Etienne de Villers-Sidani, MD, FRCP(C), is a neurologist who specializes in cognitive disorders and investigates the role of sensory experience and brain plasticity in the onset and treatment of cognitive dysfunction. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize its circuits in response to the environment and experience. Dr. de Villers-Sidani talks about his fascination with the brain since childhood, his atypical work days, and how national and international collaborations are advancing the understanding of brain function.
How did you choose your field?
I’ve been fascinated with the brain ever since I was a child. When I was about eight, every time we passed by the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, my father would tell me about Dr. Wilder Penfield, the first director of The Neuro, and what he accomplished. After hearing about him, I knew I wanted to become a neurologist.
A plaque outside The Neuro that reads “The problem of neurology is to understand man himself” really resonated with me. I’ve always been captivated by complex and challenging things; one thing led to another and I ended up here at The Neuro.
What is a typical work day like for you?
My days are very busy, as I wear many hats.
I specialize in cognitive neurology. In the clinic, I see people who have problems with thinking and often memory and judgment problems caused by neurodegenerative diseases. I have to support these patients and give them the right information about how their disease may evolve. I explain the challenges they’ll face. I also have to educate their families and give them tools.
In my lab, I study how the senses, such as sight and hearing, give us information about brain health. This helps us understand what’s happening with neurological circuits and track how the brain evolves and changes over time. I supervise master’s and doctoral students in the lab and have the privilege of teaching them.
I also founded a company called Innodem to develop concrete tools, such as eye-tracking technology, to monitor the progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s and cognitive impairments related to multiple sclerosis.
The work load is heavy, but it’s very exciting to connect these three aspects of providing clinical care, performing research, and applying what we learn to patients … and all this on top of raising four young children! Overall, I have great days.
What research questions do you focus on?
I’m mainly interested in how our behaviours and life experiences as human beings shape our brain circuits. The brain has a very high capacity to change and reorganize its circuits. This “neuroplasticity” shapes us in a fundamental way.
For example, our genes don’t dictate what language we’ll speak. This depends on where we grow up and what we hear as children. The advantage of plasticity is that we can acquire new skills and knowledge that let us better adapt our behaviour to our everyday life.
Our brains change over time, as we develop and as we age. Some questions I have are, which age-related changes are degenerative? And, conversely, which changes might be due to how we go about our daily lives?
By understanding what comes from plasticity, we may be able to reverse some age-related problems. If we could separate what is inherently degenerative from the changes related to life experience, we could find new strategies to minimize the impact of aging on the brain.
Do you work with other researchers and clinicians at The Neuro, in Canada, and internationally?
The great thing about The Neuro is that its international reputation makes it very easy to connect with people all over the world. I work with researchers across Canada and the United States and even in Brazil and China. Diversity and the chance to interact with people worldwide are very rewarding, and that gives you a more global perspective. It makes you realize how much we all have in common. It really gives you a better idea of how the brain works in all its facets. That’s why I’m very grateful to work at The Neuro.
