TEHRAN, July 14 – The Head of Department of Psychiatry and UPM's clinical psychologist, Professor Dr Firdaus Mukhtar, made history for winning a research equipment grant which was a major award at the International Neuroscience and Electrophysiology Meeting in Tehran, Iran which took place from 9 to 14 June recently.
Besides winning the grant, she also received a certificate and a plaque from Dr Mohamed Norbakshah who is the Managing Director of Science Beam and also the organiser of the event.
Professor Dr Firdaus's achievement was based on her scientific research presentation on the development of neuropsychological profiling of patients with Borderline (Psychiatric) Personality Disorders, Tinnitus (Audiology) and also Diabetes Mellitus (Medicine), and she aimed to understand the cognitive disorders that made it difficult for patients to obtain treatment.
Among the key criteria seen in the evaluation of the grant were the timeliness of the presentation, the quality of the research team, the feasibility of Neurofeedback or Biofeedback applications as an evaluation as well as consistent international collaboration.
Furthermore, the winner was also chosen based on his or her research plans, PhD qualification in the field of neuroscience, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, medical engineering or any other relevant disciplines.
The joint researchers of the project included Associate Professors Dr Normala Ibrahim and Dr Soh Kwong Yan (Professor of Psychiatry), Professor Hamidon Basri (Neurologist), Associate Professor Dr Subha Tekachy Sethu (ORL Expert) and Dr Ooi Cheow Peng (Endocrinologist) from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in UPM.
Biofeedback and neurofeedback therapy come with a biosensor, high accuracy recording and rechargeable batteries with mobile wireless data transfer.
The E-Wave equipment won by Professor Dr Firdaus can be used to measure various physiological signals such as brain waves, muscle strain, heartbeat, pulse rate, skin conductance and body temperature.
E-wave is a technology that gives a very accurate picture of signals in a wide range of frequencies (0-500 Hz). Neurofeedback therapy can help a person with stress, depression, anxiety, ADHD, Autism, addiction, migraines and enuresis.
About 120 researchers comprising physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, human and animal physiologists as well as postgraduate students from Islamic countries such as Iran, Iraq, Oman, Lebanon, Afghanistan presented their scientific research papers in the international symposium.
The five-day symposium sponsored by Science Beam, a leading organisation in the neuroscience industry in Iran, provided a great deal of exposure in the areas of neuroscience and electrophysiology not only for humans but also in animal research.
