Researcher profile

Brooke Manning

Dr Brooke Manning is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Mental Health & Brain Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Dr Manning has a broad interest in psychopharmacology and how drugs impact human behaviour. More specifically, she is interested in understanding how psychoactive substances influence neurocognition, with particular emphasis on prescription drugs and medical cannabis. Dr Manning has experience in designing, implementing, and managing clinical research trials involving acute drug administration, including alcohol, cannabis, and methylphenidate. Her current research seeks to uncover novel biochemical, physiological, and behavioural pathways that underlie oculomotor function, visual-attentional performance, and information processing under drug-altered conditions. By quantifying the neurobehavioural changes these substances induce, she aims to identify how these effects contribute to risky human behaviours, such as impaired driving. Dr Manning’s work is also advancing the development of cutting-edge technologies to detect and monitor driver impairment, ultimately aiming to reduce the prevalence and dangers of drug-affected driving. In her current role, Dr Manning coordinates testing sessions for a closed-circuit on-track trial designed to assess the effects of medical cannabis on driving, as well as cognitive and behavioural outcomes, among patients prescribed medical cannabis for managing refractory health conditions. The Victorian Government has allocated $4.98 million to support this research, which seeks to determine whether individuals prescribed medical cannabis can safely operate a vehicle under specific conditions or circumstances. See more about the CANTRACK trial: https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2024/05/swinburne-leads-world-first-medical-cannabis-driving-trial--/