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Neuroscience Research
Department
 Dr. James
Kennedy, Director
Mental illness and addiction will continue to
affect people's lives the same way until research reveals the mechanisms
involved in these disorders. Understanding how alcohol, other drugs
and psychiatric problems affect the human body and brain is crucial
to the development of more effective approaches to treatment and prevention.
The Neuroscience Research Department focuses
on neurobiological mechanisms underlying mental illnesses, addiction
and their respective treatments. The Neuroscience Research Department
benefits from state-of-the-art, in-house research facilities. These
facilities include the Positron Emission Tomography (pet) Centre, which
allows researchers to scan the brains of live human subjects, and the
Transgenic Research Centre, which can alter the genetic makeup of laboratory
mice to mimic human diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
or addiction.
Each neuroscience research section has its own
health theme and neurobiological emphasis. We are investigating how
variations in the action of dopamine -- a "neuro-transmitter," or
chemical that allows signals to pass between cells in the brain --
have been linked to a range of problems, from schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder and Parkinson's disease to dependence on alcohol, cocaine,
nicotine, and amphetamines. Disturbances in signal transduction and
molecular and genetic mechanisms within cells are also of great interest,
and are now believed to be critical determinants of mental illness
and
addiction. Examining the genes for neurotransmitters, and other systems
known to be involved in drug response, may lead us to predict the
type
and amount of medication best for each individual patient. Pharmacogenetics,
the study of how genes relate to drug response, may also help to
predict
those people who are at higher risk for addictions.
By exploring these research strategies, researchers
within the Neuroscience Research Department broaden our understanding
of mental illness and addiction and lay the basis for potential new
treatments of the future.
The following pages show how the work of our
neuroscientists is recognized throughout the world, and how we are making
enormous strides toward unravelling the complexities of mind and brain.
Our diverse research is well integrated, and a rich cross-fostering
of ideas is evident in innovative combinations of methods across the
department. One example of this integration is our recent initiative
that combined molecular genetics, epigenetics, and pet scans to simultaneously
assess the human brain's blueprint and biologic activity in depression
and in Parkinson's disease. Following forward from our initial pilot
studies linking pet images to genetic variants, we now have the world's
largest collection (more than 250) of dna samples from patients who
have undergone pet scans.
In the past few years, we have focused on consolidating
and building on the strengths of our neuroscience research group, and
establishing future priorities. In the months and years to come, neuroscience
will gain increasing importance in the education, clinical and research
activities of the Centre. The growth and activities of our department
have been incorporated into the Functional Plan for the new Queen Street
site development, which promises more space and resources to further
enhance our world-class efforts in neuroscience research and training.
Index of Neuroscience Research
Sections
Biobehavioural
Pharmacology
Biopsychology
Clinical
Neuroscience
Clinical Neuroscience I
Pharmacological
Modulation of Addiction-Related Cognitive Networks and Related Processes
Human
Neurochemical Pathology Laboratory
Drug Use
Movement Disorders
Laboratory
of Cellular and Molecular
Pathophysiology
Molecular
Neuroscience
Molecular Neurobiology I
Molecular Neurobiology II
Molecular Physiology
Molecular
Pharmacology
Neuroimaging
Pharmacogenetics
Psychiatric
Neurogenetics
Psychiatric Epigenetics
Psychiatric Genetics
Psychiatric Pharmacogenetics
Smoking
and Nicotine Dependence
Transgenic
Facility
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