Louisa Edwards BSc(Newcastle) PhD(Birmingham)
Lecturer
Contact details
Room: U.2.23
Phone: +44 (0)1509 228057
Fax: +44 (0)1509 223940
Email: L.Edwards@lboro.ac.uk
Background
Louisa gained a BSc in Physiology at Newcastle University (1999) and a PhD in Psychophysiology, studying blood pressure and pain, from Birmingham University (2002). Louisa then studied working memory in hypertensive patients at Pittsburgh University before returning to Birmingham to study blood pressure effects on sensory-motor and cognitive function. Louisa joined Loughborough University in 2008.
Research Interests
My research focuses on how cognitive function and sensation can be affected by both chronic and acute changes in blood pressure. I use a range of techniques including electroencephalography (EEG), neurophysiological and behavioural measures to investigate sensory-motor and cognitive function.
Current research
• Essential hypertension and cognitive function
• Essential hypertension and sensory-motor function
• Hypertensive Hypoalgesia
• Arterial baroreceptor influence on sensory and cognitive function
Awards
- British Heart Foundation Project Grant. Cognitive function in hypertension. (2006 – 2009)
- British Heart Foundation Junior Research Fellowship. Sensory-motor function in hypertension. (2004 – 2005)
- MRC/EPSRC, Institutional Discipline Bridging Award. Human Brain Mapping Conference and BESA workshop. Chicago, Illinois. (2007)
- American Psychosomatic Society, Young Scholar Award. Budapest, Hungary. (2007)
- Wellcome Trust, Value in People Award for BESA training, Munich, Germany. (2006)
Selected publications
- Edwards, L., Ring, C., McIntyre, D., Winer, J.B., Martin, U. (2009) Sensory detection thresholds are modulated across the cardiac cycle: Evidence that cutaneous sensibility is greatest for systolic stimulation. Psychophysiology, 46, 252-256
- Edwards, L., Inui, K., Ring, C., Wang, X., Kakigi, R. (2008) Pain-related evoked potentials are modulated across the cardiac cycle. Pain, 137, 488-494
- Edwards, L., Ring, C., McIntyre, D., Winer, J.B., Martin, U. (2008) Cutaneous sensibility and peripheral nerve function in patients with unmedicated essential hypertension. Psychophysiology, 45, 141-147.
- Edwards, L., Ring, C., France, C.R., al'Absi, M., McIntyre, D., Carroll, D., Martin, U. (2007) Nociceptive flexion reflex thresholds and pain during rest and computer game play in patients with hypertension and individuals at risk for hypertension. Biological Psychology, 76, 72-82
- Edwards, L., Ring, C., McIntyre, D., Carroll, D., Martin, U. (2007) Psychomotor speed in hypertension: Effects of reaction time components, stimulus modality, and phase of the cardiac cycle. Psychophysiology, 44, 459-468.
- Edwards, L., Ring, C., McIntyre, D., Carroll, D. (2001) Modulation of the human nociceptive flexion reflex across the cardiac cycle. Psychophysiology, 38, 712-718.
You can view a fuller publications list on the University Publications Database.
External Activities
- Journal Referee
- Biological Psychology, Journal of Human Hypertension, Psychophysiology, International Journal of Psychophysiology
- Learned Societies and Professional Affiliations
- Society for Psychophysiological Research, Physiological Society, American Psychosomatic Society, Birmingham Hypertension Society
- Visiting Titles
- Honorary Fellow of School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham
- Invited Lecture / Keynotes
- South West Clinical Pharmacology Meeting “Effects of Hypertension, Genetic Risk for Hypertension and Distraction on Nociception and Pain” Birmingham, England (2004)
- South West Clinical Pharmacology Meeting “Hypertensive Hypoalgesia:
- A role for Opioids?” Cardiff, Wales (2001)
- Collaborative Research
- Effects of baroreceptor activity on pain-related evoked potentials. Prof. Chris Ring and Dr David McIntyre (Sport & Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK). 2008.
- Hypertension and Cognitive function. Prof. Chris Ring (Sport & Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK), Dr Una Martin (Medicine, University of Birmingham, UK), Dr Peter Praamstra (Psychology, University of Birmingham, UK). 2006-present
- Effects of the cardiac cycle on pain-related laser evoked potentials. Dr Koji Inui (Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki National Research Institute, Japan). 2007.
- Cardiac cycle time effects on electrically induced pain-related evoked potentials. Dr Arie Nouwen and Dr Tracy Warbrick (Psychology, Birmingham University, UK). 2005-2006.
- Pain-related brain activity over consecutive days in the same person using fMRI. Dr Stuart Derbyshire (Psychology, Birmingham University, UK). 2006.
- Hypertension and Sensory-motor function. Prof. Chris Ring and Dr Una Martin (University of Birmingham, UK), Dr John B. Winer (Neurology, University Hospital Birmingham, UK). 2004-2006
- Human cerebral blood flow responses to information processing tasks in hypertension: effects of antihypertensive medication. J. Richard Jennings (University of Pittsburgh, USA). 2003.
- Hypertensive hypoalgesia. Prof. Chris R France (Ohio State University, USA), Dr Mustafa al’Absi (University of Minnesota, USA), Dr Una Martin and Prof. Chris Ring, (University of Birmingham, UK). 1999-2002.