On the relationship between cognition and emotional functioning in a real-world cohort of mental health consumers: A neuropsychological perspective

Cognitive impairment is a common and clinically significant feature of mental ill-health, (acquired, epileptic, and neurodegenerative) brain disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions. A detailed understanding of the relationships between cognitive and emotional functioning among individuals with mental ill-health, including those with co-occurring brain and neurodevelopmental conditions, is essential for informing the clinical care provided by clinical neuropsychologists and other professionals working within mental health services. However, existing evidence is sparse and limited in applicability, as studies have often lacked participants with more chronic and severe mental health conditions or with the complexity (e.g., comorbidities) typically seen in clinical practice. The proposed project will be based within COGMENT (COGnition and MENTal Health), a newly established observational cohort study embedded within the Mental Health and Wellbeing Services at Bayside Health Peninsula Care Group, a large public health network covering Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. Using data collected through routine neuropsychological assessments and medical records, the student will have opportunities to explore how different dimensions of psychopathology relate to cognitive functioning, investigate whether transdiagnostic symptom dimensions provide greater explanatory value than traditional psychiatric diagnoses, and characterise important constructs at the intersection of cognitive and emotional functioning, such as alexithymia and inhibitory control, across a wide range of clinical psychiatric and neurological diagnoses. The project offers a unique opportunity to conduct clinically applied research with direct relevance to neuropsychological assessment, formulation, and treatment in public mental health services. The project is suitable for a PhD student (Clin Neuro).