International Journal of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

International Journal of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is to provide a single platform for publishing original experimental and review articles on the trends and advances of mind study. It specializes in articles that cover the latest developments and pinpoints directions for future research on mind and cognitive sciences.

Douglas Watt

Editorial Board Member of International Journal of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

Lecturer, Cambridge City Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Clinic for Cognitive Disorders, Quincy Medical Center, Quincy MA, USA

Research Areas

Neuroscience of Cognitive Disorders, Affective Disorders

Education

1985-1986PostdoctoralClinical Psychology, Human Resource Institute–Outpatient Department, Brookline, MA
1985 Ph.DCounseling Psychology Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass
1976 M.EdCommunity Mental Health Counseling Psychology. Northeastern University, Boston, MA
1972BAPsychology and Religion/General Studies, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA

Experience

2007-presentTeaching Associate in Psychiatry (teaching clinical neuroscience), Harvard Medical School
2000-2005Core Faculty, Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis (Brookline, MA)
1992-1993Lecturer, Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience-Psychoanalytic Institute of New England
1988-presentInstructor in Neuropsychology/Psychiatry Boston University School of Medicine

Membership

Membership Committee-National Academy of Neuropsychology 1994-2001
Seminar Committee-Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness.1999-2002
Electronic Seminar Coordinator-Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness,1999-2000

Publications: Conferences/Workshops/Symposiums/Journals/Books

[1]  Watt, DF Transference–A right hemisphere event?: The boundary between psychoanalytic metapsychology and neuropsychology. Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought 1986 9(1), 43-77.
[2]  Watt, DF Computerphobia–individual and cultural perspectives Feature Article About Computer Phobia and Impact of GUI Operating Systems on Computerphobia, Amiga World, July, 1986.
[3]  Watt, DF Higher cortical functions and the ego: explorations of the boundary between behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, and psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 1990, 7(4), 488–529.
[4]  Watt, DF Broca's Aphasia and area 44–Syntactical vs. articulatory deficits in current aphasiology. Journal of Neuropsychiatry, Spring 1993 5(2):221-2.
[5]  Watt, DF Problems in the current conceptualization of delirium. Re: proposed DSM–IV criteria for delirium. Journal of Neuropsychiatry, Letter, 1993 5(4):459-60.
[6]  Watt, DF Problems in the current conceptualization of dementia. re: proposed DSM–IV criteria for dementia. Journal of Neuropsychiatry, Commentary, 6(3), 1994.
[7]  Watt, DF (1995) Central challenges to neural network theory: syndromes of diseased consciousness. Syllabus of the World Congress of Neural Networks, International Neural Network Society.
[8]  Watt, DF (1995) Parallel circuits and integrated experience- where is the integration of executive functions within segregated corticostriatal thalamocortical loops taking place? Commentary, Journal of Neuropsychiatry 7(2):271-2.
[9]  Watt, DF (1996) Lateralization, projective testing techniques and the frontal lobes." Commentary, Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 8(2): pp 232–34.
[10]  Watt, DF Emotion, cognitive neuroscience, and consciousness studies: Is emotion really one of the "easy problems"? July, 1998. Core Curriculum Article for Symposium on Emotion and Consciousness. On Line Conference at University of Arizona, http://www.consciousness.arizona.edu/conference/index.html.
[11]  Watt, DF (1998) Emotion and consciousness: implications of affective neuroscience for ERTAS theories of consciousness. Internet Electronic Seminar for August–September 1998. Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness. http://server.phil.vt.edu/assc/esem.html. Available from author by request.
[12]  Watt, DF (1998) Affect and the limbic system: some hard problems. Commentary, Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 10(1):113–6.
[13]  Watt, DF (1999) At the intersection of emotion and consciousness, part I: A review of Panksepp's Affective Neuroscience, Journal of Consciousness Studies, 6 (6–7), pp. 191–200.
[14]  Watt, DF (1999) At the intersection of emotion and consciousness: affective neuroscience and the extended reticular thalamic activating system. Invited Book Chapter, in Towards a Science of Consciousness. (Edited by Hameroff, Kaszniak, and Chalmers). Pp 215–229.
[15]  Watt, DF (2000) The centrencephalon and consciousness: neglected contributions of periaqueductal gray. Emotion and Consciousness. 1:1, pp 93–116.
[16]  Watt, DF (2000) At the intersection of emotion and consciousness, part II: A review of Damasio's The Feeling Of What Happens, Journal of Consciousness Studies 7(3) pp 52–73.
[17]  Watt, DF (2001) Psychoanalysis and neuroscience: alienation and reparation. Neuropsychoanalysis. 2(4).
[18]  Watt, DF (2001) Affective neuroscience, periaquaductal gray, and the extended reticular thalamic activating system. Emotions, Qualia and Consciousness. Proceedings From the International Ischia Conference on Emotion and Consciousness. World Scientific Press. pp 290–323.
[19]  Watt, DF (2002) The ventral brainstem and consciousness. Hobson's first person account of a lateral medullary CVA: affirmative action for the brainstem in consciousness studies. Invited Commentary- Consciousness and Cognition. 11(3): 391-395.
[20]  Watt, DF (2003) Psychotherapy in an age of neuroscience: New opportunities in the renaissance of affective neuroscience. (Eds Corrigall, J and Wilkinson, H) Revolutionary Connections: Psychotherapy and Neuroscience. Chapter 3 Pp 85-107.
[21]  Watt, DF (2003) Symposium on the Life and Times of B.F. Skinner. Invited Commentary- Target Article by Bernard Baars. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 10(1):65-74.
[22]  Watt, DF (2004) The neuropsychology and neurobiology of affective regulation: a review of recent work. Journal of Consciousness Studies. 11(9) 77-82.
[23]  Panksepp, J., and Watt, DF (2004) "The ego is first and foremost a body ego": a critical review of Antonio Damasio's Looking for Spinoza. Critical issues in the conceptualization of emotion and feeling. Neuropsychoanalysis, 5(1): 201-215.
[24]  Watt, DF and Pincus, D. (2004) Neural substrates of consciousness: Implications for clinical psychiatry. Textbook of Biological Psychiatry, Wiley Press. (Jaak Panksepp, Editor). Pp 75-110.
[25]  Watt, DF (2005) concluding remarks on the dialogue between psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Neuroscientific and Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Emotion. International Neuropsychoanalysis Centre Press. pp. 139-148.
[26]  Watt, DF (2005) Pitfalls of classical drive theory and implications of prototype emotion: comments on a psychoanalytic contribution to affective neuroscience. Neuroscientific and Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Emotion. International Neuropsychoanalysis Centre Press. pp. 25-31.
[27]  Watt, DF (2005) Panksepp's commonsense view of affective neuroscience isn't commonsense in neuroscience. Invited Commentary, Special Issue on Animal Consciousness, Consciousness and Cognition. Mar 14(1):81-88.
[28]  Watt, DF (2005) Attachment mechanisms and the dialogue between science and religion: the challenges of anthropomorphism and sectism. The Psychoanalytic Review. 92(2):191-221.
[29]  Watt, DF (2005) attachment mechanisms and the bridging of science and religion: New perspective on old adversaries in dialogue. Contributed book chapter in Ways of Knowing- Science and Mysticism Today. London, UK: Imprint Academic. pp. 73-93.
[30]  Watt, DF (2005) Social bonds and the nature of empathy. Invited Contribution, Special Issue on Emotional Experience. Journal of Consciousness Studies. Volume 12(8-10), August-October pp. 185-209.
[31]  Watt, DF (2006) Semantic pitfalls in consciousness neuroscience. Invited Commentary, Journal of Consciousness Studies. Volume 13 (4) pp. 35-36.
[32]  Watt, DF (2006) Integrating psychoanalytic and neurobiological views of panic disorder: the neglect of separation distress as a separate prototype system from fear. Invited Commentary for target article by Gorman et al on Panic Disorder. Neuropsychoanalysis 7(2) pp 26-29.
[33]  Watt, DF (2007) Towards a neuroscience of empathy: integrating cognitive and affective perspectives. Neuropsychoanalysis, 9(2):119-140.
[34]  Watt, DF (2007) Affirmative-action for emotion in cognitive neuroscience in the study of empathy: response to commentaries. (Target Article-Towards a neuroscience of empathy: Integrating cognitive and affective perspectives). Neuropsychoanalysis 9(2) pp. 161-172.
[35]  Watt, DF (2007) Affirmative action for the brainstem in the neuroscience of consciousness: the lingering Zeitgeist of the brainstem as a "dumb" arousal system. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 30(1): pp 108-110. Invited commentary for Behavioral and Brain Sciences (Target Article-Consciousness without a Cerebral Cortex: A Challenge For Neuroscience And Medicine by Bjorn Merker).
[36]  Watt, DF (2008) Implications of affective neuroscience for drive theory in psychoanalytic metapsychology: implications for our understanding of romantic love. Commentary (Target Article by Yoram Yovell: Is There a Drive to Love?) Neuropsychoanalysis, 10(2) pp. 173-78.
[37]  Watt, DF & Panksepp, J. (2009) Depression: an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to terminate protracted separation distress. A review of aminergic, peptidergic and neural network perspectives. (Target article with invited commentaries). Neuropsychoanalysis 11(1) pp 7-51.
[38]  Watt, DF & Panksepp, J. (2009 ) Response to commentaries (Target Article: Depression: an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to terminate protracted separation distress. A review of aminergic, peptidergic and neural network perspectives). Neuropsychoanalysis 11(1) pp. 87-109.
[39]  Panksepp, J and Watt, DF. (2011) What is basic about basic emotion?. Emotion (Special Issue-Invited Contribution). In press.
[40]  Zellner, M, Watt, DF, Solms, M and Panksepp, J. (2011) Affective Neuroscientific and Neuro-Psychoanalytic Approaches to Two Intractable Psychiatric Problems: Why Depression Feels So Bad and What Addicts Really Want. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. In press.
[41]  Watt, DF (2011) Theoretical challenges in the conceptualization of motivation in neuroscience: Implications for the bridging of neuroscience and psychoanalysis. Contributed chapter in Trends in Neuropsychoanalysis: Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Neuroscience in Dialogue (edited by Aikaterni Fotopoulou, Donald W. Pfaff, and Martin A. Conway). In press.
[42]  Watt, DF, Koziol, K & Budding, D. (2011) Alzheimer's disease. Contributed chapter in C.A. Noggle & R.S. Dean (Eds.). Disorders in Neuropsychiatry. New York: Springer Publishing Company. In press.
[43]  Watt, DF, Koziol, K & Budding, D. (2011) Delirium and confusional states. Contributed chapter in Contributed chapter in C.A. Noggle & R.S. Dean (Eds.). Disorders in Neuropsychiatry. New York: Springer Publishing Company, In press.
[44]  Koziol, K, Watt, DF, & Budding, D. (2011) Frontal system dementias. Contributed chapter in C.A. Noggle & R.S. Dean (Eds.). Disorders in Neuropsychiatry. New York: Springer Publishing Company. In press.
[45]  Watt, DF (2011) The biology of aging: implications for understanding the diseases of aging and healthcare in the 21st century. Contributed chapter in Textbook of Geriatric Neurology. (Eds Nair and Sabbagh). In press for 2012.
[46]  Watt, DF (2011) Depression in the elderly: Interactions with aging, stress, chronic pain, inflammation, and neurodegenerative disorders. Contributed chapter in Textbook of Geriatric Neurology. (Eds Nair and Sabbagh). In press for 2012.