Biographical Information:

In 2010 Deirdre graduated from the National University of Ireland Galway with a first class honours B.A. (International) in Psychology having spent her third year in the University of Salzburg Austria where she specialized in psychophysiology. In 2011 Deirdre moved to Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich where she was a visiting researcher. In 2012 she began her doctorate in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin under the supervision of Dr. Redmond O’Connell.

Deirdre’s PhD research focuses on establishing the neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in the human brain with the aim of enhancing both our understanding of basic information processing and higher cognition. Her work to date has demonstrated that the classic P300 indexes a decision process that accumulates evidence to a threshold. In addition to this she has characterized the dynamics of a decision variable signal during delayed perceptual choices. She is currently examining the neural correlates of perceptual decision-making in adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to produce a novel set of metrics to assay neural function in clinical populations with compromised decision-making capacities. In addition to her PhD work, Deirdre completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Statistics at Trinity College Dublin and has previously served as a member of the Neuroscience Ireland Early-Career Researchers Committee and as president of the Dublin University Neuroscience Society. Her work is funded by the Irish Research Council and Trinity College Dublin.

Research Interests:

  • Perceptual Decision-Making
  • Compromised cognition in clinical disorders (ADHD and Schizophrenia)
  • EEG and combined EEG and Brain Stimulation

Publications:

Journal Articles:

Twomey DM, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG (2016). Abstract and effector-selective decision signals exhibit qualitatively distinct dynamics prior to delayed perceptual reports. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(28): 7346-7352. pdf

Twomey DM, Murphy PR, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG (2015). The classic P300 encodes a build-to-threshold decision variable.  European Journal of Neuroscience, 42:1636–1643. pdf

Murphy JR, Rawdon C, Kelleher I, Twomey DM, Markey PS, Cannon M, Roche RAP (2013). Reduced duration mismatch negativity in adolescents with psychotic symptoms: further evidence for mismatch negativity as a possible biomarker for vulnerability to psychosis. BMC Psychiatry, 13:45. pdf

Elliott MA, Twomey DM, Glennon M (2012). The dynamics of visual experience, an EEG study of subjective pattern formation. PLOS ONE, 7(1): e30830. pdf

Papers in Preparation:

Twomey DM, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG. Elucidating the factors that lend to elevated intra-subject response time variability during the performance of cognitive tasks in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Refereed Conference Proceedings:

Twomey DM, Kelly SP, O’Connell RG (2013). The temporal dynamics of decision formation and motor preparation. Psychophysiology, 50:S28–S28.

Elliott MA, Mulcahy P, Kelly J, Twomey DM, Brosnan J (2011). Effects of golden sectioning on search and discrimination in Mondrian-like grids. Proceedings of the 27th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Psychophysics, 27:137–142.

Twomey DM, Glennon M, Elliott MA (2010). Electrophysiological correlates of flicker-induced form hallucinations. Proceedings of the 26th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Psychophysics, 26: 523–528.

Murphy J, Rawdon C, Twomey DM, Greally P, Roche RAP, Cannon M (2010). Semantic processing and context integration in adolescents with psychotic-like experiences. Irish Journal of Medical Science, 180:46–47.

Murphy J, Rawdon C, Twomey DM, Roche RAP, Cannon M (2010). ERP abnormalities during semantic processing in adolescents at-risk for psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 17(2):363–364.

Awards:

  • Shortlisted for a Fulbright Student Award in Science and Technology (2015–2016).
  • ‘The classic P300 encodes a build-to-threshold decision variable’ (Twomey et al., 2015) was the featured article and cover of the European Journal of Neuroscience, Volume 42, Issue 1, July 2015.
  • Trinity College Dublin Postgraduate Scholarship (present)
  • National University of Ireland, Galway Postgraduate Award (present)
  • Society for Psychophysiological Research Travel Award (2013)
  • Irish Research Council Embark Research Award (2010 -2013)
  • Science Foundation Ireland Undergraduate Research Experience & Knowledge Award (2009)
  • National University of Ireland, Galway undergraduate academic excellence award (2008, 2009)
  • National University of Ireland, Galway Erasmus award in recognition of undergraduate academic excellence (2008)
  • National University of Ireland, Galway Entrance Scholarship in recognition of academic excellence (2006)

 

Research Gate