Pioneering Research & Impact
Neuroscientists in Canada are pushing the boundaries of knowledge about the brain and nervous system. The discoveries today are the innovations and treatments for tomorrow.
Read about the latest cutting-Edge Neuroscience Research in Canada
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Study linking depression to specific altered brain cells opens door to new treatments
Research on rare post-mortem brain samples reveals altered gene activity, shedding light on depression’s biological roots Researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Institute have identified two specific types of brain cells that are altered in people with depression. The study, published in Nature Genetics, opens the door to developing new treatments that target these cells and
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Scientists reveal how the brain uses objects to find direction
Study shows how visual landmarks tune the brain’s internal compass We take our understanding of where we are for granted, until we lose it. When we get lost in nature or a new city, our eyes and brains kick into gear, seeking familiar objects that tell us where we are. How our brains distinguish objects
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Hormone Therapy Delivery Method May Influence Memory After Menopause, New CAMH Study Finds
Findings support precision approaches to hormone therapy for women in midlife and beyond Source: CAMH News Estradiol, the most common form of the estrogens used in hormone therapy, may influence different types of memory during the menopausal transition and beyond depending on how it is delivered – through the skin or orally – according to
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Research from University of Ottawa: deciphering what serotonin is saying inside our brains
The international research team’s ambitious work has implications across multiple fields and sheds compelling new light on the extraordinarily complex serotonin system. In our day-to-day lives, we’re constantly making a slew of decisions from immediate matters to prospects on the far horizon. But the evolutionary nuts-and-bolts of how our brains weigh these numerous daily decisions
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University of Ottawa-led research team forges compelling new insights into dynamics of the brain’s serotonin system
Source of text: David McFadden, Communications Advisor & Research Writer, University of Ottawa The study’s findings could potentially help develop targeted therapeutics for mood disorders like major depressive disorder. Our lives are filled with binary decisions – choices between one of two alternatives. But what’s really happening inside our brains when we engage in this
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‘Dementia doesn’t have to be your destiny:’ Western research shows influence of lifestyle factors
Almost half Canadian dementia cases influenced by 12 lifestyle factors By Debora Van Brenk, St. Joseph’s Healthcare London, Special to Western News, December 12, 2024 Many people could greatly improve their odds against developing dementia by making four, low-cost lifestyle changes, Western researchers have discovered. In the first study of its kind, researchers at Lawson
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Research on new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s treatment receives $2.6 million
Thomas Durcan, researcher at McGill University’s Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital), will dissect the role of microglia in degenerative conditions, to identify new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s treatment This innovative new program based at The Neuro has received $2.6 million from the CQDM and the Brain Canada Foundation. Led by neuroscientist Thomas Durcan, PhD, in collaboration with
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Condition first discovered by Western neuroscientist named by scientific community
Adrian Owen’s landmark research on consciousness in patients in vegetative state marks milestone By Jeff Renaud, August 14, 2024 – Western News While it has been 18 years since Adrian Owen discovered consciousness in patients in a vegetative state, hardly a day has gone by when Western University’s world-renowned neuroscientist doesn’t connect back to his Eureka moment. And
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The cellular secret of how memories are made, and lost
From: SickKids news Scientists use a peptide to strengthen connections between brain cells and restore memory in a pre-clinical model. Research led at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is illuminating the mechanism underlying memory, which could result in future therapeutic targets for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is a condition
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Unlocking the impact of early-life adversity on brain function
Childhood trauma is associated with altered brain responses to stress PUBLISHED: 21 November 2023 – McGill University Do adults with a history of childhood trauma have altered brain responses to psychological challenges? Previous studies indicated that this can occur in laboratory animals, but it has been unclear whether it occurs in humans. Now a team of scientists, led
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Why do neurons die from brain injury and how can we save them?
Published October 25, 2023 on the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health website The swelling of neurons in the brain is triggered by conditions like stroke or traumatic brain injury. Neuron swelling can cause these cells to die, resulting in extensive brain damage and even death. But until now, it hasn’t been clear what causes
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Study opens new frontier for research into neurodevelopmental disorder
New research could pave a way for pharmacological interventions for a devastating brain abnormality, announces a recent press release by the University of Ottawa. An international team led by Armen Saghatelyan, a newly appointed Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine has shed light on the underlying mechanisms of a mysterious brain abnormality
