Maintaining the ability to prepare meals independently in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is of paramount importance to the individuals themselves and to their caregivers. Beyond being necessary to feed oneself, meal preparation supports self-esteem and maintenance of social roles. However, numerous diff…
Postpartum mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, affect 15-20% of people and are a serious public health concern. Untreated postpartum mental health problems can be long-lasting, and lead to behaviour problems, brain changes, and risk for later mental illness in children. Rates o…
In 97 per cent of ALS cases and nearly half of cases of frontotemporal dementia, the TDP-43 protein is misplaced to an area outside the cell nucleus of the motor neuron called the cytoplasm. The mislocated TDP-43 may be toxic to motor neurons because it aggregates in the cytoplasm, or because it is …
Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal
Each year, over 1,500 Canadians sustain an acute spinal cord injury (SCI), and join close to 40,000 across our nation living with one of the most physically and psychologically devastating of injuries. Unfortunately, none of the promising treatments that have emerged from animal models of SCI have d…
Moving neuroscience research from the lab and turning it into a product is extremely challenging. Even the most groundbreaking technologies may never improve a patient’s life if the commercialization path is not successfully navigated. For small Canadian start-up companies with a great neurotechno…
Trans women may take estradiol-based gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) into their old age. Yet, we know little about the long-term brain health effects of GAHT. We propose to further our understanding of the earliest causes and signs of cognitive and brain aging effects in women by exploring t…
The entry of calcium ions into cells is mediated by a class of protein (called calcium channels) that responds to electrical signals by opening of a calcium-selective pore. Calcium channels are involved in a large number of physiological processes including muscle contraction, hormone secretio…
The brain requires a large amount of energy and oxygen for survival. In order to meet these requirements, the blood supply to the brain is tightly controlled to ensure that active areas receive more blood. Recently, cells known as pericytes, which are found on small blood vessels, were shown to play…
The proposed initiative will make every brain tumour count! We will enhance the Canadian Cancer Registry (CCR) and brain tumour research capacity by providing data on an additional 40% of primary brain tumours diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 to the neurooncology community for the first time. The rat…
This projects looks at a new method to interface with communication devices through brain activity. A brain interface provides access for individuals with brain injury, or who are not typically developing, who experience limited voluntary muscle control. Kaela Shea will investigate the possibilit…
The Azrieli Program in Brain, Mind & Consciousness brings together 22 researchers to examine what consciousness is and how it comes about. The program is part of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, which was founded in 1982 to bring together researchers from across disciplines and borders …
Recording the electrical impulses of neurons with optical methods in the brain will be enormously beneficial for understanding how the healthy brain functions, as well as how diseases of the brain impact its normal function. In this project, the team will develop methods to record electrical activit…
There are an estimated 86,000 people living with a spinal cord injury (SCI) in Canada, with an annual economic burden of $2.67 billion for those surviving the initial injury. Approximately half of SCIs are the result of a traumatic (T) incident (ex. motor vehicle accident, sports injury) and the oth…
The Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP) is a national platform for open sharing of neuroscience research data and brings together many of the country’s leading scientists in basic and clinical neuroscience to form an interactive network of collaborations in brain research, interdisciplinary…
The Canadian Open Parkinson Network, or C-OPN, is a national network that unites researchers, physicians and patients across Canada to study Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is an expansion of the Quebec Parkinson Network, which under 4 years has enrolled over 1100 patients and has helped conduct 51 r…
Optogenetics is a relatively new science subdomain that is revolutionizing brain research with great promises for therapeutics. Oxford dictionary defines it as a technique in neuroscience in which genes for light-sensitive proteins are introduced into specific types of brain cells in order to monito…
Stroke is a leading cause of adult and childhood focal brain injury and disability. Most stroke patients die or face disability (mental or physical), impacting individuals for many decades. Children are 3 times more likely to have normal motor outcomes than adults with similar strokes. However, the …
The overall goals of the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery Clinical Trials Platform is to create a national network of stroke rehabilitation clinical trial sites, help train future researchers and test potential high impact new recovery approaches. Dr. Bayley and his team will do this…
More Canadians are surviving stroke today than in previous years, but improved survival also means that more individuals are living with a disability due to stroke. Over 400,000 Canadians have a disability related to stroke. Rehabilitation after stroke is critical for regaining function and reducing…
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for patients with depression who have not responded to antidepressant medications. rTMS involves stimulating the brain with a series of magnetic pulses delivered through a hand-held magnetic coil. Treatment duration is abo…