The Great Canadian Brain Quiz

False.

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the brain and spinal cord, but they do much more than promote inflammation. After spinal cord injury, they help clear damaged cells and myelin, the protective insulation surrounding nerve fibres. Our research investigates how microglia process this injury-related debris and how these functions influence tissue damage and recovery after spinal cord injury.

False.

Although malnutrition has various physiological impacts, including on the brain, some brain differences appear to precede the illness and may persist even after weight has been restored in people with anorexia nervosa. My Brain Canada project will explore the genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to these brain changes during adolescence.

False.

Addiction was previously associated with stigma, related to the misconception that those who develop addictions lack the willpower to resist. On the contrary, in people with substance addictions, very specific, strong signals arise deep in the brain — in the nucleus accumbens — and these can be used to decode moments of craving. Even more exciting, with deep brain stimulation implants, it is possible to selectively disrupt these signals, and treat addictions.

True.

We all experience pain, but that doesn’t mean the underlying biology is the same for everyone. Much of what we know about pain comes from research that historically relied on male or unsexed animals, leaving major gaps in our understanding of pain biology in females. My research investigates sex differences in the spinal cord circuits that process pain signals, helping build a more complete picture of chronic pain.

False.

RNA does much more than carry instructions from DNA. In the brain, RNA helps control which proteins are made, when they are made, and where they are made, including at synapses, the communication points between neurons. Chemical modifications of RNA and RNA-binding proteins fine-tune these processes. Our research investigates how disruption in these processes may damage synapses and contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.

True.

The brain controls how babies suck, so changes in sucking patterns may provide important clues about how the brain is functioning. My research is exploring whether a baby’s sucking pattern could help identify brain injuries earlier, creating opportunities for earlier intervention and better outcomes for babies born prematurely.

False.

We often think of neurons as vulnerable cells that depend entirely on other brain cells for protection. In fact, neurons have their own built-in neuroprotective mechanisms that help them cope with stress and damage. Our research is investigating one of these protective mechanisms and how it changes with aging and progressive multiple sclerosis.

False.

The extracellular matrix surrounding brain cells is often thought of mainly as structural support. But the extracellular matrix may do far more than simply provide support. Its electrical charges may shape the local balance of ions around neurons, influencing how brain cells communicate and regulate their activity. We are investigating whether disruption of this ionic regulation weakens inhibition and contributes to atypical brain activity in conditions such as ALS.

True.

fMRI is often thought of as a direct window into brain activity, but its signal depends on changes in blood flow and oxygenation. When blood vessels do not respond normally, as can happen with brain tumours or after radiotherapy, fMRI may be misleading. My research combines fMRI with cerebrovascular reactivity to distinguish vascular effects from genuine changes in brain function.

True.

Acoustic waves can be tightly focused through the skull and onto regions of the brain to exhibit a targeted bioeffect within brain tissue. My research is exploring how we can use sound waves to modify gene expression and alter immune cell behaviour, essentially enhancing the body’s natural defences to better treat brain cancer.

True.

Neurons are often considered “lost” when thinking about neurodegenerative disease, but they can become dysfunctional well before they die. Our research focuses on how impaired inhibitory circuits in the brain disrupt neuronal activity in frontotemporal dementia. Understanding this early dysfunction may help explain how symptoms develop and could reveal opportunities to restore neuronal function before cells reach the point of irreversible damage.

False.

Stem cells can survive in the injured brain and become neurons, but most transplanted neurons do not connect with the right partners. Our research is identifying the molecular “connectivity codes” that guide neurons to form precise long-distance connections, particularly those needed for movement. By understanding these codes, we aim to lay the foundation for next generation stem cell therapies that can rebuild damaged brain circuits more reliably after traumatic brain injury.

False.

Stress gets a bad rap, but acute stress is critical for attributing salience to events we experience, can drive neuroplasticity, and promotes memory formation. Many positive experiences (e.g., exercise) activate the same physiological responses as stress. However, context, duration, and intensity matter! My research will explore how activating our stress system through positive AND negative experiences can impact later behaviour.

False.

Scientists long believed feeling a beat required the brain of a vocal learner – a human or, at best, a talking bird like Snowball, the dancing cockatoo. But recent evidence has shown otherwise: Ronan the sea lion can keep a beat as precisely as a human, and monkeys and rats can move in time with sound. My research follows the brain as it learns to predict rhythm, revealing how motivation transforms what we hear into how we move.

False.

Many brain tumours in younger adults have mutations in the IDH gene, which is found in two different kinds of tumours with very different outcomes (oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma). While mutations in the genetic code can predict a tumour’s behaviour, the way its genes are packaged also affects growth. My lab is examining changes in gene packaging in oligodendroglioma to find clues to why these patients live longer. This work could provide important clues for how we can better treat more aggressive IDH mutant tumours.

False.

Despite decades of brain research, we still know little about white matter: the physical wiring connecting brain regions. My research uses the electrodes already implanted in the brains of people with epilepsy to directly stimulate these connections, revealing their roles in movement, language and thinking. Combined with advanced imaging, these discoveries will lead to a detailed map linking white matter connections to their functions, helping us better understand the brain’s wiring and giving neurosurgeons a roadmap to navigate it more safely.

False.

During migraine attacks, changes occur in the brain before the headache starts. These changes cause early (prodromal) migraine symptoms, which may include light sensitivity, nausea, and fatigue, among others. 90% of children and adolescents with migraine report prodromal symptoms. In our pilot study, we will test whether treatment with a remote electrical neuromodulation device, which emits weak electrical signals into the body during prodromal symptoms, can prevent the headache phase of migraine attacks.

True.

About 8% of our genome is made of the remnants of ancient viral infections called endogenous retrovirus, relics long dismissed as junk. Yet some of these viral remnants have been repurposed into essential genes that can shuttle molecules called vesicles between brain cells. My research asks whether endogenous retroviruses are also packaged into vesicles and traded between brain cells, revealing a hidden layer of neural communication, and clues to diseases like ALS and multiple sclerosis.

False.

A common misconception is that the aging brain loses its ability to adapt. While aging can reduce some aspects of brain function, the brain retains an important capacity for change throughout life. Scientists call this neuroplasticity. Our research investigates whether non-invasive electrical stimulation can enhance or reveal these adaptive responses in healthy older adults and people with mild cognitive impairment, helping us better understand brain resilience during aging.

False.

Memories are incredibly dynamic. Not only do we recollect past events differently with the passage of time—our memories are updated as the result of new experiences— but the very way that memories are stored in the brain changes across time. My research seeks to answer how memories are maintained at all when everything about them seems to be dynamic.

True.

During dream sleep, our muscles are normally “switched off,” preventing us from acting out our dreams. In some people, this protective mechanism is lost, leading to abnormal movements during sleep. This condition, called REM sleep behaviour disorder, can sometimes appear many years before Parkinson’s disease or certain forms of dementia, making it an important early warning sign. My lab aims to characterize the brain changes associated with the sleep disorder to understand the mechanisms that explain why someone develops Parkinson’s disease or a related dementia.

False.

Brain changes associated with sleep disruptions can occur as the fetus develops in utero during pregnancy. My research is exploring the underlying changes in brain development in the fetus and whether these changes persist in the brain later in life when sleep disturbances arise. These findings will help highlight pregnancy as a critically important period for establishing sleep circuits and lifelong sleep health.

True.

Giraffes sleep as little as two hours a day, while fruit bats need more than twenty. My lab studies the sleeping habits, brains, and genomes of different animals to identify the genes and neuronal circuits that control “extreme” sleep physiologies. The goal: to better understand the limits of our own physiology and how those same genes and circuits may be connected to brain dysfunction and disease in humans.

True.

Although a stigmatizing view of addiction often portrays it as a problem of willpower, we now know it is associated with measurable changes in brain structure and function. Effective medications and psychological therapies can help people recover by changing brain activity. My research combines brain recording with direct-to-brain interventions, known as neuromodulation, to influence neural activity. By measuring brain activity and its response to stimulation, we can better understand and target the neural circuits involved in addiction.

True.

It may seem surprising that persistent pain could be related to stroke risk, but large population studies have found an association even after accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Why this happens remains unclear. Our Brain Canada-funded research will examine whether people with chronic low back pain show subtle changes in their brain arteries, and whether inflammation and changes in how the nervous system automatically controls the heart and blood vessels could help explain this connection.

False.

Aging affects how your brain processes information, but it's not all bad! My research focuses on brain changes that help people to stay healthy and be resilient against age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The correct answer is: B

Recent research suggests that a serotonin-producing brain circuit linked to anxiety is more excitable in females, which may contribute to sex differences in anxiety and stress responses. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to more effective treatments tailored to women and men.

The correct answer is: A

Learning a new movement involves plasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize its neural circuits. Our research is exploring how specific groups of neurons support this process, knowledge that could eventually improve recovery after stroke or brain injury.

The correct answer is: A

Our research found early signs that vulnerable brain cells in Alzheimer's disease struggle to manage magnesium, a mineral essential for energy production. Restoring healthy magnesium levels could help protect brain function and slow cognitive decline.

The correct answer is: C

We now know that immune cells are important contributors to diseases from multiple sclerosis to chronic pain to Alzheimer’s disease. Research funded by Brain Canada has found that microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, not only change their activity across the day but that these daily rhythms differ between males and females. Our research is exploring how these two factors interact and what that could mean for diseases of the brain and spinal cord.

The correct answer is: B

A wandering mind isn’t an inactive brain. When attention lapses, brain networks involved in internally directed thoughts can compete with those keeping us focused on the outside world. Our research explores how the brain controls this competition and why that battle for our attention may be especially difficult in conditions such as ADHD.

The correct answer is: B

Most fMRI scans detect changes in blood oxygenation associated with increased blood flow when brain cells become active. Our research is investigating how specialized inhibitory neurons help control these blood-flow changes, which could improve how scientists interpret brain imaging results.

The correct answer is: A

Ependymal cells are covered in motile cilia that beat together to help move cerebrospinal fluid through the brain. Our research investigates how inflammation and antibodies in multiple sclerosis may disrupt these cells and their cilia, potentially contributing to damage near the ventricles contributing to behavioural changes.

The correct answer is: B

Our research showed that tumours can exploit a chemical messenger released by pain-sensing nerves to weaken cancer fighting immune cells. Some migraine medicines block this same messenger, called CGRP, raising the possibility of repurposing them to improve cancer immunotherapy.

The correct answer is: B

Specialized positron emission tomography (PET) scans can estimate synaptic density, providing a window into the connections through which brain cells communicate. Our research uses this approach to examine whether an accelerated one-week course of magnetic brain stimulation for depression produces measurable changes in these connections.

The correct answer is: B

Some repetitive stretches of DNA were once dismissed as “junk,” but we now know that certain repeats can have important effects on how our cells work. When these sequences become unusually long, known as “repeat expansions,” they can contribute to neurological and developmental disorders, which is what our research is helping to understand