CAN submits a brief to the House of Commons permanent committee on Science and Research on “International Moonshot Programs”

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience joined its voice to a large coalition of Canadian stakeholders calling for the Canadian government to invest in a Canadian Brain Research Initiative, to make Brain and Mental Health Research a National Priority in Canada.

Read our brief, along with those of many other stakeholders, on the House of Commons website

https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/SRSR/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=11835988

The CHU Sainte-Justine makes a giant step forward in understanding autism

Roberto Araya, Soledad Miranda Rottmann, Diana Mitchell (photo Charline Provost)

Source : CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre

MONTREAL, February 16, 2023– Results of a new study led by Roberto Araya, a neuroscientist, biophysicist and researcher at the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, show that in Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common cause of autism, sensory signals from the outside world are integrated differently, causing them to be underrepresented by cortical pyramidal neurons in the brain. Continue reading

RI-MUHC and McGill researchers make a breakthrough in understanding brain nanoarchitecture, using computer vision

image credit RI-MUHC

A new study published in Current Biology reveals the nanostructure of brain cells at an unprecedented level of resolution

SOURCE: RI-MUHC.

Brain cells are among the most anatomically complex cells in the human body. They create an intricate web of connections that enables the brain to detect, process, encode and respond to diverse information. Importantly, communication breakdown between brain cells leads to disorders and diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease that affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Continue reading

Read CAN’s submission to the Minister of Finance pre-budget consultations

CAN made the following recommendations to the recent consultations on budget 2023 by the Minister of Finances:

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience recommends the following:

Recommendation 1: That the government of Canada increase investments in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for the benefit of all Canadians. We urge the government to adopt a four-year plan to double the budgets of the three main federal funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) starting with a 25% increase in the next budget.  This recommendation aims to bring Canadian investment in scientific research to a level commensurate to that of other G7 countries.

Recommendation 2: That the government of Canada increase its support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows by 50% for graduate scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships to increase both value and number awarded in the next budget. In conjunction with recommendation 1, this recommendation will ensure our next generation of scientists have the means to participate fully in Canada’s knowledge economy.

Recommendation 3: That the government of Canada make research on the Brain and Mental Health a national priority by investing in research to understand the brain through well-established and trusted organizations in the field.

Read our full submission here (PDF)