Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital -The Neuro, at McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre, have made a breakthrough in understanding an important protein that appears to act as a kind of cellular “marriage broker.” The protein called Netrin1 brings cells together and maintains their healthy relationships. Netrin1 plays an essential role in the growth of the human organism, directing cell migration and the formation of cell circuits both at the embryo stage and after birth.

Researchers get inaugural Foundation grants for high-impact, long-term programs

Researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University have been awarded over $15 million in grants in the latest round of funding by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The grants are part of over $600 million in national funding, announced July 28 by Minister of Health Rona Ambrose.

New research released today in Nature Neuroscience reveals for the first time that pain is processed in male and female mice using different cells. These findings have far-reaching implications for our basic understanding of pain, how we develop the next generation of medications for chronic pain—which is by far the most prevalent human health condition—and the way we execute basic biomedical research using mice.

Researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University and the MUHC, have received a total of over $4.5 M in funding, for innovative projects to accelerate diagnosis and drug discovery for diseases of the brain, including Alzheimer’s.

CQDM, Brain Canada Foundation and the Ontario Brain Institute made the announcement at the annual conference of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience in Vancouver. Six Canadian research teams share a total investment of $ 10 million, through the strategic "Focus on Brain" initiative.

As a major Canadian centre for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research and treatment, the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, invites the public and the media to learn more about the disease and current research and treatments, to donate money for ALS research and to wear the national emblem of ALS in Canada, the blue cornflower, during ALS Awareness Month in June.

Public lecture: Perspectives on bilingualism: From birth to aging

Living in a city with many languages, we are often confronted with personal debates about what are the best decisions to make for our children and for ourselves. Have you wondered when is the optimal time and in what way to introduce a second language to your child, or whether raising a child in a bilingual environment can create confusion? Have you heard that being bilingual might slow down cognitive decline in aging and provide a buffer against neurodegenerative disease?

An international team of scientists has discovered what amounts to a molecular reset button for our internal body clock. Their findings reveal a potential target to treat a range of disorders, from sleep disturbances to other behavioral, cognitive, and metabolic abnormalities, commonly associated with jet lag, shift work and exposure to light at night, as well as with neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and autism.