Tag: Brain

IRCM researchers discover a protein’s critical role in the brain

Posted on | by Julie
Nabil Seidah
Nabil Seidah

A team of Montréal researchers at the IRCM led by Dr. Nabil G. Seidah, in collaboration with Dr. William C. Wetsel’s team at Duke University in the United States, discovered that the protein PC7 plays a critical role in the brain by affecting certain types of cognitive performance such as anxiety, learning and emotional memory. Their results, recently published in the scientific journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Nature, could have a significant impact on regulating behaviour related to anxiety disorders and trauma. Continue reading →

Discovery of the gene defective in a rare developmental disorder of the brain

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. Jacques Michaud
Dr. Jacques Michaud

In April 2009, a Quebec family experienced the worst tragedy for parents: before the age of one, one of their sons died of a rare genetic disease causing congenital microcephaly, intellectual disability, cerebral atrophy, and refractory seizures. The event was even more tragic because it was the third infant to die in this family from the same disease.

This tragedy led Dr. Jacques Michaud, professor in the Faculty of Medecine of Université de Montréal and Doctor at CHU Ste-Justine Hospital, to discover the genetic abnormality responsible for this developmental disorder. Continue reading →

Scientists find brain region that helps you make up your mind

Posted on | by Julie
Stan Floresco and Colin Stopper
Stan Floresco and Colin Stopper

One of the smallest parts of the brain is getting a second look after new research suggests it plays a crucial role in decision making.

A University of British Columbia study published today in Nature Neuroscience says the lateral habenula, a region of the brain linked to depression and avoidance behaviours, has been largely misunderstood and may be integral in cost-benefit decisions. Continue reading →

Everything in moderation: excessive nerve cell pruning leads to disease

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. Phillip Barker
Dr. Phillip Barker

Mechanism meant to maintain efficiency of brain network involved in neurodegenerative disease

Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital-The Neuro, McGill University, have made important discoveries about a cellular process that occurs during normal brain development and may play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases. Continue reading →

To live and learn: making memories has to be a speedy business

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. Wayne Sossin
Dr. Wayne Sossin

The brain is plastic – adapting to the hundreds of experiences in our daily lives by reorganizing pathways and making new connections between nerve cells. This plasticity requires that memories of new information and experiences are formed fast. So fast that the body has a special mechanism, unique to nerve cells, that enables memories to be made rapidly. Continue reading →

Scientists shed light on the brain mechanisms behind a debilitating sleep disorder

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. John Peever
Dr. John Peever

Researchers at the University of Toronto discover how the body’s muscles accidentally fall asleep while awake

Normally muscles contract in order to support the body, but in a rare condition known as cataplexy the body’s muscles “fall asleep” and become involuntarily paralyzed. Cataplexy is incapacitating because it leaves the affected individual awake, but either fully or partially paralyzed. It is one of the bizarre symptoms of the sleep disorder called narcolepsy. Continue reading →

Delayed brain development may lead to brain injury in newborns with heart birth defects

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. Steven Miller
Dr. Steven Miller

Newborns with congenital heart disease are found to be highly vulnerable to brain injuries. While the link between heart defects and slower brain development has long been demonstrated, a new study published on July 16 in Neurology has further uncovered a direct connection between altered brain development and brain injuries in newborns with congenital heart disease. Continue reading →

A new role for sodium in the brain

Posted on | by Julie
Dr. Derek Bowie
Dr. Derek Bowie

Findings identify a novel pharmaco-logical target for drug development

Researchers at McGill University have found that sodium – the main chemical component in table salt – is a unique “on/off” switch for a major neurotransmitter receptor in the brain. This receptor, known as the kainate receptor, is fundamental for normal brain function and is implicated in numerous diseases, such as epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Continue reading →

Addiction: abnormal communication in the brain

Posted on | by Julie


Alain Dagher
Dr. Alain Dagher

Addiction to cigarettes, drugs and other stimulants has been linked in the past to the brain’s frontal lobes, but now there is scientific evidence that indicates where in the frontal cortex addiction takes hold and how. Addiction could be a result of abnormal communication between two areas of the frontal lobes linked to decision-making. The discovery will undoubtedly stimulate clinical work on new therapies for millions of people who suffer from addiction. Continue reading →