Mapping neurotransmitter systems to the structural and functional organization of the brain
Neurotransmitters are chemicals brain cells use to communicate. They work together with matching receptors on the cell surface to drive brain activity. However, we don’t fully understand how the distribution of these receptors varies region by region throughout the brain, nor what effect they have on brain function.
Call for Summer 2023 IMPRESS supervisors is now open
HBHL is partnering with McGill’s Branches initiative on a second round of the extremely successful
Neural correlates of social cognitive deficits in schizophrenia patients with and without cannabis use
What is the link between substance use and psychosis? Is there a higher chance to develop psychotic disorders for people who use cannabis?
Dr. Rachel Rabin, HBHL-funded researcher at The Neuro, is working to understand the neurocognitive and social cognitive dysfunction in individuals with substance use disorders.
The aim of her study is to help identify therapeutic targets to improve treatments for individuals suffering from schizophrenia and/or cannabis addictions.
Charting out a ‘Google Maps’ for the brain
What would be possible if there were a tool like Google Maps for the brain? On October 6, HBHL-funded researchers at The Neuro published work in Nature Methods that takes a big step towards making this idea a reality. This effort comes out of the Helmholtz International BigBrain Analytics & Learning Laboratory (HIBALL) initiative combining neuroscience and artificial intelligence to build highly detailed 3D models of the brain at the cellular level.
New HBHL Research Theme 1 Leader: Blake Richards
We're happy to announce Blake Richards as the new Leader of Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) Research Theme 1: Neuroinformatics and Computational Modelling.
HBHL's Theme 1 Leader plays an essential role in HBHL’s governance and decision-making structure. They also provide critical guidance to HBHL's strategic research priorities, building and endorsing activities and funding initiatives aimed at reaching HBHL’s goals.
HBHL Symposium 2022 showcases innovative research
HBHL contributes funding to VAST Platform
Earlier this year, the Government of Canada and its partners announced that they will invest $31.1 million over six years to support the training and development of students and early career researchers. The Health Research Training Platform (HRTP) will form 17 collaborative health research teams of participants across Canada with the goal of increasing their career prospects and building on Canadian research capacity at large.
Winners announced for HBHL Neuro Commercialization Ignite Grants Competition III
HBHL is proud to officially announce the 10 winners of the third round of HBHL Ignite grants. The winning principle investigators and their respective projects are:
HBHL-funded lab publishes promising study of free online intervention for schizophrenia
An HBHL-funded lab at the Douglas Research Centre, led by Martin Lepage, Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University and Deputy Scientific Director at the Douglas, has recently published a study in JAMA Psychiatry to determine the effectiveness of metacognitive training for psychosis (MCT) in treating individuals living with schizophrenia.
HBHL funds largest study of its kind on psychedelics and the brain
A team of researchers from The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) and the Department of Biomedical Engineering of McGill University, the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University and Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute have shown how drug-induced changes in subjective awareness are linked to specific neurotransmitter receptor systems in the largest study of its kind on psychedelics and the brain, funded by HBHL.
Neurosphere involved in a new project with Neurasic Therapeutics, CQDM and Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation
NeuroSphere is pleased to continue to support Neurasic Therapeutics and Dr. Philippe Séguéla since our involvement in the launch of Neurasic therapeutics in 2020 and announce a new $965,000 collaboration between Neurasic Therapeutics, CQDM, the Louise and Alan Edwards Foundation, and Neurosphere.
Update from HBHL on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (December 2021)
Dear Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives Community,
NeuroHub connection to UK Biobank facilitates recent publication
A new paper from researchers Jérôme Dockès Gaël Varoquaux and Jean-Baptiste Poline (Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives and NeuroDataScience ORIGAMI laboratory) explores generalization of machine learning algorithms using data from the UK Biobank and the impact of strategies to improve the performance of predicting biomarkers on new cohorts.
HBHL Statement: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Dear Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives community,
Only 23 years ago, Canada closed Kivalliq Hall in Rankin Inlet. It was the last of 140 federally-run Indian Residential Schools created to deliberately and systematically destroy the languages, cultures and sovereignty of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
Neuro Commercialization Grants: Accelerate Applications Now Open
Applications for the Accelerate Grants are now open for those HBHL-funded researchers whose projects have successfully completed the Ignite Phase of the Neuro Commercialization Grants. The NeuroSphere team will be in touch with researchers whose projects have been determined by the HBHL Innovation Committee to be ready to move on to the Accelerate phase.
