By 2016, 17% of Canadians will be at least 65 years old and, as the population ages, the number of Alzheimer’s cases will rise accordingly.
The needs of our aging population will be a heavy load to bear if we do not find more effective means to treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Douglas Institute researchers are particularly interested in the identification and prevention of dementia the elderly. The topics they are exploring are listed here: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/theme/aging-alzheimer-disease-research
Following are the Principal Investigators active in this research.
JENS PRUESSNER
Tel: (514) 761-6131 ext.: 3370
E-mail: jens.pruessner [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Positron Emission Tomography, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Jens C. Pruessner uses functional and structural brain imaging techniques - Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) - to investigate what happens in the brain when acute and chronic stress is perceived and processed. In addition, he and his team investigate the effects of inter-individual variations of different personality traits on the stress response.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/jens-pruessner
VÉRONIQUE BOHBOT
Tel: (514) 761-6131 ext.: 4408
E-mail: veronique.bohbot [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Auditory and visual spatial memory, virtual reality, plasticity
People can make use of multiple brain areas to navigate in the environment. Research in Véronique Bohbot’s laboratory focuses on these various memory systems, and how their use may vary, depending on individual navigational strategies. With the use of a real and virtual navigation laboratory, Véronique Bohbot investigates the neural correlates underlying both visual and auditory spatial memory in normal volunteers and brain-damaged individuals.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/veronique-bohbot
SALAH EL MESTIKAWY
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 3142
E-mail: salah.elmestikawy [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Neurobiology, molecular biology, neuroanatomy, glutamatergic neurotransmission, animal modeling, post-mortem examinations of human neuropathologies
Salah El Mestikawy and his team have combined different approaches to analyze how the brain works, ranging from the molecular and fundamental functions to the most integrated aspects, such as behaviour and pathology. The main objective of their work consists in the study of neurons using glutamate as a neurotransmitter in healthy and diseased central nervous systems.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/salah-el-mestikawy
SERGE GAUTHIER
Tel: 514-766-2010 ext.: 3947
E-mail: serge.gauthier [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Alzheimer Disease; clinical trials; epidemiology of dementia; ethics
Serge Gauthier is credited with setting up the first multicentre Canadian study on the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, using tacrine, as well as creating the Canadian Consortium of Centers for Clinical Cognitive Research (C5R). He is famous for his outstanding contributions to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer Disease and other dementing disorders.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/serge-gauthier
MARTIN LEPAGE
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 4393
E-mail: martin.lepage [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Functional neuroimaging, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, neuropsychology of memory, schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety disorders
Martin Lepage, PhD has been working at the Douglas Institute Research Center to further our understanding of the anatomical and neurophysiological basis of memory in humans. He and his research team are currently using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study memory deficits in patients with schizophrenia.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/martin-lepage
N.P.VASAVAN NAIR
Tel: 514 762-3035
E-mail: vasavan.nair [at] douglas.mcgill.ca
Expertise: Melatonin, cortisol, biomarkers, brain aging, refractory depression, clinical trials, meditation
N.P. Vasavan Nair’s research interests are clinical psychopharmacology and neurobiology of schizophrenia, depression, and Alzheimer Disease. His current research focuses on finding treatment methods for conditions that are difficult to treat, such as psychosis with Alzheimer Disease, and refractory depression.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/n-p-vasavan-nair
JUDES POIRIER
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 6153
E-mail: judes.poirier [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Alzheimer Disease, genetics and pharmacogenetics, aging
Judes Poirier, PhD, has attained international recognition for his scientific contributions towards understanding two prominent diseases afflicting the elderly Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson's Disease. In 1995, his team revealed that drug responsiveness to memory enhancer medication used for Alzheimer Disease was highly dependent upon specific genes inherited from our parents. While people suffering from Alzheimer Disease who do not carry the abnormal ApoE4 gene respond quite well to cholinomimetic drugs - a group of medications that improve memory - those carrying the abnormal gene tend respond poorly or not at all.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/judes-poirier
RÉMI QUIRION
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 3932/2934
E-mail: remi.quirion [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Alzheimer Disease, neuropeptides, neuroprotection, cell death, psychiatric illnesses
Rémi Quirion, PhD, has cultivated a diverse laboratory and trained over 70 students and fellows, from all over the world, dedicated to the study of brain peptides (neuropeptide Y, CGRP), growth factors (nerve growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-1), and the role of programmed cell death in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/remi-quirion
MARIA NATASHA RAJAH
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 2836
E-mail: natasha.rajah [at] douglas.mcgill.ca
Expertise: Functional neuroimaging (PET, fMRI), prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, visual episodic memory, executive functions, aging and memory, neural network modeling, functional connectivity, brain-behavior interactions in learning and memory.
Maria Natasha Rajah, Ph.D., is currently conducting research to investigate how memory retrieval works in healthy young adults, and how it is affected by aging. Her research makes use of a brain imaging technique called event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging to find out what brain regions are important for retrieving memories in young adults, and how healthy aging impacts the structure and function of these various regions, particularly the prefrontal cortex.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/natasha-rajah
PEDRO ROSA-NETO
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 3446
E-mail: pedro.rosa [at] mcgill.ca
Expertise: Translational neuroimaging, human and animal imaging, PET, MRI, neurodegenerative disease, dementia.
Pedro Rosa-Neto directs the Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory (TNL), a multi-site facility, which is shared between the Douglas Institute, the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging and the Montreal Neurological Institute. This cross institutional lab, a first for Quebec, will link animal studies with human conditions, and help identify early markers of disease. The main goals of the Pedro Rosa-Neto’s work are to identify imaging markers of neurodegenerative disease in animal models and use these biomarkers for early diagnosis of dementia.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/pedro-rosa-neto
SYLVAIN WILLIAMS
Tel: 514 761-6131 ext.: 5937
E-mail: sylvain.williams [at] douglas.mcgill.ca
Expertise: Electrophysiology, plasticity, synaptic, neuroinflammation
Sylvain Williams and his team are examining the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) on the modulation of neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and neuronal stem cell development. As well, they are characterizing the state of synaptic plasticity – how connections between neurons are modified in terms of long-term potentiation and/or depression in animal models of mental disorders.
More info: http://www.douglas.qc.ca/researcher/sylvain-williams