Read our latest newsletter to learn what CAN has been up to and our plans for the coming months!
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Author: Julie
Exoskeleton robot helps researchers shed new light on learning and stroke recovery
UCalgary clinical trial maps how we learn motor skills, and the results could be a game-changer for stroke rehabilitation.
This morning, you probably reached out of bed to turn off your alarm clock, and later brushed your teeth or buttoned a shirt. Those movements are routine; mundane, even. You are long past the point of wondering how you learned to do any of those things and don’t give a second thought to the complexity of what happened in your brain so that your arm could lift your cup of coffee. Continue reading
First report of the new House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research tabled on June 6
On June 6, the new House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research tabled its first ever report, as part of its study on “Successes, Challenges and Opportunities for Science in Canada”. The Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN) was one of sixteen organizations that submitted a written submission as part of the consultations. The Committee held meetings over the course of three months, which CAN closely followed, hearing from science and research organizations, post-secondary institutions, companies and government departments.
CAN welcomes all 13 of the recommendations made to government, and is pleased that one of our recommendations (An initial 25% boost to the budgets of the three granting councils followed by a 10% yearly increase) was specifically referenced in the report. Additionally, we are happy to see that the Committee has recognized the tremendous setback to Canada’s research ecosystem caused by the pandemic, and the impact of the rapid mobilization of resources to conduct COVID-19 research, sometimes at the expense of research on other health issues. Continue reading
Advocacy training at CAN2022
We are happy to make the slides for the CAN Advocacy training presented May 13 over lunch in Toronto available
CAN Advocacy training presentation (PDF)
Watch University of Calgary’s Lecture of a Lifetime 2022 with Dr. Samuel Weiss
Sustaining a career that includes making two major scientific discoveries, winning a Gairdner Award, founding the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and a foray into health policy requires fuel — lots of it — and Dr. Samuel Weiss, PhD’83, knows how to find it.
From being dragged back to school by his mom for the third year of his undergrad in 1977, to being encouraged to bring his knowledge and expertise to Ottawa last year by Canada’s minister of mental health and addictions, Weiss says there was one driving force at play in every stage of his career: Inspiration.
Discovery reveals blocking inflammation may lead to chronic pain
Sport man suffering from backache at park outdoors, Lower back pain concept
Findings may lead to reconsideration of how we treat acute pain
Using anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids to relieve pain could increase the chances of developing chronic pain, according to researchers from McGill University and colleagues in Italy. Their research puts into question conventional practices used to alleviate pain. Normal recovery from a painful injury involves inflammation and blocking that inflammation with drugs could lead to harder-to-treat pain.
“For many decades it’s been standard medical practice to treat pain with anti-inflammatory drugs. But we found that this short-term fix could lead to longer-term problems,” says Jeffrey Mogil, a Professor in the Department of Psychology at McGill University and E. P. Taylor Chair in Pain Studies.
The difference between people who get better and don’t
In the study published in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers examined the mechanisms of pain in both humans and mice. They found that neutrophils – a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection – play a key role in resolving pain.
“In analyzing the genes of people suffering from lower back pain, we observed active changes in genes over time in people whose pain went away. Changes in the blood cells and their activity seemed to be the most important factor, especially in cells called neutrophils,” says Luda Diatchenko a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human Pain Genetics.
Read the full story on the McGill University website
2022-05-12 to 2022-05-15 Canadian Neuroscience meeting
2022-06-06 to 2022-06-07 Canadian Computational Neuroscience Spotlight (CCNS) v3
The Canadian Computational Neuroscience Spotlight (CCNS) was created following the mass cancellations and postponements of traditional neuroscience conferences during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, including two such meetings amongst the Canadian neuroscience community. The absence of these meetings presented an opportunity to create a brand-new, entirely virtual academic meeting that could take full advantage of the online setting. Given that traditionally-defined trainees and early-career researchers were arguably most impacted by the cancellation of the networking and learning opportunities that conferences present, CCNS was designed as a “trainee-focused” meeting, highlighted by tutorial talks beginning each session, panel discussions with both established and early-career scientists, and a spotlight on trainee presentations.
2022-07-25 to 2022-07-28 – 2022 Vision Restoration Summer School
Vision Restoration Summer School 2022
When : From Monday 25th to Thursday 28th, July 2022
Where: Le Baluchon – Éco-Villégiature, St-Paulin, Québec
Application Deadline: June 1st, 2022
Confirmation of acceptance : June 15, 2022
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 CAN- CIHR-INMHA Brain Star Awards!
The Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN) and the Canadian Institutes of Health’s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA) are proud to announce the winners of the 2021 Brain Star Awards.
The CIHR-INMHA Brain Star awards, administered for 2021 by the Canadian Association for Neuroscience, are awarded to students and trainees who have published high impact discoveries in all fields and disciplines covered by CIHR’s Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction in the 2021 calendar year.
The top 3 Brain Star Award winners of the year have been invited to make a presentation at the CAN meeting in May.
