Anika Smith
PhD Student

Profile

Biography

I completed the BSc Psychology at the University of York. My undergraduate project involved investigating whether brain GABA concentration could be increased through dietary intervention, and I am continuing to investigate this topic. As well as this, I am currently using EEG techniques to find links between patterns of connectivity shown in resting-state fMRI, and response to a joint comprehension task.

Career

• BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of York, UK, 2012-2015

Research

Overview

1) The neural mechanisms of perspective taking during communication

2) Does Marmite increase GABA concentration?

Projects

1) This study is looking to explore correlations between people’s ability to take different perspectives during communication, and patterns of functional connectivity in the brain. This research will help us understand the neural mechanisms underlying perspective-taking during communication.

2) In this project, we are attempting to establish whether brain GABA concentration can be increased with consumption of Marmite, which contains GABA precursors. This may be able to help reduce symptoms in conditions such as epilepsy and anxiety, in which atypically low levels of GABA have been reported.

Grants

• BPS Psychobiology Undergraduate Project Prize 2015

Collaborators

• Shirley-Ann Rueschemeyer
• Jonathan Smallwood
• Daniel Baker

Publications

Selected publications

• Baker, D.H., Smith, A.K. & Wade, A.R. Increasing cortical GABA levels through dietary intervention. Perception, 44(S): 190.

• Vilidaitė, G., Gumanis, N., Harris, S., Kitching, R.E., Melton, H.A., Norman, R., Scott, C.J.T, Smith, A.K., Wailes-Newson, K. & Baker, D.H. Estimating variability in GABA-ergic suppression across the population. Perception, 44(S): 157-158.