September 05, 2012
Media tips & leads
Researchers Seek Teens' Help With Brain Study
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) affect 300,000 Canadians, and it is estimated more than 3,000 babies a year are born with fetal alcohol effects. FASD Awareness Day is Sept. 9, and starting this month, University of Victoria researchers are seeking young people 11 to 15 years old for mindfulness training in a new study to help us learn ways to assist people affected by FASD, including improving the quality of life for children, teens and adults.
“Research shows the brain is capable of change and following the right training, the brain is capable of changing in a way that has a positive impact on thinking and behavior,” say UVic psychology professors and lead investigators Drs. Kimberly Kerns and Colette Smart.
Research on neuroplasticity shows that mindfulness training impacts mood, cognition and behavior. Research will be conducted this fall in small groups with teens in Victoria and the Western Communities. In the spring, researchers will turn their attention to adults diagnosed with FASD.
Teen participants must have been previously diagnosed with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and are being sought through till December 2012. For more information, contact Kerns at 250-472-4195, email fasd@uvic.ca or visit www.fasdatuvic.ca.
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Media Contacts:Dr. Colette Smart (Psychology) on cell at 250-853-3997 or csmart@uvic.ca
Anne MacLaurin (Social Sciences Communications) at 250-217-4259 or sosccomm@uvic.ca
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