormality may mark the similar Social Disorganisation phenotype in autistic and schizotypal personality traits. Experimental Psychology Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
2013
- MMN in autistic and schizotypal tendencies. MEG Day Symposium, Melbourne, Australia.
Awards
2019
- School of Health Sciences Conference Funding, Deakin University
2018
- Dean’s Research Postdoctoral Fellowship, Faculty of Health, Deakin University
- Ian Potter Foundation Travel Grant
- Emerging Researcher Award, Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference
2017
- School of Health Sciences Dean’s Award: Best HDR Thesis, Swinburne University
2016
- Woman of Swinburne, Swinburne University’s International Women’s Day Award
2015
- Student Travel Award, Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference
2013
- Swinburne University Postgraduate Research Award
Projects
Characterising the Neurobiology of Social Processes across the Autism Spectrum (NeuroSPA)
Funded by a Dean’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, this study utilises EEG and MRI to investigate the underlying brain processes involved in the social processing difficulties typically experienced by adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder. The outcomes of this research may be useful to inform therapeutic interventions and improve outcomes for young people with autism spectrum disorders.
Publications
Talitha Ford, David Crewther, Ahmad Abu-Akel
(2020), Vol. 24, pp. 364-373, Autism, London, Eng., C1
T Ford, W Woods, P Enticott, D Crewther
(2020), Vol. 98, pp. 1-9, Progress in neuropsychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
S McCarthy, T Ford, J Lomas, C Stough
(2020), Vol. 158, pp. 1-9, Personality and individual differences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Melissa Kirkovski, Ian Fuelscher, Christian Hyde, Peter Donaldson, Talitha Ford, Susan Rossell, Paul Fitzgerald, Peter Enticott
(2020), Vol. 14, pp. 1-11, Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, Lausanne, Switzerland, C1
The role of dispositional mindfulness and emotional intelligence in adolescent males
C Teal, L Downey, J Lomas, T Ford, E Bunnett, C Stough
(2019), Vol. 10, pp. 159-167, Mindfulness, New York, N.Y., C1
Green teens: investigating the role of emotional intelligence in adolescent environmentalism
A Robinson, L Downey, T Ford, J Lomas, C Stough
(2019), Vol. 138, pp. 225-230, Personality and individual differences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Talitha Ford, Ahmad Abu-Akel, David Crewther
(2019), Vol. 88, pp. 235-242, Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Talitha Ford, Will Woods, David Crewther
(2018), Vol. 271, pp. 1-7, Psychiatry research: neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
T Ford, L Downey, T Simpson, G McPhee, C Oliver, C Stough
(2018), Vol. 10, Nutrients, Basel, Switzerland, C1
Trait and state anxiety is marked by increased working memory-related parietal BOLD signal
Talitha Ford, Tamara Simpson, Grace McPhee, Con Stough, Luke Downey
(2018), Vol. 278, pp. 92-97, Psychiatry research: neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Cluster analysis reveals subclinical subgroups with shared autistic and schizotypal traits
Talitha Ford, Pragalathan Apputhurai, Denny Meyer, David Crewther
(2018), Vol. 265, pp. 111-117, Psychiatry research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Emotional intelligence and risky driving behaviour in adults
A Hayley, B Ridder, C Stough, T Ford, L Downey
(2017), Vol. 49, pp. 124-131, Transportation research Part F: traffic psychology and behaviour, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Luke Downey, Brenda Tysse, Talitha Ford, Angela Samuels, Rory Wilson, Andrew Parrott
(2017), Vol. 57, pp. 1330-1337, Journal of clinical pharmacology, Chichester, Eng., C1
Mismatch field latency, but not power, may mark a shared autistic and schizotypal trait phenotype
Talitha Ford, Will Woods, David Crewther
(2017), Vol. 116, pp. 60-67, International journal of psychophysiology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Confirmatory factor analysis of autism and schizophrenia spectrum traits
T Ford, P Apputhurai, D Meyer, D Crewther
(2017), Vol. 110, pp. 80-84, Personality and individual differences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Glutamate/GABA+ ratio is associated with the psychosocial domain of autistic and schizotypal traits
Talitha Ford, Richard Nibbs, David Crewther
(2017), Vol. 12, pp. 1-14, PLoS One, San Francisco, Calif., C1
Talitha Ford, Richard Nibbs, David Crewther
(2017), Vol. 16, pp. 125-131, Neuroimage clinical, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Talitha Ford, Will Woods, David Crewther
(2017), Vol. 16, pp. 383-389, Neuroimage: clinical, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Cannabis: an overview of its adverse acute and chronic effects and its implications
T Ford, A Hayley, L Downey, A Parrott
(2017), Vol. 10, pp. 6-18, Current drug abuse reviews, Beijing, China, C1
A comprehensive review of the H-MRS metabolite spectrum in autism spectrum disorder
Talitha Ford, David Crewther
(2016), Vol. 9, pp. 1-27, Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, Lausanne, Switzerland, C1
Talitha Ford, David Crewther
(2014), Vol. 5, Frontiers in psychiatry, Lausanne, Switzerland, C1
Funded Projects at Deakin
No Funded Projects at Deakin found
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report