Portrait courtesy Francois Martin.
Portrait courtesy Francois Martin.
Associate Professor. Area: Cognitive Neuroscience
Research Interests: Recovery of function after traumatic brain injury, Spatial learning and memory, Virtual Environments
1. Goodrich-Hunsaker, N.J., Livingstone, S.A., Skelton, R.W. & Hopkins, R.O. (2010) Spatial Deficits in a Virtual Morris Water Maze Navigation Task in Amnesic Participants with Hippocampal Damage, DOI 10.1002/hipo.20651 PDF
2. Mueller, S.C., Jackson, C.P.T., Skelton, R.W. (2008) Gender differences in a virtual water maze: an eye tracking and pupillometry study. Behavioural Brain Research, 193(2), 209-215; DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.05.017.PDF
3. Livingstone, S.A. & Skelton, R.W. (2007) Virtual environment navigation tasks and the assessment of cognitive deficits in individuals with brain injury. Behavioural Brain Research, 185, 21–31. DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2007.07.015 PDF
4. Ross, S.P., Skelton, R.W. and Mueller, S. (2006) Gender differences in learning in virtual space: Implications when using virtual environments in instruction and assessment, Virtual Reality. Volume 10 (3-4), 175-184Digital Object Identifier (DOI):10.1007/s10055-006-0041-7 PDF
Traumatic Brain Injury and Navigation in a Virtual Arena Maze
Gender differences in spatial navigation.
Development of a Functional Outcome Profile to track changes in functional living status over the course of recovery from traumatic brain injury. For further information pleas see the 7-page FOP Prospectus.pdf
Eye-tracking and brain-activity analysis in research and business applications.
There is lots of information about traumatic brain injury on the web. Here are sites with lots of links and help in one form or another:
The Impact of Brain Injury: Presentation 5 April 2011 in Health and Helping Professionals Series. Handouts, Slides, Auditory recording.
Handouts from my Presentation
at Comox Valley Brain Injury Conference (June 2010) in Colour
or Black
and White.
+ List of affordable books on brain injury for Survivors and
Family Members in Word
or web
page
While you are waiting . . . "A Page Dedicated to You Who are Waiting While Someone is in a Coma". This provides a useful guide to traumatic brain injury and what to expect.
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY SURVIVAL GUIDE a book by By Dr. Glen Johnson, Clinical Neuropsychologist Clinical Director of the Neuro-Recovery Head Injury Program
A course on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with a very good page of links to other resources
A simple overview of brain injury facts from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention - here
Brain Injury Survivor's guide (to journaling)
'Basic brain information' useful to people new to brain injury.
Victoria Brain Injury Society: The brain injury association here in Victoria
Vista Centre Brain Injury Services (VCBIS) In Ottawa, but lots of good information.
Brain Injury Association of
America has lots of good information and links
- including 8 good
information booklets called The Road to
Rehabilitation
Brain Injury Resource Centre designed for survivors.
A good overview of TBI and its effects on the individual and the family: Middleton 2005 TBI.pdf
[Jul09] Here's Robby A page describing the problems faced by an institution dealing with the sexuality of people with brain injury. (Caution: frank language).
[Oct '10]TBI, Military injuries, and diagnosis by neuropsych and imaging.
[Mar '11] Brain
Streams - a project of the Pacific Coast Brain Injury Conference
[Oct '11] Brain streams video explanations of the Injured
Brain (5 x 3 min videos)
A site of lots of information: www.braininjury.com (sponsored by brain injury attorneys)
Learning Skills: Many students find that my course make demands that they have not encountered before. Part of this is due to the complexity of the material I teach and part is due to the importance I place on the development of academic skills - the ability to comprehend, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply knowledge. If you are finding that you are not doing as well as you would expect or like, one way to improve your scores (and your academic skills for all courses and your career) is to master some of the Learning Skills with the help of UVic Counselling Services and in particular, their downloadable Learning Skills Handouts which deal with such things as notes and exam taking.
How to Succeed in College (download version) Highly recommended. This 2-page article is written by the President of the American Psychological Society and consists of advice written by graduate students in a learning and memory course. Students were asked to advise younger siblings entering as freshmen on how to study and learn at University. It provides excellent advice on Taking Notes, Studying, and Preparing for and performing on an Exam. The advice is sometimes counter-intuitive, but it is extremely sound based on learning/memory research. Web version
Position on Cheating Unfortunately some students appear to be trying to gain unfair advantage over other students in my courses by cheating. Here is an explanation of my position and my actions.
See also Teaching Philosophy
below. Or funnier: Dave Barry on
College (How not to teach.)
Surveys - During the term you will be given the opportunity to tell me how you feel about my instructional methods and course content. They give you the opportunity to express yourself collectively (Agree/disagree etc) and individually (via comments). I see all the responses but no-one, including me, can tell who made the response.
Resting Membrane Potential 1 Youtube video.
Synaptic transmission:
www.williams.edu:803/imput/index:Synaptic transmission: Complex but complete, with animations/video
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/synapse.html says it is “Neuroscience for Kids” but its quite advanced (and good)
http://www.ablongman.com/html/psychplace_acts/synapse/intro.html A very good review of the synapse and synaptic function.
Brain Links: At least 7 sites devoted to illustrating neuroanatomy.
Anatomy Links: A section of this web page (below) that provides multiple links to other sites that describe neuroanatomy.
Receptive Fields Good tutorial
The Brain from Top to Bottom A good source of alternative explanations and images for practically every topic in the course. choose your level of knowledge (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and the organizational level you are interested in (5 levels from molecular to social).
How big is that? How small is that? The scale of the universe. (From smaller than microscopic to bigger than astronomical) (Amazing web site)
Extras
Syllabus for PSYC 323 (pdf) and Probable Timetable and Schedule of Lectures and Readings (updated 6 August 2011)
Announcements: Experiential
Learning: website https://web.uvic.ca/experiential/
Final Report - Draft: These documents will let you see what questions you will
be asked for your final report. The questions are not finalized but will
be close to the ones in this draft. The Report for you to complete should
be online next week. It is due Dec 16th. Experiential
Learning Final Report Draft
Course Materials (Lecture notes and homework) (update: 2 Dec 2011)
Textbook Website: Supplementary learning materials. (Like a Study Guide)
Marks: Available only until Jan 9th, 2012. Final Exam and Experiential Learning, Summary (% and Points) and Final Course Mark and unofficial grade. Updated 22 Dec 2011
Surveys - During the term you will be given the opportunity to tell me how you feel about my instructional methods and course content. They give you the opportunity to express yourself collectively (Agree/disagree etc) and individually (via comments). I see all the responses but no-one, including me, can tell who made the response.
Extras
How big is that? How small is that? The scale of the universe. (From smaller than microscopic to bigger than astronomical) (Amazing web site)
Office Hours: After class Monday and Thursday - 1:00 - 2:00 before the midterm, and before class 10:30-11:30 after the midterm.
Address for course assignments: PSYC415B@UVic.ca
Syllabus (Course Outline) Spring 2011 (2 Jan 12) (pdf): and Detailed timetable (PDF) and (when decided) schedule of events and presentations
Lectures and completed Assignments (May or may not always be posted. Will be posted if assignments are specified within.) (Last update: 4 April 12 with Part 3 Key)
Assignment materials and keys (templates, articles etc.) (update 4 April 12 with Key Part 3)
Records:
Marks on assignments and
midterms
and Grades up to Midterm (All 3 parts) (Opens PDFs)
Posters,
talks, papers and Term Summary (including unofficial final grade)
20-April-12
Readings: 3 Research articles (at least) and 5 extra Readings about brain injury and recovery. Recommended background. 2 will be required reading (by date TBA)
Presentation Schedule and Grade Basis The weights that will be given components of your course. Updated after class discussions.
Tips on Posters and Presentations. (This may be lecture notes from lecture 16, since I mayn't have time to go through them all in class.)
WebAardvark sample
poster in PDF format (a modest 55 kB) (in colour) for
funny rendition of Neuroscience poster format.
Please let me know if any of these links is broken (skelton @ uvic.ca)
Teaching Philosophy: A page giving some of the principles I use and aspirations I have for my teaching. Philosophy and Techniques of University Teaching
IN DEFENSE OF THE COLLEGE LECTURE (Good lectures take good lecturing, and good listening).
THE ILLUSION OF COMPREHENSION "I studied so hard for the test. I was sure that I had it down cold. And I still got a C! How is that possible?" This essay contains some thoughts on why students think this and how testing methods contributes to this illusion, and to poor learning strategies.
TEACHING TO THE TEST "The tests didn't match the material." "Some of the material on the tests was barely mentioned in class." One of the hazards of teaching is "teaching to the test", where students are given only the material that is on the tests. Although this leads to superior performance on tests, the value of this knowledge in other arenas is negligible.
How big is that? How small is that? The scale of the universe. (From smaller than microscopic to bigger than astronomical) (Amazing web site)
Last Revised: April 20, 2012 .
I have set up a page to help me communicate with a colleague. It should be of no interest or use to anyone else. Arena Page
There is also a page where I provide the specification for the CANASSIST-built eye-tracker used in my lab. Eye Tracker Specifications
I have a personal webpage that includes information on Unreal
Building on my background in the neural basis of learning and memory, I am presently studying recovery of cognitive function after traumatic brain injury. I continue to be interested in hippocampal mechanisms of memory and spatial cognition, but now study human cognitive processes, seeking new ways to assess recovery from cognitive losses after brain injury. My current research uses a simulation of the Morris Water Maze in virtual space to study place learning after traumatic brain injury. A recent publication in this area is:
I am also involved in developing an interview-based outcome measure for brain injury. This Functional Outcome Profile explores over 60 areas of a survivor's life, quantifying the impact of the brain injury on their everyday functioning at home and in the community and getting them to rate their satisfaction with different aspects of their family, social and spiritual life. The profile also examines the impact of the injury on people involved in the survivors life and care, obtaining a second view of the frequency of problems and a new perspective of the impact of the injury on other peoples' lives. A recent conference presentation on this is:
"Men ought to know that from nothing else but thence [from the brain]come joys, delights, laughter and sports, and sorrows, griefs, despondency, and lamentations. And by this, in an special manner, we acquire wisdom and knowledge, and see and hear, and know what are foul and what are fair, what are bad and what are good, what are sweet and what unsavory. . . . And by the same organ we become mad and delirious, and fears and terrors assail us, . . . . All these things we endure from the brain, when it is not healthy . . . In these ways I am of opinion that the brain exercises the greatest power in the man." Hippocrates, On the Sacred Disease, 4th Century, B.C.E.
National Geographic Brain: Interactive website provides fun intro to brain anatomy.
Virtual Reality Brain Project: Interesting site. Rotatable dissections of the brain, with labeled Hot spots. As the site says, "Using QuickTime Virtual Reality Technology, you will be able to interact with several human brain dissections. These "VR Brains" can be resized, rotated in all directions, and certain areas can be selected allowing you to identify structures of particular interest."
3-D Brain Anatomy From PBS.org. A fun and simple overview of brain anatomy and function. See also The Secret Life of the Brain for episodes on brain development.
'Basic brain information' useful to people new to brain injury or students new to the brain.
Neuroscience for
Kids: Information here is simple and
fun.
There are some
neat FAQs answered here, including, "Do we use only 10% of
our brains?"
The Digital Anatomist: This site describes a really neat product (that I use in my lectures) in which a brain has been digitized and rendered into 3D. There are lots of interesting things to explore, but one of the best are the Movies of the the parts of the brain and the limbic system, which you can access quickly from the page listing the available movies or the movie of Explode Brain. (Note: these movies are 3-7Mb so you should have a decent connection to download and a decent system to view them.)
Parts of the
Brain, by "Pinky and The Brain" (Cartoon Movie) or Pinky and the Brain's "Brainstem" on the Web. The
Words.
Fun and reasonably accurate but too fast to learn from. You can check your
knowledge against it.
Neuroanatomy Tutorials Interactive tutorial using sheep brain sections (photographic) and multiple-choice questions. Good and basic.
About Brain Injury: A site built for people who have a loved one in a coma. Lots of basic information about comas and brain injury. A very good introduction to Brain Anatomy. (If you know someone in a coma, you may want to start at their home page, "While you are waiting".)
There are also sites from the brain injury associations local to Victoria. These sites have some general information plus lots of links to other brain injury sites. There's the Brain (Injury) Associations of BC and the Brain Injury Association of South Vancouver Island (Formerly Vancouver Island Head Injury Association).
There are lots of other sites. One, Neuroanatomy/pathology on the Internet, has dozens of links to anatomy sites. Brainlinks from University of Bergen (in German, but mostly English Links) has atlases, images, tutorials, and more. Neuropsychology central has links to anatomy as well as to neuropsychological tests and other items of interest to neuropsychologists. The University of Utah medical School has an Internet Pathology Course with a Tutorial on Neuroanatomy that shows anatomical locations on real (dead) tissue (not for the squeamish). More detail than most people need, but it can be helpful as self test. The Human Brain: Dissections of the Real Brain provides many detailed views of the brain with drawings beside them labeling may parts.
BRAIN MAP.
This article describes some of the common effects of damage to specific areas of
the brain. Basic anatomy but comprehensive in terms of disorders that result
from Brain injury.
THE WHOLE BRAIN ATLAS.
Various brain scans - Real (2D) images. Tremendous brain atlas, visuals are
terrific, the depth is superb. From Harvard, and it is worthy of Harvard. This
is the web at its best; very technical but you can learn at your own pace,
through text and visuals.
THE ANATOMY OF A HEAD
INJURY. This article describes what happens to the brain as a result of
trauma. (All text, no pictures)
MCH
NEUROLOGY WEB FORUM. This is an attempt to start an interactive, online
discussion about various Neurology-related topics. On going, unscheduled chats
on a number of neurology related topics. User friendly page. (You'll need to
click the link on the first page that pops up.)
1. Directions and
Planes of Section (From Neuroscience for Kids) (Good basic info.
Game is good for name recognition, not for understanding)
2. Neuroanatomy
lecture (PDF) A different lecture (PDF) on anatomy (By Dawei Dong). Good
info at good level.
Roots of Neuroscience Terms Knowing where the terms come from can help you remember what they mean.
Memory Loss and the Brain Newsletter An informative newsletter published 2-3 times a year with practical news and tips for improving memory or preventing its decline. Valuable for students, people with brain injuries, and people who are aging. (Like who isn't!)
Can Neurobiology Teach us Anything about Consciousness- An essay by "Neuro-Philosopher" Patricia Smith Churchland about why it is worth studying the nervous system to understand behaviour, cognition and even consciousness.
CORTEX: SPECIAL ISSUE ON: CONSCIOUSNESS, MIND AND THE BRAIN October, 2005.
"We only use 10% of our brains" myth. For information on this myth, click here.
UF SCIENTIST: “BRAIN” IN A DISH ACTS AS AUTOPILOT, LIVING COMPUTER Story here
Is That a Pilot in
Your Pocket? (Same story but with cool links to other
stories)
(25,000 neurons in
a dish control a flight simulator)
Transforming Thoughts Into Deeds
Changing Dogma: New Tricks for the Old Brain (Neurogenesis in Adult Humans) Neuroscience for kids site. Good explanations, with links to more complex material.
(Nov '07) A Hypothesis About the Role of Adult Neurogenesis in Hippocampal Function (2004 review)
(Aug '05) Halle Berry and Jennifer Aniston cells in the human hippocampus. Nature, June 2005 Adds new spice to the debate about "grandmother" cells.
(Jan 2006) How media depictions of Coma recovery mislead the public: Newspaper article "Little sign of brain activity in soap-opera coma cases" or
(without the cleavage) the scientific publication "Epidemiology and prognosis of coma in daytime television dramas" (British Medical Journal).
(May 06) The Brain from Top to Bottom Click the picture of Da Vinci's "Man" and choose your level of knowledge (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and the organizational level you are interested in (5 levels from molecular to social).
(May 06) Brain Functions and Map. Click here for a more detailed look at functional anatomy. Good for 215A, 323, 415B and others)
(Feb 07) www.wiredtowinthemovie.com/ (Interactive Tour De Brain)
(May 07) Bike Helmets save Lives (or the CNN link)
(April 08) Internet Stroke Center, with several interesting subsections including
(April 2008) Jill
Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight: A description of what it felt like
to have a stroke by a neuroanatomist. Very interesting (though I'm not
sure that someone who studies left-brain, right-brain would agree with her
description of their relative functions)
(Note: Does not work with
Firefox)
(April 2008) Michael Shermer: Why people believe strange
things This is a general discussion of the difference between science and
pseudo-science (like crop circles and intelligent design). Good for any
scientist - established or in-training.
Note: Does not work with
Firefox)
(October 2008) How Comas WorkGood overview of comas, the brain and how they are rated, for non-scientists.
(October 2008)Memories aren't made of this: amnesia at the moviesHow Hollywood misrepresents traumatically induced amnesia.
(November 2009) 3D Brain Model http://www.g2conline.org/2022 (Also available as App for IPod/iTouch)
(Mar 2010) "Put Some
ACh into it" A video-rap about the autonomic nervous system. Note:
Language is appropriate and accurate but if offended by rap videos, please do
not view.
(Oct 11) More rap music: Cranial
Nerve Song
(Nov 2010) Wanting, Liking and motivation in Video Games. Applications to Busuiness, Education and Government. (16 min talk on TED.com)
(Dec 2010) Cool pictures of neurons from New York Times
(Dec 2010) Great image of hipocampus , in situ, in rotating skull.
How big is that? How small is that? The scale of the universe. (From smaller than microscopic to bigger than astronomical) (Amazing web site)
(Oct 2011) "The Brain that Changes Itself" The Nature of Things - 45 min show on Neuroplasticity.
E-mail: skelton @ UVic . ca (remove spaces, eh?)
Web address: You are here already! To come back, come to http://web.uvic.ca/psyc/skelton
Office phone: 250-721-8711 Fax: 250-721-8929
Office Hours:
Mailing Address:
Department of Psychology
University of Victoria
Box 3050
Victoria, BC
V8W 3P5
I am married with 2 children. I have a number of hobbies and
interests, including tennis, computer
games, and camping.
I have been hairier.
I am past president of the Vancouver Island
Head Injury Society - now called the Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS)
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Last Revised: 04/20/2012. For corrections please contact skelton @ uvic.ca (remove spaces)
