RI-MUHC ANNUAL REPORT 2023
YEAR IN REVIEW
BRAIN REPAIR AND INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE (BRaIN) PROGRAM
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Reducing reliance on opioids
Clinician-scientist Dr. Gabriella Gobbi has identified mechanisms through which a novel class of analgesic drugs that target melatonin receptors could be used to treat neuropathic pain, a chronic condition that affects approximately seven per cent of adults worldwide. This discovery could significantly reduce reliance on opioids, with potential implications for productivity and health care costs. (Journal of Pineal Research, doi: 10.1111/jpi.12825)
Dr. Gobbi received the 2022 Sumitomo/Sunovion Brain Health Basic Research Award from the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology for her outstanding contribution to neuropsychopharmacology.
Award-winning work on diseases of the optic nerve and retina
Dr. Leonard Levin is the 2023 recipient of the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology from the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. This award recognizes distinguished scholarly contributions in the clinical practice and research of ophthalmology. Dr. Levin’s work has focused on clinical work and laboratory research related to diseases of the optic nerve and retina. His lab uses advanced imaging techniques to study signalling of cell death in the retina and how this can lead to the development of new drugs for optic nerve and retinal disease.
Sleep disorders and Parkinson’s disease
Dr. Ronald Postuma and his team have conducted a prospective study within the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to determine whether self-reported sleep disorder symptoms might predate the diagnosis of Parkinsonism. Christina Wolfson, PhD, another Brain Repair and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Program researcher, is one of the lead investigators of the CLSA. (Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, doi: 10.3233/JPD-212796)
The role of chloride channels in a rare neurological disorder
A new study finds mutations affecting the chloride channel of a glutamate transport protein in a rare disorder involving recurrent episodes of discoordination, imbalance and migraine.
Co-led by researchers from the BRaIN Program at the RI-MUHC, Azman Akhter, M.Sc., co-first author, and Don van Meyel, PhD, senior scientist and study co-leader, with researchers from the University of Sydney, the study increases understanding of the rare disease known as episodic ataxia type 6 (EA6). The study results may lead to improved treatments for patients suffering from episodic ataxia and similar disorders. (Journal of Clinical Investigation, doi: 10.1172/JCI154891)
Selected BRaIN Program news links
- A new model to facilitate brain injury research using MRI
- RI-MUHC and McGill researchers make a breakthrough in understanding brain nanoarchitecture, using computer vision
- The unexpected role of chloride channels in a rare neurological disorder
- Gabriella Gobbi honoured by the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- Leonard Levin receives prestigious international ophthalmology award
- MORE BRaIN Program news
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Amanda R. McFarlan, Christina You Chien Chou, Airi Watanabe, Nicole Cherepacha, Maria G. Haddad, Hannah Owens, Per Jesper Sjöström. The plasticitome of cortical interneurons: Nature Reviews Neuroscience 24(2): 80-97, 2023: doi: 10.1038/s41583-022-00663-9
Gina M. Kemp, Haider F. Altimimi, Yoonmi Nho, Renu Heir, Adam Klyczek, David Stellwagen. Sustained TNF signaling is required for the synaptic and anxiety-like behavioral response to acute stress: Molecular Psychiatry 27(11): 4474-4484, 2022: doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01737-x
Salmon CK, Syed TA, Kacerovsky JB, Alivodej N, Schober AL, Sloan TFW, Pratte MT, Rosen MP, Green M, Chirgwin-Dasgupta A, Mehta S, Jilani A, Wang Y, Vali H, Mandato CA, Siddiqi K, Murai KK. Organizing principles of astrocytic nanoarchitecture in the mouse cerebral cortex. Curr Biol. 2023 Mar 13; 33(5):957-972.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.043
Chang YT, Kowalczyk M, Fogerson PM, Lee YJ, Haque M, Adams EL, Wang DC, DeNardo LA, Tessier-Lavigne M, Huguenard JR, Luo L, Huang WH. Loss of Rai1 enhances hippocampal excitability and epileptogenesis in mouse models of Smith-Magenis syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Oct 25; 119(43):e2210122119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2210122119
Wu Q, Akhter A, Pant S, Cho E, Zhu JX, Garner A, Ohyama T, Tajkhorshid E, van Meyel DJ, Ryan RM. Ataxia-linked SLC1A3 mutations alter EAAT1 chloride channel activity and glial regulation of CNS function. J Clin Invest. 2022 Apr 1; 132(7):e154891. doi: 10.1172/JCI154891
Xi Wang, Yutong Song, Meng Liao, Robert F. Hess, Longqian Liu, Alexandre Reynaud. Interocular Transfer: The Dichoptic Flash-Lag Effect in Controls and Amblyopes: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 63(9):0, 2022: doi: 10.1167/iovs.63.9.2
William Mathieu, Milica M. Gvozdenovic, Reza Farivar. Towards Brain MRI Adaptable to Head Size: Bowing RF Coil Phased Arrays: IEEE Journal of Electromagnetics, RF and Microwaves in Medicine and Biology 6(3): 305-310, 2022: doi: 10.1109/JERM.2021.3136090
Bock EA, Fesi JD, Da Silva Castenheira J, Baillet S, Mendola JD. Distinct dorsal and ventral streams for binocular rivalry dominance and suppression revealed by magnetoencephalography. Eur J Neurosci. 2023 Apr; 57(8):1317-1334. doi: 10.1111/ejn.15955
Beauchamp MK, Joshi D, McMillan J, Erbas Oz U, Griffith LE, Basta NE, Kirkland S, Wolfson C, Raina P; Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Team. Assessment of Functional Mobility After COVID-19 in Adults Aged 50 Years or Older in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Jan 4;5(1):e2146168. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.46168
