In Memoriam: Sean Barrett (1973-2024)
Professor
Related Information
The Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Faculty of Science are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Sean P. Barrett on June 13, 2024, at the age of 50. Sean was a cherished member of our department for 19 years. He was an active and productive scientist. He was also a dedicated mentor and instructor devoted to ensuring the success of his students and was deeply committed to advancing our understanding of the factors that contribute to addictive behaviours. Our department mourns the loss of Sean, and our thoughts and sympathies go out to Sean’s family, friends, colleagues, and students. He is deeply missed.
Research Topics:
- Addiction
- Neuroscience
- Clinical psychology
Education
BA/BSc (St. Francis Xavier)
PhD (McGill)
Research Interests
Dr. Barrett’s research aimed to understand how various pharmacological and non-pharmacological factors contribute to different addictive behaviours as well as to determine the extent to which there are individual differences in the roles of such factors.
Selected Publications
- Spinella, T., Stewart, S., Naugler, J., Yakovenko, I., & Barrett, S. (2021). Evaluating cannabidiol (CBD) expectancy effects on acute stress and anxiety in healthy adults: A randomized crossover study. Psychopharmacology, 238(7), 1965-1977.
- Shephard, A., & Barrett, S. (2022). The impacts of caffeine administration, expectancies, and related stimuli on coffee craving, withdrawal, and self-administration. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36, 378-386.
- Perry, R.N., Schlagintweit, H.E., Darredeau, C., Helmick, C., Newman, A.J., Good, K.P., Barrett, S.P. (2019). The impacts of actual and perceived nicotine administration on insula functional connectivity with the anterior cingulate cortex and nucleus accumbens. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 33, 1600-1609.
- Schlagintweit, H.E., Perry, R.N., Darredeau, C., Barrett, S.P. (2020). Non-pharmacological considerations in human research of nicotine and tobacco effects: A review. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 22, 1260-1266.
Awards and Honours
2013 Faculty of Science Killam Prize
2018 Rosemary Gill Award
2018 Nova Scotia Tobacco Control Research Excellence Award