Recent news

Why Movement Vigour Doesn’t Depend on Subsecond Fluctuations Dr. Nicolas Tritsch, researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and Assistant Professor at McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry, and his team have just published an article investigating how dopamine levels in the striatum control movements. The article, entitled “Subsecond dopamine fluctuations do not specify the vigour of … Read more

November 18, A recent study led by Lani Cupo and Dr. Mallar Chakravarty is featured in McGill’s news review: This study, titled “Impact of prenatal delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on mouse brain development: a fetal-to-adulthood magnetic resonance imaging study” and conducted by Lani Cupo, Mallar Chakravarty, and colleagues, was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry: On September … Read more

Montreal, November 14, 2025Adapted from story written by Timothy Dean Researchers at the Douglas Research Centre are collaborating with the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Northwestern University, and Creare, LLC on a study funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto is a co-principal investigator on this project, that … Read more

Montreal, November 14, 2025 Dr. Romina Mizrahi has been appointed as the new Director of the McGill Research Centre for Cannabis (MRCC). In her new role, Dr. Mizrahi will oversee strategic initiatives in research, funding, partnerships, and innovation, guiding the centre’s efforts to advance scientific understanding and practical applications of cannabis. The MRCC is recognized … Read more

We are pleased to introduce From Data to Dialogue: The Role of Storytelling in Knowledge Translation — an exciting afternoon symposium exploring the many ways that crafting compelling scientific stories can help researchers reach the right audiences with their work. This Douglas-led event is developed with support from the McGill Tremplin consortium and is open to researchers from the … Read more

Clinical Observership Program 2026 at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute The clinical observership program is back! The clinical observership program is designed to acquaint research students with clinical practice and to increase their understanding of the experiences, needs and the presentations of persons receiving mental health services, and the treatments and supports offered to … Read more

On iHeart, Patty Handysides talks with Dr. Reut Gruber. They discuss why our clocks have just fallen back and explain the science and purpose behind daylight saving time

Research challenges perceptions of a common but misunderstood eating disorder.Adapted from story written by Keila DePape A diagnosis often viewed as less serious than anorexia and bulimia – and the most common eating disorder worldwide – can cause just as much harm, a new study has found. Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) is … Read more

November 11, In a recent Nature article, Dr. Nicolas Tritsch highlights how limited our understanding of brain neurochemistry still is. For all these kinds of questions, for the vast majority of molecules — we’re talking about dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and many others — we know virtually nothing – Nicolas Tritsch For him, the arrival of … Read more

Quebec’s crisis hotlines receive hundreds of thousands of calls each year. While AI can provide simple guidance, experts warn of its limits in addressing human distress.  There are clearly cases where it can worsen symptoms. – Dr David Benrimoh Dr. Benrimoh has observed such patients in his practice. He also notes having patients whose delusions … Read more

Last weekend, as clocks fell back for the end of daylight saving time, Montrealers gained an extra hour of sleep. Dr. Reut Gruber shared practical tips to make the most of this “bonus hour” and ease the transition.

Health Canada has just approved lecanemab, a drug already authorised in several other countries for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This treatment could delay the onset of symptoms by about a year in people at risk. In a television report on Le Téléjournal (Radio-Canada), Dr Ducharme shares his expertise on this new treatment and its … Read more

Researchers find those who began using cannabis regularly before age 15 were more likely to seek care for depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and physical health problems as young adults.Adapted from story written by Keila DePape Adolescents who start using cannabis early and often are more likely to need health care for both mental and physical … Read more

We are pleased to inform you that the PEPP-Montreal team and CIUSSS ODIM, in collaboration with Greybox Solutions, had the honour of receiving the Hippocrate Award – Technological Innovation, (Emerging category), for the project: “Implementation of a digital solution in mental health to support the use of measurement-based care and improve the quality of care … Read more

Lyne Baaj and Gabriella Malamud with Jessica Ahrens, Forest Day de Larrañaga, and Martin Sellier Silva PI : Dr. Rachel Rabin A team of trainees at the Douglas is now engaged in delivering a free monthly newsletter with the latest news on diverse mental health topics. The initiative was launched by Lyne Baaj and Gabriella … Read more

LPET imaging offers first human evidence of altered brain chemistry in users of both substances; could pave the way for the development of medications to treat cannabis use disorder.Adapted from story written by Keila DePape People who use both cannabis and tobacco show distinct brain changes compared to those who use cannabis alone, according to … Read more

In this The Hill Times article entitled “Trend of increasing mental health challenges requires much more funding, say health sector experts”, the Canadian Mental Health Association highlights the urgent need for increased investment in mental health. Dr Srividya Iyer and other researchers from the Canadian Mental Health Association share their expertise on the growing needs … Read more

Dre Linda Booij recently joined the programme Le matin du Nord on ICI Radio-Canada Première. She discussed the links between overeating among young girls and mental health, a complex issue that affects many teenagers and their families.

We are proud to announce that earlier this year, Dr. Rob Whitley was awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal, a national honour recognizing exceptional service and achievement. This medal is conferred upon individuals who have made significant contributions to Canada—whether through impactful work at the national, provincial, territorial, or community level—or who have … Read more

October 20, 2025 The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced today the election of 90 regular members and 10 international members during its annual meeting. The Douglas Research Centre is pleased to announce that Dr. Michael Meaney is among the newly elected members. Dr. Meaney is widely credited with launching the field of behavioral epigenetics … Read more

A research team led by Dr. David Benrimoh at the Douglas Research Centre used machine learning to identify and predict distinct illness trajectories among people experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP). “The trajectories and treatment responsiveness of positive and negative symptoms show stark differences.” — Dr David Benrimoh The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre is pleased to announce that Dr. Reza Rahimian, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Naguib Mechawar’s laboratory, is among the recipients of the 2025 Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF). This award recognizes outstanding early-career scientists whose work significantly advances our understanding of mental health. The … Read more

Dr. Simon Ducharmetook part in an interview published in La Presse about new Alzheimer’s disease treatments, including lecanemab.The article presents a debate among specialists about the benefits and risks of these emerging therapies. “The long-term data are encouraging: over four years, we’ve extended autonomy by one year.“ — Dr. Simon Ducharme

To all Douglas students, postdocs, and research assistants: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! If any of these sounds appealing, then the Douglas Research Blitz is for you! The Research Blitz will feature a series of short presentations (3-5 min each, 3 slides … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. These awards, which have been attributed every year since 2012, are an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre and … Read more

October 2, 2025 Artificial Intelligence in Depression–Medication Enhancement (AID-ME): A Cluster Randomized Trial of a Deep-Learning–Enabled Clinical Decision Support System for Personalized Depression Treatment Selection and Management. Dr. David Benrimoh and colleagues – including Douglas Researchers Drs. Manuela Ferrari and Anthony Gifuni – have recently examined the integration of artificial intelligence into depression care. Their … Read more

October 1, 2025 Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy has joined the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), bringing her expertise and commitment to advancing suicide prevention in Canada. She is honored to take on this role and looks forward to collaborating with colleagues to foster hope and make a meaningful difference in … Read more

Registration form for VIVA Mental Health / Science POP competition Douglas Research Centre The VIVA Mental Health Awards aim to reward trainees engaging in knowledge mobilization activities. The VIVA Mental Health Studio and VIVA Mental Health Workshops are available to trainees to help them develop their knowledge mobilization products, and the Douglas Research Centre communication … Read more

September 30, 2025 Brain Canada invests in the next generation of brain researchers with new Future Leaders grants We are pleased to announce that Dr. Anthony Gifuni is among the latest cohort of Brain Canada’s Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research (Future Leaders). This flagship program provides vital funding to early-career scientists whose bold ideas … Read more

September 29, 2025 Researchers who followed more than 2,000 Quebec children from early childhood to adolescence did not find any similar link for boys .Adapted from story written by Keila DePape Girls who overeat regularly in the preschool years are more likely to experience anxiety, impulsivity and hyperactivity in adolescence, according to a new study … Read more

The Equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Douglas Research Centre invites you to join us on January 23, 2026 for a half-day event dedicated to learning and dialogue focused on integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion considerations in research. We invite MSc, PhD, and post-doctoral trainees to share research that explores equity and inclusion through diverse lenses, such as:  These … Read more

A recent report by the World Health Organisation estimates that more than 720,000 people committed suicide in 2021. In Canada, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24. In an interview with RadioCanada, Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy reiterates the urgent need for action. No young person should lose their … Read more

September 24, 2025 Impact of prenatal delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure on mouse brain development: a fetal-to-adulthood magnetic resonance imaging study Lani Cupo and Dr. Mallar Chakravarty have recently identified distinct alterations in specific brain cell populations in individuals exposed to prenatal delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Their study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, employs longitudinal imaging from fetal through adulthood stages … Read more

Mohammadali Javanray, Ting Qiu, Jonathan Gallego RudolfPI: Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve The PREVENT-AD (PRe-symptomatic EValuation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease) is a longitudinal cohort comprising demographic, clinical, behavioral, biological and neuroimaging data from 387 individuals with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease. In a project supported by the 2024 Douglas Open Science Awards, … Read more

In this episode of McGill Cares, a series of webcasts to support informal carers, Dr. Simon Ducharme explains how dementia can lead to hallucinations, delusions and paranoia. He details their impact on the person with dementia and their loved ones, and offers practical strategies for better managing these situations, as well as advice on when to … Read more

  The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) highlight, through their project Faces of Health Research, inspiring stories from researchers and patients that showcase the tangible impact of health research across the country. The Douglas Research Centre is proud to see the work of Dr. Katie Lavigne, Assistant Professor and Head of the Douglas Open … Read more

September 10, 2025 This study, led by Drs. Gustavo Turecki, Corina Nagy, and their collaborator Dr. Yue Li analyzed post-mortem brain tissue from individuals suffering from depression. For the first time, researchers identified two specific types of altered cells: certain neurons involved in mood and stress regulation, and a subtype of microglia involved in inflammation. … Read more

September 9, 2025, In a recent BBC article, Dr Ashok Malla  shared his expertise on how culture influences the experience and recovery of people living with psychosis. Comparing India and Canada in particular, he emphasizes that social and family contexts play a decisive role in care trajectories.In India, for example, the constant involvement of families … Read more

On July 9, 2025, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced a record $660 million investment in fundamental research. Drs Delphine Raucher-Chéné and Tak Pan Wong are among the recipients of the Discovery Research Program competition. The Discovery Grants Program supports long-term research programs, fostering creativity and innovation by providing multi-year … Read more

September 2, 2025 – Montréal, QC Today, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Federal Minister of Health, announced an additional $30 million investment in the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) initiative to continue to strengthen and expand this innovative model of care across Canada. The announcement took place at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute … Read more

September 2025 Research on rare post-mortem brain samples reveals altered gene activity, shedding light on depression’s biological roots.Adapted from story written by Keila DePape Drs. Gustavo Turecki and Corina Nagy, researchers at the Douglas Institute, along with their collaborator Dr. Yue Li, from McGill University, have identified two specific types of brain cells that are … Read more

Dr Srividya Iyer was recently featured as a guest on the podcast “Young People Can’t Find Work and It’s Messing Them Up.” In this episode, she discusses the challenges young people face in today’s job market and sheds light on the mental health impacts of youth unemployment.

August 26, 2025 On August 14, the Douglas held its annual Undergraduate Research Exhibition, where students are invited to showcase their ongoing research projects. We are pleased to announce the winners of this 2025 edition! Oral Presentations Poster Presentations Congratulations to all those who participated, and thanks to the Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life … Read more

August 26, 2025 Camila Velez, a first-year PhD student in the Department of Psychiatry, supervised by Dr Srividya Iyer and Dr. Gina Dimitropoulos was awarded a CIHR – Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplements Scholarship. This award supports high-calibre Canadian graduate students in building global linkages and international networks through the pursuit of exceptional research experiences … Read more

Dr. Jurgen Germann, Dr. Flavia Venetucci Gouveia, Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, Dr. Gabriel A. Devenyi A recent publication, led by Drs. Gabriel A. Devenyi and Mallar Chakravarty from the CoBrALab describes an openly available pipeline that facilitates obtaining optimized measurements of volumetric differences in MRI and other types of brain imaging. The publication “Longitudinal deformation-based morphometry … Read more

Did you know there are 9 reasons to call on the Douglas Open Science team?We present them all below! Curious about open science or the OS Program? Want to align your project with open science? Want to share data but don’t know how? Want to practice OS but cannot share data? Need help from open … Read more

Throughout the year, the Douglas Open Science team hosted a series of training seminars, the Douglas Open Science Training Series.In case you missed any, or would like to revisit them, we are pleased to be able to share them with you. See below for the links to the recordings: by Dr Katie Lavigne by Robin … Read more

Giuseppe D’Andrea, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Psychiatry, McGill University is awarded the prestigious 2025 Tomlinson Doctoral Fellowship. Giuseppe holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Naples – Federico II and completed his residency in Psychiatry at the University of Bologna – Alma Mater Studiorum. During his clinical … Read more

A study conducted by Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy found that emotional distress is often overlooked in childhood, suggesting a need for earlier mental health support in schools. Drawing on a landmark 25-year study that followed Quebec children into adulthood, McGill University researchers have identified two distinct patterns in how suicidal thoughts emerge and the early signs … Read more

Thanks to generous gift, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce this year’s competition of the Lorna Knight Award to recognize the outstanding work of a student (undergraduate, Masters or PhD), a postdoctoral fellow or a resident who demonstrates an interest to improve knowledge about causes or treatment of bipolar … Read more

July 18 2025, The Exploration 2024 Awards holders have been announced and we are pleased to announce that David Benrimoh is one of the winners. The objective of the Exploration stream is to support high-risk, high-reward and interdisciplinary research. It seeks to inspire projects that bring disciplines together beyond traditional disciplinary or common interdisciplinary approaches by research teams with the … Read more

CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published today. We are pleased to report that in this latest competition, Douglas researchers have secured nearly $2M – congratulations to our successful applicants, and thank you to Dr. Dominique Walker, who chairs the Internal Grant Review Committee, as well as to all the researchers who gave their time to review … Read more

On 9 July, the Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Health, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, announced more than $1.3 billion in funding to support over 9,700 researchers and research projects across the country. We are therefore pleased to announce that … Read more

The Head Lines, previously the Mental Health Newsletter, is a student-led newsletter that works to destigmatize mental health and educate the public.  Each month, we explore a different theme related to mental well-being—ranging from specific mental health conditions to therapies, treatments, and professions within the field. Our content includes accessible explanations of the neuroscience behind these … Read more

  We are pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the Marie Giguère Travel and the J.Paiement Outreach Awards. Marie Giguère Travel Award Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, awards worth up to $500 are available to support travel and attendance for graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) presenting their work at … Read more

July 2025 –Trainee spotlight Supervisor: Dr. Linda Booij Current program: PhD Year of Study:entering PhD 3 Program of Study:Clinical Psychology (Concordia University) Why did you choose to come to the Douglas? During my second year as a graduate student in my program (considered Master’s level for the first two years), my supervisor Dr. Booij started … Read more

Are you enrolled in an undergraduate degree, and doing a research project at the Douglas this summer? Come present it to the scientific community of the research centre during the 9th Douglas Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place in person, on Thursday August 14th at 3:00pm!   Please see the attached call for abstracts … Read more

We are pleased to announce the awardees of the third edition of the Douglas Open Science Awards! These awards are made possible through funding from the Douglas Foundation and the Tanenbaum Open Science Initiative (TOSI).   Of the many worthy projects received, the two prize recipients are : Sakiko Yamaguchi, with Dr. Manuela Ferrari, for … Read more

The winners of the Marilyn Meikle and Ennio Barbuto awards were announced at Research Day 2025 on 19 June. We are happy to present them to you! Marilyn Meikle Award for research in mental health This award recognizes the outstanding work of a student (undergraduate, Masters or PhD), a postdoctoral fellow or a resident who … Read more

Congratulations to Jessica Ahrens, recipient of the Leyton Addiction Research Prize, for the publication of her recent article revealing that individuals with cannabis use disorder have elevated dopamine levels in a brain region associated with psychosis. This important finding helps explain why frequent cannabis use may increase the risk of hallucinations and delusions. Congratulations Jessica  … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre and the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University held their annual Research Day on Thursday, June 19, 2025. As every year, the participation and contribution of many trainees, researchers and volunteers ensured the success of this event! Many short and long oral presentations were given throughout the day, as well as … Read more

June 17, 2025 A study led by Dr Nicolas Cermakian reveals that disruption of circadian rhythms during adolescence could influence brain development, particularly in individuals exposed to prenatal infection. By combining two risk factors – prenatal inflammation and constant exposure to light during adolescence – the researchers observed effects on memory, anxiety, social behaviour and … Read more

June 16, 2025 We are proud to announce that Dr Lena Palaniyappan is in the top 10 of Highly Ranked Scholars™ in the field of schizophrenia: over the last 5 years, he is ranked 9th worldwide and 1st in Canada! Dr Palaniyappan’s team with whom he conducts his research projects   Highly Ranked Scholars™ are … Read more

June 10, 2025, With the scientific study “École à ciel ouvert” having demonstrated the benefits of contact with nature on children’s mental health, Dr Geoffroy and her team wanted to make a documentary film to inspire teachers to open the doors of their classrooms to the outdoors. Synopsis : The film, which lasts less than 30 … Read more

To mark Men’s Health Month in Canada, Dr Rob Whitley was interviewed by CBC. A new study by the Canadian Foundation for Men’s Health reveals a decline in men’s mental health. To listen to Dr Whitley’s analysis, find the full interview here.

The report of the special commission on the impact of screens on young people, supported by a wide-ranging consultation conducted by the OPES, highlights the extent of the concerns in the school environment. On this subject, Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy contributed to an article in the Journal de Québec on the impact of screens on young … Read more

June 2, 2025 World Eating Disorders Action Day (June 2) is dedicated to raising global awareness about eating disorders and advocating for better understanding, support, and treatment. In Quebec, it is estimated that approximately 250,000 people have an eating disorder. There are different types of eating disorders. The most well-known ones are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Another recognized … Read more

May 28, Camila Velez, a first-year PhD student, supervised by Dr. Srividya Iyer has been awarded the 2025 Metascience Conference Travel Award by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). This award will support her participation in the prestigious Metascience 2025 Conference in London, UK. Congratulations!

May 29, 2025 We are proud to announce that Dr. Mahsa Dadar has received the 2025 Principal’s Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researchers. This award, presented by McGill University, recognizes early-career researchers for their scientific contributions. Adapted from story written by Robin Koning “As rising leaders in health research, Professors Chen, Dadar and Friesen are … Read more

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Carsley and Quirion Awards!   2025 Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award Two prizes were awarded : Sophie Simard (Dr. Naguib Mechawar team)               Sierra Codeluppi (Dr. Gustavo Turecki team)     2025 Dr Rémi Quirion Award of Excellence This award … Read more

May 27, Congratulations to the SARPEP Project Team! We are proud to share that the SARPEP – Rapid Learning System for Early Psychosis Programs team has been awarded the CHUM Foundation Award for Excellence in Learning. This prestigious recognition highlights the outstanding contributions of Srividya Iyer and Manuela Ferrari, in addition to the following researchers: … Read more

May 22, 2025, Dr Cecilia Flores, lead author of the study, and her team have identified nine microRNAs present in high concentrations in the blood of adolescents suffering from depression. These biomarkers, specific to adolescence, could make it possible to identify vulnerable young people earlier and predict the evolution of their symptoms. Alarmingly, more and … Read more

May 20, 2025 We are proud to announce that Dr. Gustavo Turecki and Dr. Naguib Mechawar, have been awarded a Brain Canada 2025 Platform Support Grants (PSG). Brain Canada’s flagship Platform Support Grants  program aims to support interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance Canada’s technical and research capabilities through shared tools and databases, to transform research into real … Read more

May 14, 2025 The ACCESS Open Minds project was launched in 2014 to address gaps in access to quality mental health care, especially for Indigenous, remote and underserved communities. Findings published in JAMA Psychiatry provide the first assessment of the program’s outcomes across Canada. This national project, led by principal investigator Dr. Srividya Iyer, shows … Read more

Le 13 mai 2025, Dre. Elise Lachapelle is the winner of the CEYMH/Boeck training award set up in 2023 by the Center of Excellence in Youth Mental Health to improve the knowledge and skills of professionals in the field of youth mental health and early intervention. She won a grant of up to $10,000 to … Read more

What are the effects of cannabis on the brains of youth at risk of psychosis? This is the question explored by Dr Romina Mizrahi in this article published on the CIHR website. Her study aims to better understand the impact of early cannabis use on the synaptic density of the brain in young people showing … Read more

May 7, 2025 Last week, McGill University announced the 2025 recipients of Distinguished James McGill Professors, James McGill Professors and William Dawson Scholars. Among the recipients, we are pleased to announce that Dr Cecilia Floress has been awarded the title of James McGill Professor. Each year, the Distinguished James McGill Professor, William Dawson Scholar and … Read more

Monday, Mai 5, 2025, Doctoral student Belen Blasco was granted 2024 Brain Star Award by CAN-ACN for her study entitled “Synaptic Density in Early Stages of Psychosis and Clinical High Risk”. In this study, recently published in JAMA Psychiatry, lead author Belen Blasco investigated  whether difference in the density of synapses could be seen in first-episode … Read more

The documentary, “Divergentes – La neurodivergence au féminin” broadcasted on AMI+ showcases Dr. Mallar Chakravarty and the CIC. “Divergentes – La neurodivergence au féminin” is a documentary series by Coco Belliveau and Naadei Lyonnais, unveiling the many faces of neurodivergence in women. They want to understand their atypical brains and learn to live their differences … Read more

May 2, 2025 The results of the Triagency Fellowship and Scholarship programs have been announced! We are pleased to present the list of Douglas Research Centre students who have been awarded in the various categories.    

May 2, 2025 This week, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) announced the results of its funding applications for researcher and student salary awards. We are pleased to announce that six researchers, one DIALOGUE project and numerous students have been funded! Congratulations to all! FRQS Research Scholars Katie Lavigne – Research Scholar, Junior 1 … Read more

The research team led by Dr. Naguib Mechawar has been awarded the Silver Prize of the Dr. Francis Wayne Quan Memorial Award, a distinction presented by the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience (JPN) in collaboration with the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada. This award, accompanied by a $1,500 grant, recognizes one of the best scientific articles … Read more

Montreal, April 23, 2025   The Douglas Mental Health University Institute is proud to announce that the Wellcome Trust has awarded $9.8 million to Dr. Lena Palaniyappan in support of the DIALOG initiative. This funding will support research into why some individuals with psychiatric conditions experience disorganized language, which can hinder their social interactions and … Read more

April 2025, We are pleased to announce that Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard has been awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Planning and Dissemination Grant for 2025-2026. This grant will support the project “Shadows and lights: revisiting the past to create a reflective future”. The project, led by Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard and co-investigators Manuela Ferrari, Audrey L’Espérance, … Read more

What are the mental health issues facing sexually and gender-diverse youth in Quebec? Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy explores this question, using data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) as part of a national study. Sexually and gender diverse youth, including those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, are growing in number in … Read more

A recent study from Dr. Lena Palaniyappan sheds light on a biological mechanism linking frequent cannabis use to an increased risk of psychosis. The researchers found that individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) show abnormal activity in the brain’s dopamine system. Although it was already known that cannabis affects dopamine levels, this study pinpoints the … Read more

Yassine Benhajali from the D3SM received first prize for an AI predictive model based on CIUSSS data at the ‘Congrès de la Société Québécoise de l’intelligence artificielle en médecine’ that took place at CRCHUM last week. Congratulations Yassine!  

Annual Research Day of the Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry – Call for abstracts The annual Research Day of the Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry will be back this year! The event will take place in person at the Douglas Hall on Thursday, June 19th 2025 from 8:30am to … Read more

The 2025 editions of the Giguère, Paiement and Meikle awards are back! Find out more about each of the 3 awards below. 2025 Marie Giguère Travel Awards Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, Ad. E., past Vice-President of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation, awards worth up to $500 are available … Read more

Are you a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow at the Douglas and have an impactful open science idea? Apply now for the 3rd edition of the Douglas Open Science Awards! April 1st, 2025 : Call opens May 1st, 2025 at 4:00 PM EDT : Call closes     Funding : max. of $5,000 per project 1-Year … Read more

April 1, 2025 Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury has recently published 3 research abstracts from the SMP axis of the RRSPQ and Qualaxia. Find out more about these recent abstracts below. To consult other similar abstracts, visit Dr. Fleury’s page in the publications / research abstracts section :

March 30, 2025, World Bipolar Day – Strength for Today, Hope for Tomorrow World Bipolar Day aims to raise global awareness about bipolar disorder, a mental health condition marked by extreme mood swings between depression and mania. These mood shifts, often disproportionate or unrelated to life events, impact a person’s thoughts, emotions, physical health, behavior, … Read more

In this Scientific American article, Dr. Romina Mizrahi shares her perspective on the complexity of treating patients with schizophrenia.

March 17, 2025, Dr Palaniyappan and his team have published practice guidelines for healthcare practioners responding to students who are dealing with mental health issues.  The key points are:  Between 2019 and 2023, the incidence of mental health concerns doubled among youth in Canada  Most crises are reactions to life circumstances, which require proportionate responses … Read more

Brain Canada featured the Douglas Brain Bank in a recent article highlighting the impact of their research investments. The Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank, which has received longstanding platform support from Brain Canada and other partners, is one of the largest banks of brain tissue in the world,  and has achieved significant research impact.   We’re providing brain tissue … Read more

March 14, 2025 – World Sleep Day We spend around a third of our lives asleep. The quantity of sleep, its quality, and the timing of our sleep-wake cycles change over the course of our lives. But what doesn’t change is the importance of these cycles for our health in general, and our mental health … Read more

The Douglas Open Science Program has been active at the Douglas since 2019, when initial funding was secured from the Tanenbaum Open Science Initiative to enable the leadership at the Douglas to launch its own initiatives in developing Open Science. Since then, we have created a dedicated team to support the development Open Science at … Read more

In this interview with CBC, Danae Penichet, a student at the Douglas Research Centre, explains how the time change affects your mind and body. She also shares tips on how to better manage this transition.  

ACCESS Open Minds has been a landmark iniative in youth mental health care across Canada. Launched in 2014 as the first Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) initiative, this groundbreaking project was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Graham Boeckh Foundation. The project was led by Douglas researchers Dr. Ashok Malla … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Rémi Quirion Excellence Awards and the Holly Carsley Memorial Awards are being renewed this year. 2025 Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley’s family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce this year’s competition of … Read more

February 2025 –Trainee spotlight Supervisor: Ian Gold Co-supervisor: Geneviève Sauvé Current program: Master of Science (MSc) Year of Study: 2 Program of Study: Mental Health Why did you choose to come to the Douglas? My connection to the Douglas started early—I was a participant in the ‘98 Ice Storm longitudinal birth cohort study for nearly … Read more

Did you know… The 70% of trainees consider scientific communication to be highly important for their future careers, with 59% emphasizing the significance of knowledge translation. Knowledge Mobilization (KM) is a crucial skill that ensures new research knowledge influences informed decisions in health or science policies, programs, and practices. Additionally, science communication plays a vital … Read more

To all Douglas members The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand new result that you can’t wait to share? Did you … Read more

This article highlights the work of  Dr. Simon Ducharme et du Dr. Sherif Karama at the Centre for Precision Psychiatry – Quebec (CPP-Q). At this center, the SPARK project, an open data biobank, is transforming the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. In psychiatry, we use certain therapies and treatments for all patients with, for example, … Read more

February 14, 2025 We are pleased to share that last fall, Dr. Gustavo Turecki (lead investigator) and Dr. Corina Nagy (co-investigator) obtained funding through the NIH R01 Research Project Grant Program. Their project, entitled, Large-scale, single-cell characterization of molecular and cellular networks of mood regulation circuitry in major depressive disorder, is a Collaborative R01, with … Read more

February 11 was the International Day for Women and Girls in Science. Here is a snapshot of some of the Women in Science who contribute to making the Douglas one of the top mental health research institutions in Canada!                

What is this project? This project is a web application, developed by Anjali Chawla and Malosree Maitra from the labs of Dr. Turecki and Dr. Nagy, for the interactive visualization of ATAC and single-cell RNA sequencing data. This project was supported by the inaugural competition of the Douglas Open Science Awards, in 2022. This web application aims … Read more

As announced last week, Dr Bruno Giros was a guest on the Moteur de recherche program, to explain the characteristics and stigma associated with bipolar illness. The time between that episode [first manic episode], the first consultation and identification of the illness can take 5 to 7 years. These are times that really need to … Read more

We are delighted to announce that postdoctoral student Hsi Tiana Wei has been selected to receive the Academic Excellence Award for Young Investigators at the Schizophrenia International Research Society Congress 2025, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 29 to April 2, 2025. For this conference, each winner will be asked to prepare a … Read more

This Thursday, February 6, Dr. Bruno Giros will be a guest on Moteur de recherche, hosted by Matthieu Dugal. He will discuss the following topic: What do we know about the chemical mechanisms in the brains of people with bipolar disorder? This interview focuses on a recently published article coauthored with Dr. Florian Storch. In … Read more

An article published in Le Devoir highlights the work of Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve, on the link between sleep quality and the accumulation of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Her study, carried out on 220 at-risk participants, reveals that those with poorer sleep quality show a more rapid accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain. These results … Read more

Postdoctoral student Hsi Tiana Wei has been awarded a Mitacs Elevate grant to support her research project entitled: « Speech markers reveal brain oscillatory patterns reflecting thought disorder inPsychosis: An MEG investigation and a diagnostic tool development »   Under the supervision of Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Hsi Wei will explore how speech markers can be … Read more

Congratulations to our CIHR Project Grant Recipients! CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published today. We are pleased to report that in this latest competition, Douglas researchers have collectively secured nearly $4.5M – congratulations to all successful applicants, and thank you to Dr. Dominique Walker, who chairs the Internal Grant Review Committee, as well as … Read more

Did you know that persistent identifiers (PIDs) allow others to properly recognize and cite researchers’ contributions, and facilitate connections between different types of resources?  A PID is a long-lasting, unique reference to an entity or resource, such as an organization, researcher, or research output. PIDs unambiguously identify resources and contribute to research outputs being findable, … Read more

CONP Experiments, what is it? CONP Experiments est an open-source neuroimaging experiment-sharing platform. This project was supported by the inaugural competition of the Douglas Open Science Awards, in 2022. It is a portal integrated in the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP), for searching and sharing open-source neuroimaging tasks. CONP Experiments is an initiative led by … Read more

Sleep, essential to our well-being, continues to fuel debate. Do we really need to get up at the crack of dawn to be healthier and more productive? Or is it better to respect our biological rhythm? Several sleep specialists, including Dr. Diane Boivin,, examine the question in this article. Together, they demystify the beliefs surrounding … Read more

Don’t miss our 3rd Douglas Open Science Training Series! Join us for this special event on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 4pm. This is an hybrid event : it will take place in person  in the Bowerman Room and will be broadcast on Zoom (a zoom link will be provided to those who register). Our speakers will … Read more

January 20, 2025 We are pleased to announce the names of our students winners of the McGill Excellence in Mental Health Research Award, valued at $5,000. This award recognizes the work of graduate students who make a significant contribution to the advancement of mental health research. Congratulations to this year’s recipients! Megan Davies, sous la … Read more

In an article published by Radio Canada, Dr. Eric Latimer and other homelessness experts sound the alarm on Canada’s growing homelessness crisis. In their view, governments must go beyond temporary funding of emergency shelters and implement medium- and long-term strategies to tackle the root causes of the problem.   We don’t want people to be … Read more

In an article published in the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences e-News, Dr. Salah El Mestikawy, and other researchers at the University of Western Ontario, have made a major discovery in the treatment of eating disorders, supported by a grant from the Brain Canada Foundation. Their study of the role of the striatum … Read more

Dr. Simon Ducharme joins Dr. Trey Bateman and Tristin Best on the Neurology® Podcast to discuss how changes in hypothalamic structure across the lifespan in patients with genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) may be connected to sleep dysfunction.            

By 2050, more than 360,000 Quebecers could be living with a neurocognitive disorder such as Alzheimer’s, more than double the number today. Is it possible to slow this progression or even prevent the disease? Listen to Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve share her expertise on risk factors and the importance of early detection. Basically, the majority of … Read more

January 8, 2025 Why is bipolar disorder cyclic? New research in mice argues that the cycling between mania and depression in bipolar disorders is driven by an arousal rhythm generator that resides in the brain’s reward centres. A recent study led by Dr. Kai-Florian Storch has been published in the journal Science Advances. Focusing on … Read more

In the Silo series, humans live underground, cut off from natural light. Dr. Nicolas Cermakian analyzes the effects of such a lifestyle on our biological rhythms in an article for Sciences et Avenir. It’s obvious that when you’re disconnected from your natural environment, your body and brain are less efficient. And that can lead to … Read more

In an interview with Genomic Press, Dr. Michael Meaney presents major discoveries concerning the complex interplay between genes and environment in shaping brain health. I have always been genuinely fascinated by the search for the developmental origins of individual differences in brain development and function. More broadly, and inspired by Hebb, I bore a profound dissatisfaction with the conceptually flawed distinction between the influences of ‘nature’ and … Read more

Field hockey legend Henri Richard died of Alzheimer’s disease in 2020. After his death, his son Denis asked the Douglas Mental Health University Institute to study his brain. The diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) he received in 2023 explains some of Henri Richard’s behaviours, such as aggressiveness and memory problems. Today, Denis Richard is … Read more

December 20, 2024 Season’s Greetings from the Douglas Research Centre! During this time of celebration and sharing, we wish you moments filled with joy and serenity! See you next year for new achievements together!

December 19, 2024 The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. The 2024 awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 18, 2024. 1st place: Gabriel Desrosiers-Gregoire (team Mallar Chakravarty) for his article “A … Read more

Dr. Salah El Mestikawy has made a groundbreaking scientific discovery thanks to a 2012 Brain Canada MIRI grant. His work on the striatum, a key region of the brain, and its role in compulsive behaviors has led to an advancement that is now transforming the lives of patients with eating disorders. We don’t fully understand … Read more

December 4, 2024 Join us on December 10th, 5-8 PM, at Douglas Hall for a cozy, festive evening! Enjoy a movie, snacks, and fizzy drinks. Register now using the link below :  

December 3, 2024 We are pleased to announce that Dr. Benrimoh has been awarded funding through the Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL) Neuro Commercialization Grants – Ignite Program for his project entitled “Computational Phenotyping in Psychosis (CP-PSY).” This recognition highlights the innovative work being done to advance our understanding and treatment of psychosis. Congratulations … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards return on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, from 3:30 to 5:30 pm! These awards are presented to the year’s best research papers published by Douglas Research Centre students and postdoctoral fellows. The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards, presented annually since 2012, recognize the achievements of Douglas Research Centre students and … Read more

December 3, 2024 The Douglas Research Centre is now on Instagram! As we do with our other social media channels, we share the various events and news published on our website. So if you don’t want to miss out on all the latest news from the Douglas Research Centre, subscribe to our account.   Thank … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley was interviewed by The Suburban on mental health in men, as this year’s Movember campaign comes to a close. “Men’s mental health is an ongoing concern,” said Robert Whitley, Associate Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and researcher at the Douglas Research Centre. “They have a high suicide rate, with … Read more

November 26, 2024 Dr. David Benrimoh has been selected to receive the 2025 American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA) Career Development Award in Clinician-Scientist category. The committee was impressed by his accomplishments in the field of Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry, including his prior contributions to ANPA, his high impact publications, research in multiple neuropsychiatric populations, and your well-established … Read more

Novembre 26, 2024 On November 21 and 22, the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) presented the Provincial Grand Final of Science Pop, a Quebec competition focused on scientific communication. Held in person at the IRCM, the event gave finalists from 12 Quebec research … Read more

November 22, 2024 Authors: J. Quinn Lee, Alexandra T. Keinath, Erica Cianfarano, Mark Brandon Think back to the last time you took a walk in a park: as you walked the different paths, your hippocampus helped you create a mental map to find your way back later. The hippocampus is a small, curved structure in … Read more

November 15, 2024 Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, lead author of a recent study, explored the impact of spending two hours per week in nature on the mental health of children aged 10 to 12. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study involved over 500 children in Quebec, some of whom exhibited significant symptoms of anxiety, depression, … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer was interviewed by Québec Sciences regarding homelessness and strategies for curbing this. As for the difference between Quebec and Canada, it remains difficult to grasp, according to Eric Latimer, researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and full professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. My hypothesis would be that the … Read more

A new study led by Dr. Romina Mizrahi reveals that young adults at risk of psychosis exhibit reduced brain connectivity, a deficit further exacerbated by cannabis use. The findings indicate that cannabis disrupts the brain’s natural process of synaptic pruning and refinement, essential for healthy brain development. Published in JAMA Psychiatry, the study links lower … Read more

November 14, 2024, On November 14, the Government of Canada announced the funding of 224 new or renewed Canada Research Chairs. This investment will enable researchers to advance critical knowledge in a wide range of fields. Among the recipients is Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, who received the renewal of her Canada Research Chair in Youth Suicide … Read more

Understanding the brain remains an immense but crucial challenge for understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases. In this article from CTV News Montreal, Dr. Gustavo Turecki  and Viviane Poupon, President of Brain Canada, share their perspectives on the advances and challenges in research on neurodegenerative diseases and mental health disorders. Dr. Turecki explains that access to … Read more

Clinical Observership Program 2025 at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute The clinical observership program is back! The clinical observership program is designed to acquaint research students with clinical practice and to increase their understanding of the experiences, needs and the presentations of persons receiving mental health services, and the treatments and supports offered to … Read more

Dr. Reut Gruber was interviewed by CBC Radio to discuss Quebec’s consultation on time change. The question raised: is it time to put an end to time changes? Dr. Gruber shared his expertise on the health effects of time change.        

Working on your memory can be an effective way of preserving your cognitive abilities. In this article from La Presse, Dr Sylvain Williams discusses various ways of reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. He points out that several protective factors exist, starting with cardiovascular exercise. “What’s good for our heart is good for our … Read more

October 31, 2024 Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve has been nominated as one of the winners of the Weston Foundation‘s “Brain Health: Sleep 2023” program. This program aims to explore sleep-related approaches to reducing the risk of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Villeneuve’s project, entitled Improving Sleep to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, investigates how poor sleep quality may increase the … Read more

November 4, 2024 We are proud to highlight that several of our researchers are ranked among the top 2% of the world’s most influential scientists, according to the recently released list by Stanford and Elsevier. This recognition underscores the significant impact of their work in their respective fields. Among the Douglas Research Centre scientists featured … Read more

Octobre 30, 2024 We are pleased to announce that Dr. Patrícia Silveira has been elected to the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) membership.    The Society for Pediatric Research ‘s mission is to cultivate a diverse network of child health researchers through collaboration, community, mentorship and advocacy, and we are thrilled that Dr. Silveira will … Read more

October 30, 2024 We’re delighted to announce the opening of registration for the Science POP Provincial Grand Final. Join us on November 21 and 22 to discover the 24 finalists of the Science POP competition at the Provincial Grand Final at IRCM, in the heart of Montreal! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to attend captivating … Read more

Octobre 30, 2024, To all Douglas members The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand new result that you can’t wait to … Read more

October 22, 2024 Employee vaccination campaign against respiratory infections October 28 to November 25, 2024 By vaccinating ourselves, we are helping to prevent the spread of influenza and COVID-19 viruses among our relatives and vulnerable patients. Let’s stand together against the flu and COVID-19 this fall! The employee vaccination campaign is offered to the following … Read more

The debate over the abolition of daylight saving time is intensifying, with questions about what schedule should be adopted throughout the year. In a letter published in Le Devoir, Dr Nicolas Cermakian stresses the importance of standard time. Historically, the time change was aimed at energy savings, but these never materialized. Today, studies show that … Read more

October 21, 2024 Congratulations to Dr. Katie Lavigne on her Tremplin Ambassador 2024-2025 award! This award highlights her leadership and dedication to the training of young biomedical researchers. TREMPLIN is a consortium committed to supporting students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical sciences. Formed in 2021, it brings together health research centres affiliated with McGill … Read more

According to Dr. Rob Whitley, associate professor of psychiatry at McGill University, the concept of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) has sparked debates among mental health professionals. Whitley noted in a 2019 Psychology Today article that while TDS is not formally recognized as a mental disorder, some individuals exhibit significant disturbances in cognition and emotional regulation … Read more

BLOOM research program, led by teams from Dr. Lena Palaniyappan‘s laboratory, was the subject of an article in the Nouvelles d’ici newspaper to promote and explain their work. This research group aims to better understand the development of mental disorders in young people. The program, which focuses on prevention and resilience, recruits participants aged 9 … Read more

Salomé Calado Bernardo de Magalhães Xavier, a PhD student in Dr. Srividya Iyer’s laboratory, is featured in the October edition of the Douglas Academic Life’s “Trainee Spotlight”. In the trainee spotlight, candidates share their perspective on what brought them to the Douglas Research Centre, what they are currently working on, and what it’s like being … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. These awards, which have been attributed every year since 2012, are an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre and … Read more

September 30, 2024 We are proud to announce that two of our researchers, Dr. Katie Lavigne and Dr. Alban Voppel (a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Lena Palaniyappan‘s lab), have been awarded the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Young Investigator Grant. This award provides up to $35,000 per year for two years, for a total … Read more

September 26, 2024 This year, SSHRC awarded Insight Grants and Insight Development Grants to numerous researchers, representing a wide range of research disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Among them, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Maxime Montembeault‘s project has been awarded funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s (SSHRC) Insight … Read more

September 19, 2024 This year, twenty research projects at McGill received funding from the John R. Evans Leaders Fund, highlighting their innovative character with a total federal investment of $5.5 million. Thanks to the Quebec government’s contribution, these grants will be doubled. Among the projects funded is one led by Mahsa Dadar. The results were … Read more

September 26, 2024 Congratulations to the VIVA Award winners! On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, the Douglas was pleased to present its second edition of the VIVA Awards. The VIVA Awards Mental Health Science POP is a competition that allows Douglas students and postdocs to gain experience in communicating their research topic to a wider audience. … Read more

September 19, 2024 On Thursday, September 19, 2024, Brain Canada announced the five winners of its Momentum Grants, a program designed to offer researchers an opportunity to expand their projects already funded under the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research  program. This program enables early-career researchers to explore new dimensions of their work, with the ambition … Read more

September 17, 2024 On Tuesday, September 17, 2024, Brain Canada announced the winners of the fifth cohort of Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program. Brain Canada is a foundation dedicated to the advancement of neuroscience in Canada. Thanks to an anchor gift from the Azrieli Foundation and the support of visionary donors, the foundation … Read more

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has issued a public apology for the harm done to Indigenous people in the healthcare system, a symbolic but crucial gesture according to Dr. Srividya Iyer. She stresses that, while this is a first step, concrete action and partnership with Indigenous communities are essential for real change. This apology is an … Read more

A new study, led by Dr Salah Mestikawy and published this summer, reveals that donepezil, a drug used to treat Alzheimer’s, could also be effective against eating disorders such as anorexia. By testing this drug on genetically modified mice, the research team observed significant improvements. Compassionate trials on human patients have also shown promising results, … Read more

A study, in which Dr Jai Shah took part, explores how to spot signs in delusions (paranoia, grandiosity) in adolescents and young adults to prevent psychotic relapse. Although delusions are key symptoms of psychosis, they remain poorly understood. This study examines whether these themes change from episode to episode. The results show that the majority … Read more

September 4, 2024 On Monday, September 4, 2024, the PREVENT-AD Gala was held in tribute to the participants in the PREVENT-AD cohort, an initiative led by Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve at the StoP-AD Centre. The PREVENT-AD cohort (Pre-symptomatic Evaluation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease) brings together volunteers who participate in long-term studies of … Read more

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) recently elected 104 new Fellows for their outstanding scientific achievements and announced the incoming class of the RSC College. This recognition, the highest distinction awarded in the arts, social sciences and natural sciences, testifies to the significant impact these researchers have had on society. Among them, Jai Shah, psychiatrist … Read more

The “Translational Biomarkers of Aging and Dementia” (TRIAD) project, led by Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto, aims to develop a blood test capable of detecting Alzheimer’s disease before the onset of symptoms. This test, which could replace costly and invasive diagnostic methods such as brain imaging and lumbar puncture, seeks to identify amyloid plaques and the tau protein … Read more

August 22, 2024 Launched in January 2024, the 10th edition of the HBHL (Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives) Graduate Fellowships program awarded 31 fellowships. The central vision of the HBHL initiative is to create a global centre for excellence, establish a hub for neuroinformatics and big data analysis, and accelerate translational discoveries that will improve … Read more

As announced in this news item on July 4, Bruno Giros and his team of neuroscientists have made a discovery that could lead to new treatments for a range of psychiatric and neurological disorders caused by dysfunction of certain dopamine pathways. Learn more by reading McGill’s official press release:

August 22, 2024 Last week the Douglas held its annual Undergrad Research Expo event, which invites undergraduate students to present their ongoing research work. We are pleased to announce the winners below. Oral presentations First Place: Mira Saad (Dr. Rachel Rabin laboratory): Contradictory Impacts of Co-Use: Memory and Mental Health in Cannabis and Tobacco Users … Read more

Dr. Nicolas Cermakian was recently interviewed about his work on malaria risk and timing of bites from infected mosquitoes: “We’ve been working on the chronobiology of parasitic infections for around ten years now. With malaria, there is an interaction of the chronobiology of three species: the parasite, the mosquito that transmits it and the human … Read more

August 13, 2024 An international group of psychiatrists, psychologists, researchers and young people has published a report in the journal The Lancet Psychiatry. Led by Orygen, a center of excellence in youth mental health in Australia, the Commission brings together 54 authors from five continents to warn of the global crisis in youth mental health. … Read more

Dr Howard Steiger comments to La Presse on the influence of Ozempic ads during the Olympic Games. His expertise on eating disorders helps us better understand these societal issues. “What’s implied in commercials like Ozempic is that we should be thinner, which can surely influence a population vulnerable to eating disorders.” – Dr. Howard Steiger , … Read more

August 12, 2024 Dr. Rixing Lin, from Dr. Gustavo Turecki‘s team, recently obtained the Brain Star Award for his contributions to research on the mechanisms of depression. He was involved in the conception, execution, and coordination of all aspects of the research, including data interpretation and manuscript preparation. Antidepressants are the cornerstone of treatment for … Read more

Come and support our Douglas undergraduates on Thursday, August 15, 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., in the basement of Douglas Hall. The Douglas Undergrad Research Expo is an exciting event every time! Please see below for the program of this event organized by the Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life.   We are grateful … Read more

Opportunities for Bio-Medical Science trainees Are you interested about way for advancing career path in biomedical science? Do you want to play a key role in shaping the our professional development for you and your peers? The McGill Tremplin Consortium invites motivated MSc or PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to join our Central Committee! About … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer interviewed by Francis Gosselin from QUB Radio. “The scale of application of the approach could be increased,” says Eric Latimer, Researcher, Douglas Research Centre

Brain Canada published a feature article on Dr. Corina Nagy’s work. “There are some baseline differences between males and females that suggest we shouldn’t be given the same pharmacological interventions. We are trying to identify what changes are occurring at the molecular level so we can figure out how to target those specifically.” – Dr. Corina … Read more

Are you enrolled in an undergraduate degree, and doing a research project at the Douglas this summer? Come present it to the scientific community of the research centre during the 8th Douglas Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place in person, on Thursday August 15th at 3:00pm!   Extended Deadline: Tuesday, July 30th 2024, at … Read more

Study sheds light on origins of schizophrenia in the brain, offering hope for targeted treatments and better diagnosis Routine MRI scans could revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat schizophrenia, improving outcomes for those affected, researchers say Adapted from story written by Claire Loewen A research team co-led by Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Douglas Researcher and … Read more

July 17, 2024 Congratulations to our CIHR Project Grant Recipients! CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published today. We are pleased to report that in this latest competition, Douglas researchers have collectively secured over $3M – congratulations to all successful applicants, and thank you to Dr. Dominique Walker, who chairs the Internal Grant Review Committee, … Read more

July 8, 2024 We are very pleased to announce that Christy Au-Yeung (Lepage lab) has been awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. On May 28, François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced the winners of the prestigious Vanier and Banting scholarships. Across Canada, 166 doctoral students have received Vanier scholarships and 70 researchers … Read more

July 8, 2024 Press release produced by McGill Adapted from text by Katherine Gombay Dr. Salah El-Mestikawy and his team, working in collaboration with a French team (CNRS, INSERM and Sorbonne university) believes he has identified both the neurological mechanism underlying anorexia nervosa as well as a possible cure. The international team’s findings, published in … Read more

July 4, 2024 Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure and reward systems, as well as our ability to move, learn and pay attention. Until now, it has been thought that there were just two dopamine-related pathways in the brain. But after almost eight years of work, Dr. Bruno Giros and his team, … Read more

  July 02, 2024 We are pleased to inform you that Immigration,  Refugees and Citizenship Canada  (department of the government of Canada) did a profile on Dr Srividya Iyer to inspire other immigrants and to showcase possibilities for immigrants in Canada.    Dr. Iyer creates opportunities for others, training the next generation of researchers and … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Eric Latimer, who has been awarded a Partnership Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for the project The Québec homelessness prevention policy collaborative: Phase II of a successful partnership. This work, co-directed by Eric Latimer and James Hughes (Old Brewery Mission), is being carried out by a … Read more

We are pleased to announce the following three awardees of the second edition of the Douglas Open Science Awards! These awards are made possible through funding from the Douglas Foundation and the Tanenbaum Open Science Initiative (TOSI).   Of the many worthy projects received, the three prize recipients are:   Lyne Baaj & Gabriella Malamud … Read more

  June 21, 2024 On June 14, 2024, Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, and Ryan Turnbull, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced on behalf of the Hon, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced $693.8 million … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre and the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University held their annual Research Day on Friday, June 14, 2024. As every year, the participation and contribution of many trainees, researchers and volunteers ensured the success of this event! Many short and long oral presentations were given throughout the day, as well as … Read more

June 18, 2024 Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP) has announced the recent recipients of funding for research into neurocognitive disorders. We are proud to announce that Dr. Maxime Montembeault has been awarded a “New Investigator Grant” for his project Novel digital and adaptive marker of word-finding difficulties for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, in the … Read more

We are pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the Marie Giguère Travel and the J.Paiement Outreach Awards.   Marie Giguère Travel Awards Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, awards worth up to $500 are available to support travel and attendance for graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) presenting their work at … Read more

June 6, 2024 On Monday, the Honourable Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced an investment of $59 million in the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) initiative to strengthen and expand this innovative model of care across Canada. We are pleased to share that Dr Srividya … Read more

June 5, 2024 On Friday, May 31, federal ministers visited the Douglas, along with several dignitaries, including Members of Parliament Rachel Bendayan, Fayçal El-Khoury, Anna Gainey, Patricia Lattanzio, and Dr. Viviane Poupon, CEO of Brain Canada, to make an important announcement about funding for brain research in Canada. The Government of Canada recognizes the high … Read more

May 16, 2024 In this article published in Québec Science, specialists, including Dr. Serge Gauthier, discuss different approaches to better care for Alzheimer’s disease. Serge Gauthier observes “a change in culture at the moment” and advocates a “more structured” approach on the part of doctors. When faced with mild dementia, we’ll draw up a treatment … Read more

May 23, 2024 CIHR Accelerating Clinical Trials program propels Canada’s first child mental health trials network  Federal funding has been announced for the Canadian Network for Child and Youth Mental Health Trials (CYMH Trials Network), a new network to support clinical research that aims to improve mental health care for children nationwide. Mental health challenges … Read more

May 23, 2024 Alzheimer’s Association has awarded Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto for his work in neuroscience mentoring. Alzheimer’s Association has recognized the work of several neuroscientists. Through various awards, they are recognizing the next generation of neuroscience leaders who will help advance Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Pedro Rosa Nota received the “Excellence in Neuroscience Mentoring” Award. I … Read more

May 13, 2024 Health Canada, through its Substance Use and Addictions Program, has awarded funding to Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury from 2024 to 2028. The Substance Use and Addictions Program has selected Dr. Fleury’s project, “Quality and adequacy of services offered to meet the needs of users with substance use disorders served by Quebec’s addiction rehabilitation centers, … Read more

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Carsley and Quirion Awards! Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award The Dr. Holly Carsley Honorary Award recognizes the outstanding work of a Douglas resident, postdoctoral fellow or doctoral student conducting research in the field of depression and suicide. The purpose of the award is to encourage young … Read more

May 5, 2024 In this interview published by La Presse +, Dr. Linda Booij shares her expertise on the mental health problem of eating disorders.  Dr. Linda Booji paints a picture of eating disorders, which are insidious mental illnesses with numerous repercussions on the health of sufferers. Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of gender, … Read more

May 3, 2024 *** Extended deadline: May 7, 2024*** After the resounding success of its first edition, the VIVA Awards are back in 2024. The VIVA Awards are given to outstanding science communicators who are currently training at the Douglas. Once again, VIVA Mental Health is partnering with Science Pop to have both local (at … Read more

April 30, 2024 Congratulations to our researchers and students who have received FRQS funding! The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQS) today announced the results of its funding applications for researcher and student salary awards. We are pleased to announce that three of our researchers have received FRQS salary awards, in the junior, senior, and … Read more

30 April, 2024 Health Canada, through its Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP), has awarded funding to Dr. Michel Perreault from 2024 to 2028. This funding from the SUAP should enable Michel Perreault to continue his work to improve the response to the needs of family and friends in the field of concurrent mental health … Read more

April 29, 2024 In this Radio Canada segment, listen to Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy‘s analysis and reaction to the Saskatchewan Child Protector’s 2023 report, which found that more and more young people in the care of the provincial government are having suicidal thoughts. Marie-Claude Geoffroy confirms that this increase is also a reality in Quebec, with … Read more

April 29, 2024 In this article published on the Kiplinger website, several specialists, including Dr. Robert Whitley, analyze why so many men don’t live well in retirement. Robert Whitley explains that work-related stress plays a greater role in men’s mental health.

April 25, 2024 The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, through its President David W. Oxtoby and Chairman of the Board Goodwin H. Liu, has revealed the names of the 250 individuals who have been elected to the Academy in 2024. Among this list of new Academy members is Dr. Michael Meaney. Founded in 1780, … Read more

Avril 21, 2024 This Radio Canada article discusses the growing number of homeless encampments across the country, and the need to dismantle them. Dr. Éric Latimer shares his expertise on the subject of homelessness. The dismantling of homeless camps is highly controversial and divides cities already facing a housing crisis. As Éric Latimer says, access … Read more

April 16, 2024 Le poids de l’apparence is a hard-hitting documentary about eating disorders. It follows comedian Phil Roy on a very personal quest to understand where this obsession with weight comes from, and how to break out of this vicious circle. In the course of the documentary, many people and eating disorder specialists contribute … Read more

April 16, 2024 On April 4, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) announced that they would renew funding for the Stop-AD Centre, led by Drs. Villeneuve and Poirier. This funding comes as a part of the Programmation de recherche intersectorielle sur le vieillissement, and ensures support for Stop-AD for the next four years, from … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the 2024 Marie Giguère Travel Awards have been renewed for 2024. What are the 2024 Marie Giguère Travel Awards? Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, Ad. E., past Vice-President of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation, awards worth up to $500 are available to support … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Roger J. Paiement Outreach Award has been renewed for 2024. What is the Roger J. Paiement Outreach Award 2024? Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Danielle T. Paiement, an award worth up to $1,000 is available to support the participation of graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates), … Read more

April 10, 2024 In a study by Drs. Vincent Paquin, Jai L. Shah, Marie-Claude Geoffroy, and colleagues investigate the link between smartphone usage and vulnerability to mental illness.  “Our study results are reassuring because they do not support the idea that adolescent media use is a significant risk factor for psychotic experiences in adulthood,” said … Read more

April 10, 2024 Dr. Eric Latimer was awarded a contract from the MSSS to deploy support programs for people experiencing homelessness. In a significant development aimed at enhancing support for individuals experiencing or recently transitioning from homelessness, the Ministry of Health and Social Services has awarded a $300,000 contract to a team led by Dr. … Read more

April 5, 2024 In this article from La Presse, doctors and specialists warn of the dangers of selling this drug online, without any consultation with patients.  “Two weeks ago, I was at the International Congress on Eating Disorders in New York and my American colleagues are reporting problems with the abuse of this type of … Read more

April 3, 2024 In this article published by 24h, Dr. Srividya Iyer addresses the question : do antidepressants really make people happy? According to the United Nations (UN), some of the happiest countries in the world are also the biggest consumers of antidepressants. This begs the question of whether antidepressants can really make people happier.

The latest issue of Santé mentale au Québec magazine is now available online. This issue, entitled La qualité des services en santé mentale au Québec (Quality of mental health services in Quebec), provides an overview of mental health services in Québec through a number of articles. Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury directed the production.  

*** Extended Deadline April 3, 2024, 5PM *** To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand … Read more

March 24, 2024 Dr. Véronique Bohbot takes part in the discussion on this topical question: do video games play with our brains? In this Radio Canada segment, various specialists get us thinking about video games and teach us how to recognize the mechanisms by which video games manipulate our brains. Hear Dr. Bohbot’s segment starting at … Read more

March 22, 2024 Dr. Eric Latimer, researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and professor in the Department of Psychiatry, has been selected to evaluate Le Christin. This major real estate project in downtown Montreal aims to combat homelessness in Quebec. « I think it would be a real tragedy if Canadians got used to people not … Read more

March 21, 2024 Dr. Alain Brunet‘s work is cited in this Radio Canada segment, which aims to give advice on how to accompany someone going through heartbreak. « The first thing is to recognize that it’s a tragedy for the person going through it. We don’t give enough importance to what heartbreak is, to what the … Read more

The annual Research Day of the Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry will be back this year! The event will take place in person at the Douglas Hall on Friday, June 14, 2024, from 8:30am to 6:00pm. This is an important event, which highlights the vital contributions of our students and postdocs to … Read more

Did you know… The 70% of trainees consider scientific communication to be highly important for their future careers, with 59% emphasizing the significance of knowledge translation. Knowledge Mobilization (KM) is a crucial skill that ensures new research knowledge influences informed decisions in health or science policies, programs, and practices. Additionally, science communication plays a vital … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Holly Carsley Memorial Award has been renewed for 2024. What is the Holly Carsley Memorial Award ? Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley’s family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce this year’s competition of the Dr. Holly Carsley … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Rémi Quirion Excellence Award has been renewed for 2024. What is the Rémi Quirion Excellence Prize? Thanks to generosity of former students and collaborators, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce the Rémi Quirion Excellence Award. In addition to being a world-renowned researcher … Read more

March 18, 2024 Today, we would like to inform you of the recent broadcast of the first video illustrating the lessons learned by research during the pandemic. Broadcast by the Réseau Québécois COVID-Pandémie, this video entitled Seul on va vite, ensemble on va plus loin!, highlights the importance of teamwork during the pandemic. The research team … Read more

March 18, 2024 Barbara Barth, student of Patricia Silveira, is interviewed for McGill website to talk about her career trajectory and her decision to do a postdoc in the Eating Disorder Continuum program at Douglas. “The Douglas has given me the encouragement that at some point in my career, I was going to use everything … Read more

March 15, 2024 We are proud to share that two of our researchers, Drs. Marie-Claude Geoffroy and Maxime Montembeault, have obtained CIHR grants to study mental health in young and aging populations, respectively. Project title: Mental Health of Sexual Diverse Youth Principal investigator(s): Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Robert Paul Juster Co-investigator(s): Natalie Castellanos Ryan, Nicholas Chadi, Ian … Read more

March 14, 2024 We are pleased to announce the second edition of the Douglas Open Science Awards. These prizes aim to support graduate and postdoctoral projects that advance Open Science at the Douglas Research Centre and in mental health. Successful proposals will benefit not only the project submitted but also the broader research community. Eligible projects … Read more

March 13, 2024 Today the Government of Canada announced the new Canada Research Chairs (CRC), one of the country’s highest academic honours. We are pleased to announce that two new Chairs have been awarded to Douglas researchers, Dr. Srividya Iyer and Dr. Massimiliano Orri. In addition, Dr. Gustavo Turecki’s CRC was renewed for 7 years. … Read more

Dr. Cecilia Flores and her PhD Student, Alice Morgunova, were interviewed by BioTechniques about a recent presentation at the Society for Neuroscience Conference last fall. “We are particularly interested in microRNAs due to their ability to target several genes at a time and to inhibit or repress gene activity, making them really powerful. By establishing … Read more

February 29, 2024 As February comes to a close, we wish to highlight a milestone that we have just reach as a mental health institute: 70 years of psychiatric research at the Douglas. The Douglas has come to be known as a place where we are not afraid to innovate to improve the care of … Read more

Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné has obtained a McGill PSychiatry 2023 Clinical Innovation Pilot Fund Award for her project, entitled, Minds@Work for individuals with bipolar disorder. The prize amount of $25,000 is intended to support research projects relating to the implementation of clinical innovations in patient care. Congratulations to Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné!

February 14, 2024 Dr Diane Boivin is interviewed by L’Actualité magazine on the subject of excessive sleepiness. “Excessive drowsiness has significant consequences on the health and safety of those who suffer from it, and on others. (…) Driving while impaired by fatigue is just as reprehensible as driving while impaired by substances” Dr. Diane Boivin.

February 10, 2024 Quebec’s minister for social services, Lionel Carmant, announced the creation of Le Christin, the largest housing project to date in the fight against homelessness. This new social housing complex for vulnerable people just opened up in Montreal, and is comprised of 114 units. Tenants will pay only a quarter of what they … Read more

February 10, 2024 In anticipation of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Dr. Patricia Pelufo SIlveira was interviewed by McGill’s Newsroom: “I started medical school at 17. My inaugural physiology class was given by Prof. Maria Marques, who had retired recently. She told us about her work with Profs. Riet Correa and … Read more

February 9, 2024 We are pleased to share that Dr. Pedro Rosa Neto, along with study co-lead Dr. Yasser Iturria-Medina, from The Neuro, has received $1.5M from the Weston Family Foundation to pursue an ongoing study on the progression of neuroinflammation and Tau aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease. This work is the continuation of a previous … Read more

Dr. Alain Brunet is featured in an episode of CBC’s Nature of things, entitled, “Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak”. Don’t miss it, the episode will be airing on CBC TV on February 8, 2024 at 9:00pm, and is also available for streaming (free sign-in required).

February 6, 2024 On Jan. 29, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) announced an $8.7M investment from the Government of Canada and partners to study age-related cognitive impairment. We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Mahsa Dadar obtained one of these 13 special Operating Grants for her project, entitled Incorporating Diversity in Alzheimer’s Disease … Read more

February 2, 2024 The results for the Fall 2023 CIHR Project Grant Competition were announced on January 31. We are pleased to share that five research projects from the Douglas, from six researchers, were among the successful applications. Collectively, these projects have secured nearly $4M – congratulations to all successful applicants, and thank you to … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki was featured in McGill’s Health e-News, in an article entitled, “Gustavo Turecki: In pursuit of innovative mental-health treatment,” by Timothy Gouldson. “Psychiatry has taken a back seat for a long time. With increased awareness about mental disorders there are increased opportunities. McGill Psychiatry is recognized internationally. One of my main goals is … Read more

Dr. Martin Lepage talks to Les affaires magazine about how to deal with a colleague or employee experiencing a psychotic episode. “You shouldn’t try to criticize the person’s delusions or tell them they’re wrong. You must encourage them to seek help to treat their symptoms,” explains Martin Lepage. Employers need to be discerning. If performance … Read more

The McGill-Douglas-Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry International Collaborative Initiative in Adversity and Mental Health (AMH Initiative) was featured in the McGill Reporter, in and article entitled, “Decoding the effects of early life adversity on mental health –  International collaboration seeks to uncover the biological roots of mental illness, the leading cause of disability worldwide,” by Emilie … Read more

January 11, 2024 We are delighted to share that today, FRQS and Quebec’s health and social services ministry (MSSS) announced  that Drs. Srividya N. Iyer and Martin Goyette of ENAP will co-lead a 4.7M$  grant from FRQS for the provincial evaluation of Aire ouverte, a Quebec-wide integrated youth services initiative. This 5-year, $4.7 million grant … Read more

January 11, 2023 Last December, Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, co-investigator in a project led by Dr. Iris Sommer at the University Medical Center Groningen, was awarded a Discretionary Award from the Wellcome Trust to predict emerging psychotic relapse. This initiative aligns with Dr. Palaniyappan’s broader research focus on leveraging speech and language for guiding clinical decision-making. … Read more

January 9, 2024 Dr Nicolas Cermakian contributed to an article in Sciences & Avenir – La Recherche n°922, entitled, “How circadian rhythms regulate our health,” and written by Hervé Ratel: “Long neglected, the study of the body’s biological cycles is of growing interest to researchers. For the disruption of our circadian clock can have major … Read more

January 8, 2024 Dr. Simon Ducharme is featured in the McGill Reporter for his participation in Phase I clinical trial testing this potentially groundbreaking treatment that hopes to slow or stop an inherited form of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). The study is the first gene therapy trial for dementia conducted in Canada. “The idea is that … Read more

Dr. Simon Ducharme interviewed by Le Devoir about gene therapy treatments for fronto-temporal dementia.

December 18, 2023 The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. The 2023 awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 15, 2023. 1st place: Lauren Reynolds (team Cecilia Flores) for her article … Read more

Don’t miss the Leo & Rachel Hendlisz Scientific Event, happening in just over a week! The Hendlisz Awards acknowledges the best articles from Douglas trainees. Join us for exciting research presentations from the 6 top applicants! These presentations will be followed by the announcement of this year’s 3 award winners and a cocktail. WHEN: December … Read more

December 6, 2023 We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Cecilia Flores has just been promoted to Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). Promotion of ACNP members to fellow status is based on both their scientific reputation and their contributions to the College through committee work and involvement in the Annual Meeting program. … Read more

December 6, 2023 We are pleased to share that Dr. Lena Palaniyappan has been awarded research funding by the Quebec Bio-Imaging Network (QBIN) to support his pilot project, “Magnetoencephalography in psychosis program (MEGPSY): Towards an understanding of linguistic disorganization and impoverishment in schizophrenia”. Project summary When brain cells are firing, they create a small magnetic … Read more

December 5, 2023 On December 5, 2023, Dr. Srividya Iyer received the Royal-Mach Gaensslen Prize. During this recorded ceremony and discussion, a specially-made video presents Dr. Iyer’s work and the impact of her research activities. Watch the video here: The full ceremony is also available here: Event recording Congratulations again, Dr. Iyer!

December 5, 2023 Dr. Linda Booij (Eating Disorders Continuum) and colleagues have just published a meta-analysis in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. The article, entitled “Non-suicidal self-injury among individuals with an eating disorder: A systematic review and prevalence meta-analysis,” is authored by Ryan H. Kirkpatrick, Dr. Édith Breton, Aleksandar Biorac, Dr. Douglas P. Munoz, … Read more

November 29, 2023 On November 28, Quebec announced an investment of $4.5 million in mental health research initiatives. These include 4 research projects and the Alliance en santé mentale et neurosciences, which will bring together Quebec’s three university mental health institutes, including the Douglas Research Centre (CIUSSS Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal), CERVO (CIUSSS Capitale-Nationale), and the Centre de … Read more

Will allow clinicians to track neural development across human lifespan for first time Dr. Mallar Chakravarty mentioned in Western University article about a large collaboration headed by Jörn Diedrichsen of Western University, which has just received $1 million in funding from the Once Upon a Time Foundation to develop a growth chart for the human … Read more

November 28, 2023 At the Grands Sages event held on November 23, Quebec’s Chief Scientist, Mr. Rémi Quirion, and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) presented the first Grands Sages Brenda Milner Neuroscience Awards to Rachel Dufour, a PhD student in Dr. Linda Booij’s laboratory, in recognition of her exceptional career. Grands Sages Brenda … Read more

The 26th biennial conference of the Life History Research Society (LHRS) will take place in Montreal in May 2024. This conference is expected to attract nearly 300 psychology specialists from around the world to talk about their longitudinal research on human development. The event is co-organized by Professor Marie-Claude Geoffroy as well as his colleagues … Read more

November 23, 2023 We are pleased to share that during their 5th Scientific activity, the Centre d’expertise et de collaboration en troubles concomitants (CECTC), awarded Dr. Michel Perreaut with the Recognition Prize, to underscore his “exceptional involvement to promote the needs of people living with a concurrent disorder and to develop integrated approaches that are … Read more

November 22, 2023 On November 16, Acfas held its 79th annual Gala, during which it awarded its prestigious Acfas Prizes. We are proud to announce that this year, Dr. Alain Brunet received the Léo Pariseau Award for Biological and Health Sciences. Created in 1944 and named in honour of Léo Pariseau, radiologist and first president … Read more

In an article published in 24h, Dr. Vincent Paquin explains: “These people often feel great anxiety. One of the hypotheses is therefore that this use allows interactions perceived as more comfortable with others.”   Read the whole article below.

November 19, 2023 The Douglas Research Centre is proud to announce that Dr. Gustavo Turecki has been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list from Clarivate. The highly anticipated annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their … Read more

November 18, 2023 A recent story published by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation highlighted work conducted by a team of researchers including Dr. Romina Mizrahi. The team included Drs. Jeffrey Meyer, Romina Mizrahi, Nathan Kolla, and M. Ishrat Husain, all of whom have been supported by BBRF funding. Overall, their work showed that gliosis, … Read more

November 10, 2023 We are pleased to share that the ALS Society of Canada has just announced that Dr. Isabelle Lajoie, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Mahsa Dadar’s group, has obtained a $78,000 postdoctoral award to pursue her research around the question, “can a combination of advanced brain imaging and artificial intelligence uncover a biomarker to … Read more

November 7, 2023 We are delighted to share that Dr. Srividya Iyer is the 2023 recipient of The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research. Dr. Iyer’s research focuses on adolescence and young adulthood, because they represent a period of promise and potential. Unfortunately, over 60% of mental health and/or substance use health challenges develop between … Read more

TV5 features Dr. Gustavo Turecki and  the crucial role of the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank in science.   “The brain remains an important frontier.” – Gustavo Turecki, psychiatrist and Scientific Director of the Douglas Institute

Philosopher Charles Pépin describes Dr. Alain Brunet’s work on reconsolidation therapy and how it influences the message of his book, “Vivre avec son passé.”

Dr. Srividya Iyer’s work in partnership with Dr. Christopher Mushquash highlighted by the CAnadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Srividya Iyer featured by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for her work with youth. “The truth is 60 to 70 per cent of major mental health problems start before the age of 25. (…) Both ACCESS OM and IYS-Net data are showing us that more young people are seeking help, and I think … Read more

October 20, 2023 Dr. Myra Piat was among 13 researchers whose projects were funded through CIHR’s Transforming Health with Integrated Care (THINC) initiative. This initiative supports health research projects, people, teams and a coordinating hub that together advance knowledge creation, capacity development (training), and knowledge mobilization in pursuit of health care that is coordinated and centered … Read more

October 14, 2023 The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé has announced the renewal of the Douglas Research Centre’s status as an FRQS Research Centre. The Douglas is proud to have been continuously supported by the FRQS since its creation in 1979, through its Centres de recherche funding program. This program supports 23 research … Read more

*** Deadline October 23rd 2023, 5PM *** To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand new … Read more

Are you passionate about fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and academia? We invite you to be a part of the EDI Committee at the Douglas Research Centre as we embark on creating a more inclusive environment. Apply via email by November 4, 2023.  Our committee has developed an EDI strategic plan, and in line with … Read more

Please note: The deadline has been extended until October 13, 2023. The clinical observership program is designed to acquaint research students with clinical practice, to witness psychiatric pathology and how it is treated. This involves one half day observerships, each week, for 4 consecutive weeks in the same setting. For the 2023-24 program, which will … Read more

Dr. Romina Mizrahi comments on the potency of legally sold cannabis in Canada and potential impact on users. “When we talk to patients, we explain what this means,” Mizrahi said. “We ask them to take a look at what they buy.”

Dr. Naguib Mechawar published an article in The Conversation, entitled, The Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank: a goldmine for research on brain diseases. “Here in Montréal, we have one of the world’s largest such banks, the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank (DBCBB), founded in 1980 at the Douglas Hospital. The DBCBB, which receives several brains each month, … Read more

S1 – EP5 – The role of memory in our well-being Why don’t we all remember the same things? How does the brain discriminate between information and retain only what it deems useful? Memory, like memory loss, fascinates the world of research. We live in a world where we are bombarded with tips, advice and … Read more

Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto quoted in The Montreal Gazette.   Whereas in the past patients would come to Rosa-Neto’s neuroimaging laboratory at the Douglas Research Centre when cognitive problems related to diseases like Alzheimer’s had already begun, now they come seeking prevention. “This is kind of a paradigm shift, because people have this notion they can … Read more

Founded in 2013, the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health is a McGill-affiliated research centre driving innovative, collaborative and global big-data research in functional genomics, neuroimaging, statistics, single-cell genomics and computational neuroscience. The Centre strives to build the core infrastructure required to strengthen and reinforce transdisciplinary partnerships and collaborations with the common goal to further our understanding of normal … Read more

Does TikTok make you crazy? A McGill University study of 425 Quebecers has come to an ambiguous conclusion: young people with frequent psychotic episodes spend far more time on digital media, such as social networks and video-on-demand platforms. Read a McGill article, reprinted in La Presse, about the work of Douglas psychiatry resident and student … Read more

Emmanuel Olarewaju, a doctoral student in Dr. Lena Palaniyappan‘s laboratory, recently co-authored an article in Psychology Today, discussing a novel conceptual framework aimed at understanding the complex origins of schizophrenia, specifically attributing the disorder’s onset to disruptions in what is referred to as “interpersonal space.” A related article was published on Sep. 16, 2023, also in … Read more

September 27, 2023 On September 19, 2023, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) awarded 147 McGill research projects with funding from its Discovery Research Programs, including Discovery Grants, Discovery Launch Supplements, Subatomic Physics Discovery Grants, Ship Time Grants, Discovery Grants Northern Research Supplements, and Research Tools and Instruments Grants for a … Read more

September 26, 2023 The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its Members have elected this year’s new Fellows and named the incoming class of the RSC College. In addition to 101 new Fellows, the Royal Society of Canada has elected 58 new Members of the RSC College. Among them are Drs. Mallar Chakravarty and Marie-Claude … Read more

September 25, 2023 This year, thirty McGill research projects were funded through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund for innovative tools and infrastructure. Among them three projects were awarded to researchers from the Douglas – Drs. Diane Boivin, Pedro Rosa-Neto, and Lena Palaniyappan. The funding was announced on September 18, 2023, by François-Philippe Champagne, Minister … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. These awards, which have been attributed every year since 2012, are an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre and … Read more

Ici Radio Canada’s Patrice Roy newscast featured the PREVENT-AD cohort and its directors, Drs. Sylvia Villeneuve and Judes Poirier, in its segment, “New drugs to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s”.

September 22, 2023 We are pleased to announce that Drs. Corina Nagy and Mahsa Dadar have both been named as 2022 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research. Yesterday, Brain Canada Foundation announced the 28 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research for this year, who will each receive $100,000 grants to support their developing research careers. … Read more

September 21, 2023 Laurence Roy, erg., OT, PhD, is the 2023 recipient of the Rosemary Wedderburn Brown Prize. This award is named for the McGill alumna who was the first Black woman elected to a provincial legislature in Canada and recognizes a faculty member from the Schools of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing and Physical and Occupational … Read more

Marie-Josée Fleury is one of three McGill faculty members to receive Partnership Engage Grants and Partnership Development Grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Read more about this in McGill’s Health e-News article by Robin Koning.  

Dr. Eric Latimer was interviewed on CBC’s Daybreak to discuss a recent summit on homelessness in Quebec City, and discusses major orientations for addressing homelessness in the province.

Eric Latimer interviewed on Radio Canada Ici Première – Place Publique, to discuss homelessness.

September 14, 2023 We are pleased to welcome Majid Mohajerani, PhD, who joined the Douglas Research Centre in August 2023. Dr. Mohajerani joins us as a basic neuroscience researcher, with an appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Dr. Mohajerani joins us from the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, … Read more

While women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, little was known about the reasons for this. A new gender-specific study led by researcher Patricia Silveira, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, tells us a little more. It reveals many differences between men and women in terms … Read more

“Literally, lecanemab melts amyloid plaques, and within a few months, brains that were full of amyloid are suddenly almost completely emptied of this protein. The effect is spectacular,” describes Dr. Judes Poirier, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and Director of the Molecular Neurobiology Unit at the Douglas Research Centre. Read Le … Read more

September 5, 2023 Congratulations to Drs. Marie-Josée Fleury (principal investigator) and Xiangfei Meng (co-investigator), who was recently awarded a Partnership Development Grant from the The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for her submitted project,  Défis et enjeux reliés à la stabilité résidentielle et l’insertion sociale de personnes antérieurement en situation d’itinérance logées dans différents modèles … Read more

September 5, 2023 We are pleased to welcome Dr. David Benrimoh, who joined the Douglas Research Centre in July 2023. Dr. Benrimoh joins us as a clinical researcher, holding an appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, as well as being a neuropsychiatrist here at the Douglas Mental Health University … Read more

August 22, 2023 Last week the Douglas held its annual Undergrad Research Expo event, which invites undergraduate students to present their ongoing research work. We are pleased to announce the winners: First Place: Brianna Latremouille (Dr. Dominique Walker Laboratory): Effect of Two Early Adverse Rearing Conditions on Developmental Milestone in Neonatal Rats Second Place: Isabel … Read more

August 15, 2023 We are pleased to welcome Dr. Katie Lavigne, who joined the Douglas Research Centre in June 2023. Dr. Lavigne holds an appointment as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Dr. Lavigne completed a PhD in Neuroscience with Dr. Todd Woodward at the University of British Columbia, … Read more

August 3, 2023 In May, the Douglas Research Centre welcomed Dr. Delphine Raucher-Chéné to its ranks. Dr. Raucher-Chéné completed her French MD degree in psychiatry in 2010 and has worked for ten years as a full-time clinician in an academic psychiatric department in France. She furthered her research training by undertaking an M.Sc. in neuropsychology (2012), a Ph.D. in psychology (2018), and a postdoctoral fellowship (2019-2021) at McGill/Douglas … Read more

August 2, 2023 Dr. Mark Brandon and a post-doctoral researcher in his group, J. Quinn Lee, published a commentary today in Neuron, entitled, “Time and experience are independent determinents of representational drift in CA1”. In this preview article, Lee and Brandon discuss two recent publications that delve into representational drift, the change in mental representations … Read more

Dr. Simon Ducharme talks to Journal de Québec about the new treatment available for Alzheimer’s disease, donanemab.

Dr Paolo Vitali talks to QUB’s Alexandre Moranville about new medical interventions to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

July 21, 2023 The Canadian Institutes of Health Research have released the results for the Spring 2023 Project Grant Competition. We are pleased to report that several of our researchers were funded in this most recent competition, with funding awarded directly to the Douglas totalling nearly $4M. Drs. Cecilia Flores, Rachel Rabin, Lalit Srivastava, and … Read more

Douglas researchers are conducting important research on Alzheimer’s disease. Drs Sylvia Villeneuve and Judes Poirier were interviewed by TVA Nouvelle to talk about their research into Alzheimer’s disease, in particular the identification of tau and amyloid in the brains of individuals at very high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in later years. This work, carried … Read more

Are you enrolled in an undergraduate degree, and doing a research project at the Douglas this summer? Come present it to the scientific community of the research centre during the 7th Douglas Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place in person, on Tuesday August 15th at 3:00pm!    Deadline: Friday, July 28th 2023, at 5pm.  … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury, who was just awarded funding from FRQSC for her project, entitled ‘Profils, trajectoires et qualité des services des usagers avec un trouble lié au jeu de hasard et d’argent traités dans les centres de réadaptation en dépendance du Québec’.   The funding was awarded in the context of a special … Read more

  June 22, 2023 The Douglas is a member of the McGill Tremplin initiative, a multi-centre, FRQ-funded consortium which aims to support career and professional development for McGill trainees. The Douglas-led component of this program is putting together a Training Program Committee, which will help to shape the training curriculum and contribute to the development … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre and the McGill Department of Psychiatry held their annual Research Day on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Thanks to the participation and contribution of many trainees, researchers, and volunteers, this event was a great success. The day featured many short and long oral presentations, as well as a poster session. Prizes and … Read more

June 14, 2023 On May 30, 2023, the Journal of the Psychiatry & Neuroscience published an article entitled ‘Opening up mental health research‘, written by Isabel Bacellar, Geneviève Morin, Sylvanne Daniels, Gustavo Turecki, Lena Palaniyappan, and Martin Lepage. The purpose of this article is to share the Douglas’ experience with other organizations in the spirit … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre is thrilled to announce a significant investment from The Molson Foundation, marking a milestone in our longstanding partnership. This transformative gift of $3M from The Molson Foundation is the largest gift in the history of the Douglas Foundation. This generous contribution will enable Dr. Lena Palaniyappan, Inaugural Director of the Centre … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki and his team met with CBC to present the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank. The Douglas Institute’s brain repository is helping researchers better understand, and improve, our collective mental health.

Nicolas Cermakian was featured in a publication in Drug Discovery News, shedding light on the significance of circadian rhythms in the immune system and their potential impact on medical treatments. The article entitled “Immunologists hack body rhythms for medicine” was published in May 2023. The article explores the growing understanding of how internal clocks regulate … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Bruno Giros on winning the CSPT 2022/2023 Senior Investigator Award by Canadian Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CSPT) The Senior Investigator Award recognizes and stimulates research in the field of basic or clinical pharmacology. Each year, the award is presented to a member in good standing of the Canadian Society for Pharmacology and … Read more

As part of the first steps toward building an Indigenous Integrated Youth Services (IYS) Network, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) gathered one hundred stakeholders from nine provinces and one territory in Montreal on April 24-25, 2023. This Indigenous network builds on the work of the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Council, which is part … Read more

June 1, 2023 On May 27 and 28, the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) presented the provincial finals of Science Pop, a Quebec-wide competition focused on science communication. This event, held in person at the IRCM, was hosted by Radio-Canada’s Chantal Srivastava, was an opportunity for … Read more

May 31, 2023 Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, awards worth up to $500 are available to support travel and attendance for graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) presenting their work at a national or international scientific conference. Division Basic Neuroscience: • Ashraf Mahmud (team of Cecilia Flores)Social Defeat Stress Alters PFC … Read more

May 29, 2023 Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Danielle T. Paiement, the Douglas Institute Research Centre is happy to announce this year’s competition of the Roger J. Paiement Outreach Awards to Andrée-Ann Baril (Judes Poirier team) and Frédéric St-Onge (Sylvia Villeneuve team). The goal of this award is to support the participation of graduate students (MSc … Read more

March 25, 2023  We are proud to announce that Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve has been awarded a Brain Canada 2021 Platform Support Grant (PSG). The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health and relates to funding is made possible through Health Canada’s Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF) Program, which has to date committed … Read more

May 23, 2023 We are pleased to share that in April, Alice Morgunova, PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Cecilia Flores (Flores lab), won the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) poster award. She has since featured in McGill’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ Excellence Spotlight. ICAM is the first premier academic medicine congress in North America supported … Read more

May 22, 2023 Successful navigation requires information about the external world and our perception of body movement (also referred to as self-motion cues which include vestibular feedback, proprioception, and optic flow). A recent study from Dr. Mark P. Brandon’s Lab investigated a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease and found that prior to the expression of … Read more

A BBC article ‘How genetics determine our life choices’ featured Douglas Research Centre researcher Dr. Cecilia Flores. The article was published on the BBC Future website, Beyond the Genome on May 10, 2023. In the interview with BBC, Dr. Flores shared her expertise and provided valuable insights into the intricate relationship between our genetic makeup … Read more

May 18, 2023 A study published in PNAS showed that brain regions associated with emotions and responses to adversity showed gender-based variations in thickness associated with the level of gender inequality. Drs. Romina Mizrahi and Pedro Rosa-Neto contributed to this large study, which used nearly 8,000 MRI scans to reach its findings. Gender inequality is associated … Read more

In a study published in PLoS Biology last month, Dr. Yashar Zeighami and collaborators compared the way genes are expressed in different brain diseases to see if they could identify patterns that would help classify and compare the diseases. They found that genes associated with brain diseases have unique patterns of expression that reflect both … Read more

May 11, 2023 Congratulations to Samuel Calmels (Debruille lab), for coming in second at the Acfas national final of Ma thèse en 180s. Last month, Calmels won both the People’s Choice award and first prize in the French-language category at McGill’s 3-Minute Thesis final, which ensured that he would be able to participate in yesterday’s national final, held … Read more

May 10, 2023 During a special evening, held in the context of the 90th Acfas Congress, Resolu Arts and Sciences launched its Nevada triptych on the theme of mental health. The Nevada project has three components: A short story by Romain Pollender which, using magic realism, tells the story of a wandering walker who, deprived … Read more

May 5, 2023 On May 2, 2023, the Douglas hosted its first ever VIVA Awards. The VIVA Mental Health Science POP Awards competition is a competition for students and postdocs at the Douglas Research Centre to gain experience communicating their research topic to a wider audience. Since January, a dozen Douglas students have been preparing … Read more

May 03, 2023 The Douglas has received a major investment from the RBC Foundation to create a family intervention program for young patients at the Douglas’ Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health. This new collaboration will improve the quality and frequency of engagement with families and the support network of youth who seek help on … Read more

2023 Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award Awardees Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley’s family and friends, the Douglas Institute Research Centre and the Douglas Institute Foundation are happy to announce this year’s competition of the Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award to recognize the outstanding work of a Douglas Institute resident, postdoctoral fellow or Ph.D. … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Tak Pan Wong, who was recently awarded a team research grant from the Fond de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) for his submitted project, La fonction du récepteur NMDA dans le traitement de l’information sociale. Congratulations Dr. Wong!

April 27, 2023 Congratulations to our researchers and students who received FRQS funding! The Fonds de recherche du Québec announced its funding results today, for both researcher and student salary awards. We are pleased to announce that seven of our researchers were awarded FRQS salary awards, including junior, senior, clinical, and “mérite” categories.   Chercheur-boursier/chercheuse-boursière … Read more

April 18, 2023 CIHR has selected Dr. Andrée-Ann Baril to participate in the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, in Germany.   Andrée-Ann Baril, a postdoctoral fellow at the Douglas under the supervision of Dr. Judes Poirier, has been nominated and selected to attend the 72nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Dr. Baril had previously been awarded … Read more

April 13, 2023 McGill Biomedical Graduate Conference (AMBGC) selected Pascal Ibrahim as the recipient of the second-place award for the best oral presentation. The conference was held on March 21, 2023, and Pascal Ibrahim was the sole presenter in the Neuroscience category. The 23rd Annual AMBGC brought together Masters- and Doctoral-level McGill students studying biomedicine, … Read more

April 2, 2023   Among the five Douglas student finalists in McGill’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT) challenge, Samuel Calmels (Debruille lab) won both the People’s Choice award and first prize in the French-language category. Samuel Calmels will represent McGill at the prestigious ACFAS Ma thèse en 180 secondes competition. The final round of the 3MT challenge competition … Read more

March 29, 2023 On March 22, 2023, the Douglas Foundation held its annual fundraising event, Open Minds. This year’s event was the first to be held in person since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was a huge success, selling out with over 450 attendees. Congratulations to the Douglas Foundation for hosting an excellent … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Marie Giguère Travel Awards and the Roger J. Paiement Outreach Award are being renewed this year. 2023 Marie Giguère Travel Awards Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, Ad. E., past Vice-President of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute Foundation, awards worth up to $500 are available … Read more

March 22, 2023  A new study by Dr. Mark Brandon, researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and Associate Professor at McGill University, and published in the journal Nature, explores how the brain’s internal compass aligns with its surroundings. These results already represent a significant step forward in the fundamental understanding of how the brain orients itself in … Read more

March 22, 2023 Today, a special themed issue of Schizophrenia Bulletin – a flagship academic journal in the field of psychosis – was released, focusing on thought, language, and communication in psychosis. The issue entitled “Language and Psychosis: Tightening the Association” features 11 manuscripts authored by investigators of the DISCOURSE consortium led by Dr. Lena Palaniyappan. … Read more

The annual Research Day of the Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry will be back this year! The event will take place in person at the Douglas Hall on Tuesday, June 6 from 8:30am to 6:00pm.   This is an important event, which highlights the vital contributions of our students and postdocs to … Read more

March 15, 2023 Once again, McGill has organized a Three Minute Thesis| Ma thèse en 180 secondes challenge, and had over 150 applicants. Over several weeks, candidates gave their 3-minute talks and 15 finalists have been selected. We are extremely pleased to announce that some of our own Douglas trainees have made it to the finalist … Read more

*** Deadline April 7th 2023, 5PM *** To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand new … Read more

March 6, 2023 Congratulations to Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira, who was just named Associate Director of McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN). Dr. Silveira is a paediatrician and neuroscientist with extensive research, teaching and clinical experiences, and has also demonstrated significant mentorship in preparing research leaders for the future. In this new role at McGill’s … Read more

On Feb. 28, 2023, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), is investing nearly $5 million in 25 research projects to examine existing standards, best practices and guidelines for the delivery of mental health and substance use services … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Rémi Quirion Excellence Awards and the Holly Carsley Memorial Awards are being renewed this year. 2023 Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley’s family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce this year’s competition of … Read more

This month, Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives’ “Fellow Feature”  spotlighted Emmanuel Olarewaju, a PhD student at the Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health, working with Dr. Lena Palaniyappan. Mr. Olarewaju joined the Douglas in 2022, where he is pursuing a PhD in McGill’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN). In August 2022, he was awarded a … Read more

On February 11, 2023, two Douglas trainees, Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard and Justine Fortin, authors of Sors de ma tête, a mental health podcast series, released a special video in honour of the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science. They interviewed four women in research to hear about their experiences and challenges they have faced.

CIHR results for the Fall 2022 Project Grant competition were published on February 1, 2023. We are pleased to report that in this latest competition, Douglas researchers have collectively secured over $6.77M – congratulations to all successful applicants (see below). A sincere thanks goes to Dr. Dominique Walker, who chairs the Douglas Internal Grant Review … Read more

*** Deadline February 3rd 2023, 5PM *** To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! If any of these sounds appealing, then the Douglas Research Blitz is for you! The Research Blitz will feature a series of short presentations (3-5 … Read more

On January 1, 2023, the Douglas Research Centre welcomed its newest member, Dr. Linda Booij. Dr. Booij obtained her Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands, where she conducted studies on serotonin, cognition, and depression. As a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University, she was trained … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Natasha Rajah, who has just been named co-lead of Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA)’s Team 9, Biomarkers of Aging and Neurodegeneration. She takes over from Pierre Bellec (Montreal), and will be sharing the lead with Roger A. Dixon (Alberta). Together, Drs. Dixon and Rajah will uphold the team’s mandate to develop and … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. The 2022 awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 20, 2022. 1st prize Cherie Strikwerda-Brown (Sylvia Villeneuve Lab) for her article “Association of elevated … Read more

Clinical Observership Program 2023 at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute The clinical observership program is back! After a hiatus of 3 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can offer it again in 2023. This is a program designed to acquaint research students with clinical practice, to witness psychiatric pathology and how it is … Read more

Please take note of the following changes to the competition: Technical issues prevented the transmission of applications between Jan. 1-28, 2023. Please reapply. The Mobilization challenge is now available to Douglas candidates. The deadline to apply has been extended to February 8, 2023. The VIVA Program, our Knowledge Mobilization initiative is launching its VIVA Awards, to … Read more

On November 20, 2022, Dr. Salah El Mestikawy was featured in the Radio-Canada science documentary series, “Découverte,” to talk about new potential treatments venues for anorexia, in particular, the use of donepezil. During the 12-minute segment, we learn about different aspects of eating disorders, and we have the opportunity to see close-up how improvements to treatment … Read more

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention recently announced their annual list of research grantees. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Corina Nagy is among the 10 promising researchers who were awarded Young Investigator Grants.  Her research project is entitled, "Modulation of Brain Plasticity in the Development of Suicidal Behaviours." Congratulations to Dr. Nagy!   For … Read more

November 28, 2022 – We are proud to share that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, through the Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction and Canada’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, have partnered with the Graham Boeckh Foundation (GBF), the Bell-GBF Partnership and the RBC Foundation through RBC Future Launch to establish the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net). The IYS-Net is a pan-Canadian “network of … Read more

The ARISE&WIN Project aims to understand the gendered impact of COVID-19 on young self-employed Nigerian women and will co-produce solutions that foster better systems and well being. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Srividya Iyer, Psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre, will partner … Read more

What is DIALOG’? DIALOG’ is a collaborative blog about substance use, and is led by two students, Kristelle Alunni-Menichini (Perreault lab) & Caroline Leblanc, and their collaborator, Émilie Roberge. This project has been supported through the Douglas Open Science Awards, in its inaugural competition in 2022. It’s a forum that promotes learning about substance use, issues surrounding substance use, inspiring practices, public … Read more

Dr Judes Poirier interviewed in L’Actualité Alzheimer : des découvertes à prendre avec réserve https://lactualite.com/sante-et-science/alzheimer-des-decouvertes-a-prendre-avec-reserve 

The Irving Ludmer Family Foundation has announced a $15.3 million gift to McGill and three of its affiliated research hospitals to establish the Ludmer Centre Single-Cell Genomics Brain Initiative (SCGBI). The Douglas, the Lady Davis Institute, and the Neuro will drive this initiative with a mission to increase our understanding of the role that individual brain … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre is proud to announce that Dr. Gustavo Turecki has been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2022 list from Clarivate. The highly anticipated annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their names are drawn … Read more

Dr. Michel Perreault was recognized for his work in the field of addiction by the RISQ (groupe de Recherche et d’intervention sur les substances psychoactives – Québec) and the journal Drogues, Santé et Société during the 2e Sommet sur les dépendances that took place on October 26, 2022. This prize was awarded in recognition of … Read more

On November 4, 2022, researchers, clinicians, and managers of the Douglas Institute got together to celebrate Dr. Vasavan Nair and his lifetime of contributions to psychiatry at the Douglas. Dr. Nair is one of the founders of the Douglas Research Centre and was the driving force behind the successful application to FRQS for recognition as … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Martin Lepage, who was awarded the "Prix professionnel de l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec" in recognition of his outstanding work. The prize was awarded during the annual "Congrès de l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec," which was held at the Palais des congrès on November 4, 2022. Congratulations Dr. Lepage!      

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Manuela Ferrari has just been awarded a SSHRC Insight Development Grant Competition Year 2022! Dr. Ferrari's project, entitled, "Building a theoretical framework for youth-led video game interventions: Lessons from the Road Ahead videogame project," brings together 12 co-applicants in addition to herself, and was one of 35 such grants … Read more

From October 24-30, we are marking International Open Access Week 2022. At the Douglas, we are lucky to have a dynamic Open Science team that is committed to advancing our 5 Open Science Principles. The first principle is to publicly release research outputs* following FAIR principles. For many of our research teams, a great first … Read more

*** Deadline November 2nd 2022, 5 PM ***   To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an in-person format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a … Read more

  We are pleased to announce that Dr. Gustavo Turecki received the Philippe and Maria Halphen Prize from the Académie des sciences of France. This prize is being awarded during an official ceremony at the Institut de France on October 18, 2022.   Watch the ceremony live at 9 AM EST The Academy of Sciences … Read more

We are pleased to announce that two of our researchers, Drs Corina Nagy and Rachel Rabin, were awarded Brain and Behavior Research  Fund Young Investigator Awards for 2022. The BBRF Young Investigator Grants are awarded annulally to enable promising investigators to either extend research fellowship training or begin careers as independent research faculty. Each awardee … Read more

  Dr. Geneviève Sauvé and her collaborators have received over $76,000 from the Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité Sociale (MTESS) to support their project, entitled, “Augmenter la durée du maintien en emploi des personnes en situation de handicap psychique et recevant des services d’employabilité au Québec.” This funding was awarded following … Read more

We are pleased to announce that the Heart and Stroke Foundation has announced this year's Grant-In-Aid awardees. Among them is Dr. Natasha Rajah, who is co-PI on a project led by Dr. Louise Pilote (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute), entitled Long-Term Cognitive Impairment among Women with Hypertension during Pregnancy. Heart & Stroke awards grants … Read more

  On September 21, 2022, the World Alzheimer Report 2022, Life after diagnosis: Navigating treatment, care and support, was launched. This report been commissioned by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and was prepared under the leadership of Drs. Pedro Rosa-Neto and Serge Gauthier, along with McGill colleagues Dr. José A. Morais, Claire Webster, Dr. Tamara Ellen Carver, Zeina Salameh, Carol Servaes, Maria Vincelli, Diane … Read more

We are pleased to announce that on September 22, 2022, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced more than $64 million to support 251 research infrastructure projects at 40 universities across the country. This contribution, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), will help universities … Read more

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and its Members have elected this year’s new Fellows and named the incoming class of the RSC College. In addition to the 102 new Fellows, the Royal Society of Canada has elected 54 new Members of the RSC College – among them is Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira, of the Douglas … Read more

  Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives has just announced the recipients of the Fellowship Competition 8. We are pleased to announce that six of our trainees have obtained support through this Canada First for Research Excellence Fund. Aurelie Bussy (Chakravarty lab): Investigation of the brain in physiological and pathological aging using multi-contrast imaging techniques Cindy Lucero Garcia … Read more

In the last round of competitions, two of our investigators received funding through Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).  Dr. Meng obtained a SSHRC Insight Frant for her project, "Life satisfaction and mental health after the COVID-19 outbreak: Identifying their changes and linked characteristics in … Read more

On September 1, 2022, the Douglas Research Centre welcomes its newest member, Dr. Maxime Montembeault. Dr. Montembeault begins his academic career as a Researcher at the Douglas and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. He previously received a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology at Université de Montréal in 2018, where he investigated Alzheimer’s … Read more

In July 2022, Drs. Martin Lepage and Mallar Chakravarty, along with their collaborators, were awarded over $2M from Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives, for their project entitled, "Shifting toward digital innovations: Transforming research and care at the Douglas Institute." This transformative project aims to develop fully integrated, evidence-based, digital approaches to mental health care, using cutting edge research in … Read more

  On August 25, 2022, FRQS announced its Relève étoile prizes. Vincent Paquin, a Master’s student in Mental Health and resident in Psychiatry, McGill University, who works at the Douglas with Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, was named as the recipient of the Relève étoile Jacques-Genest. The Relève étoile competition promotes careers in research and aims to recognize the … Read more

On Tuesday, August 23, 2022, the Douglas held its annual Undergraduate Expo, organized by the Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life. This event was a great success, with a record of 22 presentations and 70 participants. As always, it is encouraging to see young scientists discovering exciting projects in neuroscience and mental health. The winners … Read more

Do you want to get involved in the planning of academic activities in the research centre? 

The Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life (or "the DAL" for friends!), composed of trainees (students and postdocs) of the research centre, aims at planning scientific activities involving trainees and others in the research centre, and discussing new and … Read more

Ms. Élisabeth Brière, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, visited the Douglas last Friday, Aug 19, 2022, to meet with some of our recently-funded researchers, and to learn more about the mental health research being carried out at the Douglas. MP Brière formally announced $4.7 million for … Read more

In March 2022, we welcomed Dr. Lena Palaniyappan to the Douglas Research Centre. Dr. Palaniyappan convenes Discourse in Psychosis, an international consortium of researchers interested in speech, language and communication in psychosis. Discourse in Psychosis has 179 international members who are working towards creating a Speech Bank for psychosis. Hear Dr. Palaniyappan explain the importance of … Read more

What is "Sors de ma tête"? Following-up on the success of its first season, previously entitled, "COVID-19 : Sors de ma tête," podcast hosts Justine Fortin and Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard are launching their second season, with the new title, "Sors de ma tête." The principle is the same as for season 1, with hosts discussing and explaining different mental … Read more

  Dr. Cherie Strikwerda-Brown is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve's laboratory. She is the lead author on the recent article, Association of Elevated Amyloid and Tau Positron Emission Tomography Signal With Near-Term Development of Alzheimer Disease Symptoms in Older Adults Without Cognitive Impairment, published online on July 30, 2022, in JAMA Neurology. She answered some … Read more

  Changing how we value research: The Douglas Research Centre joins two other McGill-affiliated organizations in signing the Declaration on Research Assessment The Douglas has joined the Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) and the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (CONP) in signing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), an agreement that seeks to change how … Read more

Dr. Myra Piat has been named one of the 2022 Champions of Mental Health by the Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health. Each year the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) recognizes 7 Canadians whose work has helped to advance the mental health agenda across the country. These remarkable people are recognized … Read more

Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives, recently announced the results of their Discovery Funds Competition 2, which aims to attribute substantial (over $1M) funding allocations to strategic projects within each of its four themes. We are proud to announce that the four funded projects are led or co-led by Douglas scientists, in support of ground-breaking research on … Read more

Dr. Bruno Giros was recently named as a new member of the Academia Europea, which is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of excellence in scholarship. The Academia Europea’s mission is to influence research and science policies not only in Europe, but internationally. This organization admits members to one of four sections: Humanities, Social and Related … Read more

Congratulations to our CIHR Project Grant Recipients! CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published on July 14.  Congratulations to our researchers on their successful applications: Mark Brandon  – Identify how entorhinal-hippocampal circuitry and adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus supports hippocampal processing at the network and behavioral levels Martin Lepage  – From episodic memory to functioning in … Read more

Beginning in July 2022, Dr. Palaniyappan has taken on the chief editorship of the Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience along with Dr. Paul Albert from University of Ottawa. The Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience is the official journal of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CCNP) and is the most prestigious Canadian journal of psychopharmacology.   Congratulations Dr. … Read more

Are you enrolled in an undergraduate degree, and you are doing a research project at the Douglas this summer? Come present it to the scientific community of the research centre during the 5th Douglas Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place in person, on Tuesday August 23 at 3:00pm!   See the call for : Presentation abstracts by … Read more

Dr. Lena Palaniyappan recently published a commentary in Schizophrenia Bulletin, entitled, “Is collaborative open science possible with speech data in psychiatric disorders?” In this commentary, Dr. Palaniyappan describes some of the challenges faced in building an open resource like a speech data bank in the context of psychiatry – but also shares his enthusiasm for … Read more

On Monday, June 20, the Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry held their first in-person Research Day since 2019.

Revue Santé mentale au Québec is a scientific journal that appears twice a year. Its main objective is to make available to clinicians, managers and researchers new knowledge on mental health, mental disorders and on innovative clinical and social interventions, in addition to being an opinion forum on various topics of interest to the scientific … Read more

After a call for interest during which we received 7 applications, we are pleased to announce the new members joining the EDI committee. They are: Dr. Cecilia Flores, Chair Dr. Diane Boivin, Co-Chair Dr. Mahsa Dadar, EDI Officer for Human neuroscience Barbara Barth, Trainee As a result of Dr. Flores being nominated as Chair, a … Read more

The JPB Research Network on Toxic Stress has just released its seminal article on using biological measures of adversity as a guide for pediatric practice. The JPB Research Network on Toxic Stress is a project from the Center on the Developing Child, based at Harvard University, whose central mission is to develop measures for a "new era … Read more

Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Danielle T. Paiement, awards worth up to $1,000 are available to support the participation of graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates), postdoctoral fellows or residents at an international scientific conference to present their research work in the field of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, memory disorders or aging.   … Read more

  Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, awards worth up to $500 are available to support travel and attendance for graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) presenting their work at a national or international scientific conference. Basic Neuroscience Division:  Tanya Capolicchio (team of Cecilia Flores) : Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Adolescence Dysregulates the Signaling … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, who was honoured by McGill during convocation and was named as one of 3 “Outstanding Emerging Researchers” for 2022! The prize is administered by Research and Innovation and includes a monetary award. Since its inception in 2013, McGill has awarded 24 Outstanding Emerging Researcher prizes, including this one. Dr. Geoffroy … Read more

The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé has announced the recipients of salary and research awards. We are thrilled to announce the names of our new Chercheurs-boursiers! Chercheurs-boursiers Dr. Carl Ernst – Modélisation des maladies neurodéveloppementales dans des cellules d’origine humaine  Dr. Srividya Iyer – Amélioration de la santé mentale et du bien-être des jeunes : un programme de … Read more

  The Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI Committee) is looking for 4 new members. Apply by Friday June 3, 2022!   The first EDI Committee at the Douglas, which emanated from a McGill University initiative, is on the tail-end of its first mandate. Last December, the EDI Committee published a cultural survey … Read more

  On the occasion of their biennial conference, held May 14-18, 2022, the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms recognized Dr. Nicolas Cermakian for his long-standing service by awarding him the SRBR Director's Award for Service.   Congratulations Dr. Cermakian!

The Douglas Foundation has announced that TD is donating $150,000 in support of Digital Mental Health research at the Douglas. The project, led by Dr. Mallar Chakravarty, aims to leverage the capacity of Artificial Intelligence for early detection of mental illnesses. The major aims of the project are to support early interventions for people who are … Read more

Dr. Natasha Rajah is a researcher at the Douglas Research Centre and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. She also holds a Research Chair in Sex & Gender from CIHR’s Institute of Mental Health and Addiction. She leads the Cognitive neuroscience of memory, aging and dementia prevention lab, which addresses memory … Read more

McGill’s 5th Clinical Innovation Competition, or CLICL, for short, was held virtually on May 10, 2022. This annual competition was created in 2018 to inspire members of McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to conceive and develop promising ideas that will have a direct and positive impact on Canadian or global health care. Of the five prizes … Read more

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Tak Pan Wong has been awarded a Proof-of-concept grant by The Alzheimer's Society for his project, Role of cannabidiol in ameliorating neuronal hyperactivity: A cellular change during the prodromal phase of Alzheimer’s disease, under the Discovery funding priority. The Alzheimer Society Research Program is a collaborative initiative that mobilizes provincial Alzheimer … Read more

We are pleased to announce the following three awardees of the first edition of the Douglas Open Science Awards! These inaugural awards are made possible through funding from the Tanenbaum Open Science Initiative (TOSI). Of the many worthy projects received, the three prize recipients are: Anjali Chawla & Malosree Maitra (joint award), with Drs. Corina Nagy … Read more

On May 10, 2022, Mr. Pierre Fitzgibbons, on behalf of the Ministère de l'économie et de l'innovation (MEI), announced the 51 projects that are being funded through their special call for technological and social innovative projects. In total, the MEI is investing $17M to support the development of exciting projects in a variety of areas, including aging, … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley’s work featured on Radio-Canada Première

Dr. Natasha Rajah was just named to the new position of Assistant Dean, Academic Career Development, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill. This role, together with the new post of Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs, will in part assume responsibilities previously associated with the position of Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, which has been held by Anne … Read more

We are very proud to announce the names of our students who recently received prestigious scholarships from CIHR and NSERC:   Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s Program Tanya Capolicchio – NSERC (Flores Lab) Sophia Stegeman – CIHR (Cermakian Lab)   Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral Program Julia Kearley – NSERC (Rajah Lab) Anjie Ni – … Read more

Text by Alexandra Keinath For decades, scientists have believed that our memory for events works by first creating a neural code for that event, and then later reinstating that code when remembering that event. However, recent work based on a powerful new technique called ‘calcium imaging’ has challenged this view, showing that over weeks and … Read more

Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley's family and friends, the Douglas Institute Research Centre and the Douglas Institute Foundation are happy to announce this year's competition of the Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award to recognize the outstanding work of a Douglas Institute resident, postdoctoral fellow or Ph.D. student … Read more

Dr. Bruno Giros was awarded the 2022 Canadian College of Neuropsycho-pharmacology (CCNP) Heinz Lehmann Award, which is given out in recognition of outstanding contributions by a single individual in neuropsychopharmacology research in Canada. This year the award went out to recognize basic research in the field. As part of the award, Dr. Giros will participate in the CCNP Annual … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley co-author of an Opinion piece in the National Post.

2022 Marie Giguère Travel Awards, for conferences attended in 2022 Thanks to the generous support from Ms. Marie Giguère, Ad. E., these awards support travel and attendance for graduate students (MSc and PhD candidates) presenting their work at a national or international scientific conference. Click here for information and for the application form for the 2022 … Read more

Canadian Immigrant magazine has officially begun the online voting stage for the 14th annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards 2022. Dr. Srividya Iyer been chosen to be one of the top 75 shortlist. These awards are known as a People’s Choice Award, so voting is an important part of the process to narrow down the shortlist to the … Read more

Are you a Douglas Research Trainee? If so, we would like to let you know about the opportunity to participate in a survey about career preparation and skill development. It will take no more than 20 minutes to complete the survey. The first 350 trainees who complete it can choose to enter a draw to win one … Read more

Dr. Lena Palaniyappan has been conferred with a Visiting Professor appointment at Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. This appointment will strengthen the existing collaboration between his group focussed on neuroscience of early intervention in youth-onset mental illnesses and the Psychiatry division of the West China Hospital at Sichuan University, thus facilitating high impact clinical research and creating global opportunities … Read more

Dr. Simon Ducharme was awarded funding to support a project aiming to evaluate nabilone, a drug that targets the brain’s endocannabinoid system, as a symptomatic treatment in fronto-temporal degeneration. The endocannabinoid system is a chemical signalling pathway linked to neuroinflammation and other neurodegenerative processes, This work is based on previous data in Alzheimer's disease showing … Read more

To all Douglas Research Centre graduate students and postdocs – Apply by April 29, 2022 The selection of the OLAOLA awards, a new award competition that aims to support students based on their research projects and to support equity and diversity at the Douglas Research Centre, will be done via a peer-review process. Specifically, the applications will be … Read more

Dr. Srividya Iyer interviewed in the Globe and Mail.

Dr. Srividya Iyer quoted in The Globe & Mail.

Drs. Mallar Chakravarty and Marco Prado (Western University) have been awarded a significant grant through a brand new initiative from Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) and BrainsCAN, two Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF)-supported initiatives in brain health. Through HBHL's Initiative in Translational Neuroscience, Drs. Chakravarty and Prado are joining forces to tackle drug-discovery efforts in neurodegenerative diseases, … Read more

Dr. Srividya Iyer was named by Canadian Immigrant as an "Immigrant Woman of Inspiration." For this ninth edition, the nominees featured by Canadian Immigrant were all recognized for their work in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Dr. Iyer's career has been defined by her commitment to improving mental health outcomes for youth, and her involvement in an … Read more

A study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry has created a metric that reflects variation in the expression of genes controlling the organization of neuronal connections during development. When applied in different groups of children, the score can detect children that are more impulsive in behavioral tasks. Impulsivity has been associated with increased risk to … Read more

Dr. Serge Gauthier’s work cited in Canadian Healthcare Technology in April 2022.

Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives has announced the projects selected to receive this year's Neuro Commercialization Ignite Grants. These grants aim to support small-scale validation/proof-of-principle efforts in the development of a neuroscience-related technology. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Manuela Ferrari received one of the $50,000 awards to move her exciting project forward. Dr. Ferrari's succesful project is entitled, "Game changer: Toward … Read more

Dr. Srividya Iyer featured in Canadian Immigrant.

“The Research Excellence Award is given to a mid-career researcher who has shown exceptional research in the field of schizophrenia research and promising research trajectory. Jai Shah fits the bill exactly,” said Dame Til Wykes, SIRS President. “His wide set of interests is shown by his capture of different experiences and methods at Yale, Harvard, … Read more

Dr. Véronique Bohbot featured on Les années lumières on ICI Radio Canada Première.

Dr. Carl Ernst’s work featured in McGill’s Research Briefs.

  Congratulations to Dr. Geneviève Sauvé, who was just awarded funding from FRQSC for her project, CERVEAUX@TRAVAIL; an innovative research approach to promote psychological health in the workplace for individuals living with ADHD. The funding was awarded in the context of a special initiative entitled, “Program for research on psychological health at work”, a collaboration … Read more

Research by Drs. Serge Gautheri and Pedro Rosa-Neto featured in Health e-News.

The Douglas Research Centre featured in the McGill Reporter for its Open Science Initiative.

Dr. Jai Shah featured in the McGill Reporter.

The Douglas Research Centre has become the first mental health institution in Canada to adopt Open Science. Building on this momentum, we are proud to announce the Douglas Open Science Awards. These prizes aim to support graduate and postdoctoral projects that advance Open Science at the Douglas Research Centre and in mental health. Successful proposals will … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre will share its research data to accelerate the pace of treatment development  Over 10 per cent of the world population, or approximately 792 million people, lives with a mental disorder, according to a 2017 estimate. The ongoing pandemic is expected to have a tremendous, long-lasting impact on the mental health of populations. The need … Read more

A study led by Marie-Claude Geoffroy, PhD, and featuring psychiatry resident Vincent Paquin, MD, featured in La Presse.

Dr. Martin Lepage’s work featured in McGill University News and Events Channels.

Dr. Martin Lepage and his student, Danielle Penney, featured in Actualités UQAM.

Dr. Alain Brunet’s work cited in ComSanté (UQAM).

Commonly considered the most severe mental illness, approximately 370 000 Canadians live with schizophrenia. Debilitating symptoms of the illness can include hallucinations such as hearing voices, troubling delusional beliefs, social withdrawal and impairment in cognitive functioning. These symptoms combine to gravely impact social and occupational functioning, well-being and quality of life. Despite the on-going use … Read more

Dr. Martin Lepage’s research featured in Health e-News

Congratulations to Drs. Romina Mizrahi and Jai Shah, who were recognized by the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) this month! Dr. Mizrahi was elected by her peers to the SIRS Board for a 4-year appointment, commencing April 7, 2022. Dr. Shah was named the 2022 Research Excellence Awardee, a distinguished prize that will be officially awarded at the … Read more

Dr. Martin Lepage cited in Radio-Canada clip discussing visual memory cues.

  Congratulations to James Carmichael, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Sylvain Williams' lab, on being awarded the Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship, for his project entitled "From Space to Memory Under Pathological Tau." This is one of five research projects funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and Brain Canada to develop preliminary data and apply knowledge to the fields of Alzheimer’s … Read more

Dr. Serge Gauthier interviewed by Sonali Karnick on Allin a Weekend (CBC) regarding Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia care.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy and her student, Vincent Paquin, MD, featured in McGill’s Research Briefs.

  The Douglas Research Centre’s YouTube channel was launched in September 2019 to promote video content produced by our research teams and aimed at different types of audiences – members of the research centre, academics around the world, community partners, and the general public. Today we have hit 1000 subscribers. Thanks to everyone who has … Read more

Daylight saving time “forces us to start our day one hour earlier relative to the sun,” said Tara Delorme, a McGill PhD student in Dr. Cermakian’s lab. “People need to wake up when it’s bright.”

Dr. Rob Whitley quoted in The Montreal Gazette.

Dr. Mark Brandon’s article cited in Metro.

Dr. Serge Gauthier cited in McGill Tribune.

Dr. Eric Latimer interviewed by CBC about homelessness and mental health.

Dr. Alain Brunet, featured in L’avenir nous appartient, on Télé-Québec.

Dr. Simon Ducharme’s research on presicion psychiatry cited in La Presse.

Research by Suzanne King, PhD, and featuring Vincent Paquin, MD, psychiatry resident, reported in Medscape.

The Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank cited in L’Actualité.

We are pleased to announce the recruitment of Dr. Lena Palaniyappan as the new Monique H. Bourgeois Chair, offered through the François Bourgeois Foundation. In addition to becoming a Researcher at the Douglas Research Centre, he joins us as the Inaugural Director of the Centre for Youth Mental Health Service Innovation, Research, and Training (to … Read more

Congratulations to Drs. Nicolas Cermakian and Patricia Pelufo Silveira for recently obtaining a Ludmer-MI4 Seed Funding Grant! This grant aimed at supporting a new health research project focusing on the role of infection, immunity and/or the microbiome in the development, prevention or treatment of mental health disorders. The funded project is entitled, Maternal immune activation and circadian … Read more

A new approach to assess the early development and future therapies for the disease   A brand-new study, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, suggests that evaluating spatial memory and assessing the function of specific neurons called grid cells could be a new avenue for better monitoring the progression of Alzheimer's disease at the … Read more

Mylène Lapierre, a PhD student in Dr. Suzanne King’s laboratory, is featured in the February edition of the Douglas Academic Life’s “Trainee Spotlight”. In the trainee spotlight, candidates share their perspective on what brought them to the Douglas Research Centre, what they are currently working on, and what it’s like being a student here.  See the … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer interviewed by Sabrina Marandola on Let’s Go (CBC). 

Drs. Martin Lepage and Manuela Ferrari cited in The Montrealer.

*** Extended deadline February 14th 2022, 5PM *** To all Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is continuing this year in an online format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand … Read more

Dr. Mimi Israel interviewed on TVA Nouvelles

Congratulations to all of our researchers whose projects were funded through CIHR's latest Project Grants competition! Simon Ducharme Neurodevelopmental vs. Neurodegenerative: A study of neurodevelopmental consequences of FTD genetic mutations in at-risk youth   Martin Lepage Promoting cognitive health in schizophrenia: A national collaborative effort to implement online psychological interventions Martin Lepage Long-term trajectories of functional recovery in … Read more

Quinta Seon interviewed in The Charlatan.

Dr. Howard Steiger featured in The Montreal Gazette.

Dr. Geneviève Sauvé, who was recently awarded funding from the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation for her project, Cerveaux@Travail une intervention pour améliorer l’inclusion professionnelle des personnes vivant avec le TDAH. This projects builds on work begun by Dr. Sauvé and non-profit organizations specializing in ADHD in Quebec. The 3-year funding was awarded in the context … Read more

Douglas Research Centre cited by RDS.

Dr. Diane Boivin cited on Radio Canada

Dr. Veronique Bohbot featured in Radio-Canada.

Dr. Véronique Bohbot’s research featured in Journal de Montréal.

Dr. Nicolas Cermakian interviewed in L’Actualité.

Congratulations to Drs. Manuela Ferrari and Martin Lepage, who each received one of five prestigious awards through the Bell Let’s Talk-Brain Canada Mental Health Research Program. This program, which is funded through a partnership between Bell Canada and Brain Canada/Health Canada, provided a total of $4,190,000 to support outstanding research teams who are developing innovative solutions to provide … Read more

Drs Manuela Ferrari and Martin Lepage cited in La Presse.

Dr. Rob Whitley pens piece for Psychology Today.

Dr. Serge Gauthier on Radio Canada for Alzheimer’s Awareness Month

Opinion piece written by Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy.

Work by Drs Naguib Mechawar and Gustavo Turecki cited in Inserm pressroom

This month, Drs. Mahsa Dadar and Yashar Zeighami began their careers as Assistant Professors in the Departement of Psychiatry, and Researchers at the Douglas Research Centre.  Dr. Dadar received her Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran and Concordia University, and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from McGill University. She did … Read more

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy featured in the McGill Reporter.

Drs. Gustavo Turecki and Naguib Mechawar cited in SciTechDaily.

Drs.  Gustavo Turecki and Naguib Mechawar cited as collaborators in a press release on EurekAlert!

Dr. Suzanne King quoted in ScienceInsider

Dr. Suzanne King interviewed in WorldCrunch.

Dr. Serge Gauthier quoted in The Carer.

Dr. Eric Latimer cited by McGill’s Institutional Communications.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy’s work in a press release on EurekAlert!

Dr. Mallar Chakravarty interviewed by Spectrum News.

On Tuesday, December 14, we had the privilege of hearing 6 excellent talks by the nominees of the Hendlisz Award. Thanks to the DAL, Dr. Nicolas Cermakian, and all who organized and participated in this great event! This event is made possible by the generous support from the Hendlisz Family.   2021 Leo and Rachel Hendlisz … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Geoffroy, who was recently awarded a CIHR grant to study the effect of École à Ciel Ouvert (Open Sky School), a program that could potentially benefit the mental health of disadvantaged children in Quebec who’ve been affected by COVID-19! “Since the beginning of this pandemic, I’ve seen École à Ciel Ouvert as an … Read more

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy cited by McGill University News and Events Channels

On Dec. 1, 2021, Forbes released their annual 30 under 30 list. Congratulations to Joseph Therriault, who was cited in the Healthcare Category! Joseph is a PhD student in Dr. Pedro Rosa-Neto’s lab at the  McGill University Research Centre for Studies in Aging and works on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Congratulations!   See original announcement. Article … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley’s work featured in The Suburban.

Dr. Suzanne King interviewed by Undark.

Please note that this year, statutory holidays will fall on: December 24, 2021 December 27, 2021 December 31, 2021 January 3, 2022   Full Holiday Calendar available here.     Photo by Daniele Buso on Unsplash

Congratulations to Dr. Srividya Iyer, who has received a CIHR Phase 3 Indigenous Gender and Wellness grant! This grant will build on the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Council, and aims to promote mental health and wellness among youth in Indigenous communities.  The project, entitled, "Youth-centered development and evaluation of a gender wellness toolkit promoting healthy relationships … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre is proud to announce that Drs. Gustavo Turecki and Michael Meaney have been named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2021 list from Clarivate. The highly anticipated annual list identifies researchers who demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. Their … Read more

Dr. Massimiliano Orri pens piece in The Concersation – The Good Men Project

We are proud to announce that the Douglas Research Centre, in partnership with three other McGill-affiliated research centres, the RI-MUHC, the Lady Davis Institute, and the Centre de recherche en biologie structurale, has been awarded new funding from the FRQS to improve career and professional development for research trainees. Together, these four research centres are home … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer’s work featured in The Conversation – Big News Network.

  Dr. Giamal Luheshi was a colleague, a mentor and a friend to many of us. Sadly, he passed away on November 25, 2020. A ceremony will be held this Friday, November 5, 2021, to plant a tree in his honour on the Douglas grounds. Please join us if you can.    

Dr. Martin Lepage interviewed in LaPresse.

On October 18, Dr. Gustavo Turecki was announced as a member of the US National Academy of Medicine. Although there were 100 new members named in 2021, he is one of only 10 international members named this year. Election to the Academy recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service: “This … Read more

As part of the Open Access week (October 25-31, 2021), the Douglas Research Centre (DRC) is announcing its own Open Access policy. By supporting Open Access publishing, the DRC aims to foster transparency, reproducibility, and equity of access to scientific knowledge. Open Access publishing significantly benefits non-academic audiences, such as educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. A survey … Read more

Dr. Serge Gauthier quoted in Australian Journal of Dementia Care.

On October 10, the Douglas Foundation lauched its movement, Building Hope. This social media campaign is mobilizing celebrities, industry partners, members of the research community, and private members of society to come together to support progress in mental health research and care at the Douglas. This social media campaign will continue until October 18 – … Read more

For the second year, the Douglas Research Blitz will be held in an online format, for sharing and discussing our research! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Do you have a project idea and would like peer feedback? Do you have a brand new result that you can’t wait to share? Did you … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki interviewed by LaPresse on World Mental Health Day.

Dr. Natasha Rajah quoted in Maclean’s.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy featured in the National Post.

Mental Illness Awareness Week is underway (October 3-9, 2021). Dr. Srividya N. Iyer, one of 2021's Mental Health Champions, spoke to Radio Canada on the occasion, underscoring the need for early intervention, and for well-integrated services for those who are most at need.  You can hear the whole interview here, in the section, "Semaine de … Read more

  With adolescents returning to classes after mostly remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year, there has been renewed attention on the effects of school schedules on sleeping patterns and stress levels among teens.   Dr. Reut Gruber has been calling for revised class times for teens, and her recent study, published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and … Read more

As in previous years, the selection of the Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards for the best student publications will be done via a peer-review process. Specifically, the applications will be evaluated by a review committee consisting of post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.  This is a call for volunteers to serve on the committee for the 2021 … Read more

"Everybody’s got a brain, but very few of us know much about how it works. So to find out how brains do things like make memories, or what happens when they get sick, we’re on a quest to speak to scientists who work with brains for a living. We’re investigating healthy brains, dead brains, brains … Read more

The Douglas Foundation and Bombardier offered two grants of $50,000 each to support clinical research projects on mental health carried out by Douglas researchers. After independent review of the applications submitted, the proposals submitted by Drs. Cecilia Flores and Sherif Karama were selected for funding.   Cecilia Flores, PhD Sherif Karama, MD Circulating miRNA Profiles as … Read more

Dr. Reut Gruber interviewed by CTV.

Dr. Reut Gruber‘s work featured in McGill’s Newsroom.

Dr. Ridha Joober was among the 74 newly elected Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for 2021. Fellows are selected by their peers in recognition for their accomplishments and contributions to the promotion of health science. Dr. Joober was elected based on his dedication to research and clinical work focused on improving the care for patients with Neurodevelopmental … Read more

We are very proud to announce that Dr. Gustavo Turecki was just named as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). Fellowship to the RSC is the highest academic honour in Canada and is awarded based on the recognition of an individual's scholarly excellence. The RSC is comprised of three academies: Arts, Humanities and … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki among 10 McGill researchers elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada – McGill News Channels.

Dr. Natasha Rajah, was named to the Institute of Aging advisory board for a 4-year term, beginning September 1, 2021. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our students who have received studentships from McGill's Faculty of Medicine, the Integrated Program for Neuroscience (IPN), and from Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL).   Alice Morgunova (PhD candidate – Flores lab) – HBHL Fellowship and Internal Studentship award from the Faculty of Medecine Anjali Chawla (PhD candidate – Turecki lab) – IPN Internal Student Award Hadis … Read more

Dr. Alain Brunet’s work featured in CityNews Ottawa.

Dr. Alain Brunet’s work featured in CityNews Ottawa.

Drs. Serge Gauthier quoted in Alzheimer’s News Today.

The Douglas’ Cerebral Imaging Centre (CIC) and McGill-Mouse-Miniscope (M3) Platforms were recently awarded funding through the 2nd Core Facility Funding Competiition from Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL). Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) is an interdisciplinary program, built on McGill’s global leadership in interdisciplinary neuroscience, that uses big data analysis to reveal the fundamental mechanisms underlying normal brain function and … Read more

Dr. Srividya Iyer featured in the McGill Reporter.

On August 24, 2021, Dr. Mallar Chakravarty was interviewed by Ms. Mitsumishi Takahashi of CTV.

On August 24, Dr. Mallar Chakravarty was interviewed by Ms. Mutsumi Takahashi of CTV, to discuss his recent publication, Early or Late Gestational Exposure to Maternal Immune Activation Alters Neurodevelopmental Trajectories in Mice: An Integrated Neuroimaging, Behavioral, and Transcriptional Study, study led by Dr Elisa Guma and published in Biological Psychiatry in March 2021.   See the … Read more

On August 24, 2021, Dr. Howard Steiger was interviewed by Radio X regarding Eating disorders and anxiety.

The Douglas Undergraduate Research Expo was held by Zoom on August 17, 2021, with a record attendance and a record number of presenters! This year, the Undergraduate Research Expo prize winners were: First Place: Megan Park (Mallar Chakravarty’s lab): Characterization of brain anatomy and schizophrenia-like symptoms in C4 knock-in mice Second Place: Louise Toutée (Naguib … Read more

Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health Announces 2021 Champions of Mental Health The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) has announced this year’s winners of the Champions of Mental Health Awards. The annual awards campaign recognizes exceptional Canadians who have worked to advance the mental health agenda in Canada. These … Read more

Dr. Michael Meaney quoted in Texax Monthly.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy quoted in Le Soleil.

A new study conducted at the CoBrA Laboratory located in the Cerebral Imaging Centre at the Douglas Research Centre, sheds light on the neuropsychiatric mechanisms activated in children whose mothers were exposed to a viral infection such as COVID-19 during pregnancy. The research, led by Dr. Elisa Guma, as part of her doctoral studies under … Read more

Dr. Natasha Rajah featured in Reader’s Digest Best Health.

Drs. Serge Gauthier and Pedro Rosa Neto cited in MedPage Today.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar featured in Le Soleil de Châteauguay.

CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published. In total, the Douglas research centre was awarded over $4.2 M in this competition. Congratulations to our researchers for their successful applications! Mark Brandon: Bridging the gap between hippocampal mapping and behaviour   Marie-Claude Geoffroy: Associations of Childhood Emotional and Behavioural Problems with Medical Services Utilization and Costs: A Life Course Study … Read more

Dr. Serge Gauthier featured by Radio Canada.

On July 9, Dr. Naguib Mechawar was one of the invited guests on Y'a du monde à messe, a weekly interview show broadcast on Téléquébec and hosted by Christian Bégin. Joined by Janette Bertrand, Sophie Fouron, Ray Lalonde, and Philippe B., Dr. Mechawar shared a unique experience at the Paradox Theatre in Ville Émard. Over the course of … Read more

Are you enrolled in an undergraduate degree, and you are doing a research project at the Douglas this summer? Come present it to the scientific community of the research centre during the 5th Douglas Undergrad Research Expo, which will take place on Tuesday August 17th at 3.30pm!

Congratulations to Refilwe Mpai, who obtained an MSc Fellowship from Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL) for her project, “Characterizing cerebellar perineuronal nets in human post-mortem samples and how they may be altered in major depressive disorder and early life adversity”.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar was one of the featured guests on Y’a du monde à messe.

Dr. Bruno Giros among those awarded a Distinguished rank by McGill’s provost – McGill Reporter.

Dr. Bruno Giros was awarded the rank of Distinguished James McGill Professor, McGill’s highest honour. The title of Distinguished James McGill Professor is awarded to late-career scholars whose work exemplifies excellence and international leadership and was awarded to 10 McGill professors. “McGill’s Distinguished Professorships are bestowed upon our researchers who display exceptional promise, uphold an extraordinary level of research … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki interviewed by Radio Canada.

Dr. Carl Ernst interviewed by McGill’s Health e-News.

The Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life put on another very successful round of presentations in this year’s Douglas Special Scientific Symposia (D3S)! Congratulations to all the trainees who presented their fascinating work during the four online sessions.   We are pleased to announce this year’s prize winners below. A warm thank you to the organizers of … Read more

Dr. Diane Boivin’s research featured in Wired.

Dr. Alain Brunet quoted in The Globe and Mail.

We are pleased to announce that recent Douglas graduate Kathryn Vaillancourt (Turecki lab) received the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction – 2020 Brain Star Award! The Brain Star program was launched by CIHR’s Institute of Neurosciences Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA) in March 2001 to recognize the excellence of research done in Canada by students and trainees in … Read more

Dr. Naguib Mechawar featured in Le Soleil de Chateauguay.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar interviewed in Le Soleil de Chateauguay

Dr. Srividya Iyer interviewed by CBC.

  Congratulations to both Mark Brandon and Sylvain Williams!   Today, the Canada Research Chairs announced that Mark Brandon's Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Neural Circuits of Memory was renewed, and awarded Sylvain Williams a brand new Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Neural circuits of learning and memory!    

Dr. Suzanne King featured in Le Devoir. 

Dr. John Breitner quoted in Best Life.

Brain Info is a science communication initiative led by McGill University students, including several Douglas-based students, who are ready to answer your questions about all things neuroscience. The goal of Brain Info / Info Cerveau is to serve the Montreal and Quebec community with information about the brain and associated diseases. We are here to provide … Read more

Dr. Serge Gauthier interviewed by Radio Canada.

Dr. Serge Gauthier quoted by Alzheimer’s International.

Dr. Diane Boivin featured in Les années lumières (Radio-Canada).

Dr. Gustavo Turecki cited in McGill’s News Channel.

Dr. Eric Latimer interviewed on Radio-Canada Première

Drs. Pedro Rosa-Neto and  Serge Gauthier and their teams featured in McGill’s Health e-News.

Les  Drs Alain Brunet  et Manuela  Ferrari collaborent au projet étudiant “COVID-19: Sors de ma tête” qui aborde les problématiques de santé  mentale en lien avec la pandémie  de l a COVID-19

We are pleased to share that Dr. Natasha Rajah, who was just elected to be a board member of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN). CAN is the largest association of neuroscientists in Canada and is dedicated to advancing brain research. CAN comprises over 1,000 researchers across Canada and works to ensure that neuroscience continues to be … Read more

Dr. Diane Boivin‘s work featured in McGill’s Newsroom.

Dr. Salah El Mestikawy gives an interview for the lay public to explain the mechanisms of addition and its mechanisms – and why they are so difficult to tackle. An interview (in French) with Viviane Lalande, host of Scilabus and columnist for Radio Canada's show, “Moteur de recherche”.       Click here to see the video … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Myra Piat and her team, who have recently published a systematic review in BMC’s Systematic Reviews journal, on the most important factors that contribute to implementation of innovative practices in mental health. Below is a helpful fact sheet on the 13 key factors to understand and improve implementation of innovative practices in mental health. The full text is … Read more

Voyez Salah El-Mestikawy en entrevue avec la youtubeuse Viviane Lalande parler d’addiction

Félicitations à Dre Myra Piat et à son équipe, qui viennent de publier une revue systématique dans le journal Systematic Reviews, portant sur les factuers les plus importants qui contribuent à l’implantation des pratiques innovantes en santé mentale.   Ci-dessous, une fiche descriptive des 13 facteurs clés (anglais seulement pour le moment) fort intéressante pour comprendre l’implantation des pratiques innovantes en santé mentale. … Read more

A podcast about the psychological consequences and repercussions of the pandemic   Sors de ma tête is a podcast series broadcast of 4 episodes hosted by Justine Fortin and Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard, two Master's students (in Psychology at the University of Montreal, and in Psychiatry at McGill University-Douglas Research Centre, respectively). The COVID-19 pandemic has been … Read more

Congratulations to Muzi Li, postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Xiangfei Meng's lab and to Marina Wakid, doctoral candidate in Dr. Naguib Mechawar's lab for obtaining a prize of $ 1,000 for the Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Awards. Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley's family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are able to give the Dr. Holly … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer interviewed on Radio-Canada.

Dr. Judes Poirier featured in LaPresse

Dr. Reut Gruber quoted in Body and Soul.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki cited in idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki cited in McGill’s Channels.

The newly established McGill–Douglas–Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry International Collaborative Initiative in Adversity and Mental Health represents the first international effort devoted to understanding the biology behind how early-life adversity can increase the risk of psychiatric disorders over the course of an individual’s life. Led by Dr. Gustavo Turecki, Scientific Director at the Douglas Research … Read more

AIfred and the Douglas cited in LaPresse+.

At a time when Canadian youth are experiencing an increase in mental health challenges, and are also disproportionately experiencing higher rates of unemployment and disruptions in education due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need to provide targeted help to this demographic. On May 5, 2021, Future Skills Centre announced a $3.8M investment … Read more

Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury, Alain Brunet, Outi Linnaranta cited in the McGill Reporter.

Drs. Serge Gauthier and Pedro Rosa-Neto published in McGill’s Health e-News.

Congratulations to Drs. Jamie Near, Patricia Pelufo Silveira and Rachel Rabin who were awarded FRQS Chercheur Boursier awards! Dr. Jamie Near Recherches translationnelles sur la neurochimie et la pathologie cérébrale dans la maladie d’Alzheimer: des modèles rongeurs aux humains.​   Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira La vie au-delà de la vulnérabilité: L'utilisation de la neuroscience du développement pour … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley interviewed in Vancouver Sun.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki interviewed by ICI Première.

Dr. Mallar Chakravarty‘s work featured in Spectrum. 

Dr. Gustavo Turecki interviewed on Radio Canada ICI Première. Audio available  part 1 – https://app2.cision.com/#/articles/150001080603573 part 2 – https://app2.cision.com/#/articles/150001080606805 

Dr. Gustavo Turecki, interviewed on ICI Première.

Dr. Natasha Rajah interviewed on CBC’s The Current with Matt Galloway.

Dr. Patricia Pelufo Silveira featured in McGill’s Faculty of Medicine an dHealth Science F[o]cus.

Dr. Natasha Rajah interviewed by the New York Times.

Mental health interventions in First Nations and Inuit communities frequently rely on the use of psychometric questionnaires that are often not well received by Indigenous patients. They have reported preferring tools that promote resilience and empowerment and allow for a real dialogue between the stakeholder and themselves. Therefore, it is important to develop culturally adapted instruments that correspond to the … Read more

Dr. Eric Latimer cited in LaPresse+.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar and the Douglas Bell Canada Brain Bank featured in Metro.

Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives has announced the projects selected to receive this year's Neuro Commercialization Ignite Grants. These grants aim to support small-scale validation/proof-of-principle efforts in the development of a neuroscience-related technology. We are pleased to announce that three of our researchers, Drs. Salah El Mestikawy, Patrícia Pelufo Silveira, and Sylvain Williams, received the $50,000 award to move their exciting … Read more

Dr. Howard Steiger quoted in Journal de Montréal.

Dr. Marjorie Montreuil‘s work cited in McGill’s Health e-News.

Dr. Cecilia Flores featured in Science News for Students.

The Brain Canada Foundation has awarded the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank (DBCBB) a Platform Support Grant totalling nearly $2.14 M. These funds are provided jointly from the Brain Canada Foundation and partners of the DBCBB, including the Réseau québécois suicide, les troubles de l'humeur et troubles associés (RQSHA), and the Douglas Research Centre. The DBCBB, which is directed by Drs. Naguib Mechawar and Gustavo Turecki, … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki featured in Revista Pesquisa – FASEP.

The Douglas Trainee Spotlight series highlights students and postdoctoral fellows at the Douglas Research Centre. Through this series, we find out what it's like to be a trainee at the Douglas Research Centre and spolighted trainees share their wisdom with prospective students. Click here for our most recent Trainee spotlights.

The Douglas Research Centre and the Neuro have partnered to create the Collective MIND as part of the MEDTEQ+ Beachhead network. The Beachhead initatives are partnerships between a center of clinical excellence and companies to accelerate the adoption of value-based innovations. This collaborative adoption includes a real-time evaluation of collaborative care between patients, researchers, clinicians, health administrators, governments and industry, using a clear and accelerated … Read more

Professor Srividya Iyer, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and clinician and researcher at the Douglas Research Centre, recently took time to answer a few questions about the youth mental health project ACCESS Open Minds. This ground-breaking, five-year national research project, of which Professor Iyer is Scientific-Clinical Director, aims to give … Read more

Dr. Reut Gruber‘s work cited in La Presse.

Dr. Natasha Rajah interviewed on CBC Radio 1 Sunday Magazine with Pia Chattopadhyay.

Dr. Reut Gruber‘s work cited in La Presse.

Dr. Rob Whitley quoted in Montreal Gazette.

Dr. Natasha Rajah interviewed on “Breaking News and Developing Stories”, on CNN Newsroom with John Vause (CNN).

Congratulations to Carl Ernst for receiving funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation for his project, Next Generation dopaminergic cell modeling and therapeutics for movement disorders. This project, led by Carl Ernst and Edward Fon, Scientific Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute, has a total budget of $8,551,743. Congratulations!

Dr. Xiangfei Meng is one of a group of researchers launching a study to investigate which factors are responsible for the severity of COVID-19 among elderly individuals in long-term care facilities. Across Canada, but particularly in Quebec, long-term care facilities have accounted for a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths. The Government of Canada, through its … Read more

On March 11, 2021, at 1 pm, to mark the first anniversary of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Douglas Research Centre joins the rest of Quebec in observing a minute of silence in mourning for those we have lost during this health crisis.

Multi-partner project, DISCOVER, featured by the Montreal Gazette – Dr. Xiangfei Meng and collaborators study COVID-19 and the risk factors that put some elderly residents more at risk of falling seriously ill or dying

Dr. Xiangfei Meng‘s work cited in City News.

Dr. Reut Gruber interviewed by AM980 (Global News London).

Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley's family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce this year's competition of the Dr. Holly Carsley Memorial Award to recognize the outstanding work of a Douglas resident, postdoctoral fellow or Ph.D. student pursuing research in the area of depression and … Read more

Thanks to generosity of former students and collaborators, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas Foundation are happy to announce the Rémi Quirion Excellence Award. In addition to being a worldrenowned researcher in the field of neuroscience and mental health and to presently hold the position of Quebec's Chief Scientist, Dr. Quirion was the Scientific … Read more

Dr. Marjorie Montreuil featured in McGill’s Health e-News.

Dr. Natasha Rajah quoted by The Atlantic.

Dr. Serge Gauthier‘s work featured on CIEU 94.9.

Dr. Serge Gauthier featured in La Presse.

CIHR results for the last project grant competition were published today. Congratulations to all of our researchers named as PIs on successful applications: John Breitner, Alain Brunet, Manuela Ferrari, Marie-Josée Fleury, and Myra Piat! The projects that will benefit from that funding are: Innate immune activity, the aging brain, Alzheimer’s disease pathology and symptoms: a novel approach … Read more

Dr. Marjorie Montreuil‘s work featured in The Record.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Douglas Foundation's Open Minds Event – Chez Vous! This year, because of the pandemic, the event was held virtually, but thanks to everyone who organized and supported it, the Douglas Foundation was able to raise a record amount of $537,000! Congratulations!

Dr. Srividya Iyer writes a piece on prioritizing investments in youth mental health for National Newswatch.

Dr. Srividya N. Iyer pens piece for National Newswatch.

Congratulations to Drs. Diane Boivin, Michel Perreault, and Manuela Ferrari on obtaining funding for their project, Development of a digital sleep and fatigue coach for fronline health care workers during the COVID-19. This project, led by Dr. Boivin, is being funded by the National Research Council.          

Dr. Rob Whitley‘s work featured in DATAC.

Dr. Srividya Iyer featured in McGill’s Health e-News.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar and Liam O’Leary featured in Labroots.

Dr. Reut Gruber interviewed on CBC Radio One.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy quoted in SooToday.

Dr. Mimi Israel quoted in Inspired Traveler

Dr. Naguib Mechawar quoted in Maxisciences.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar featured in FuturaSciences.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar and Liam O’Leary quoted in Nexus Newsfeed.

Drs. Pedro Rosa-Neto and Serge Gauthier, along with McGill colleagues Dr. José A. Morais, Claire Webster, Dr. Tamara Ellen Carver, Zeina Salameh, Carol Servaes, Maria Vincelli, Diane Weidner, and Leila Zahabi, have been commissioned by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) to deliver the next two editions of the World Alzheimer Report on the crucial and inter-related topics of Diagnosis (2021) … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Carl Ernst and his European collaborators on obtaining a grant from the European Joint Programme for Rare Diseases, for their project, Development and preclinical testing in human cell models and transgenic mice of a novel treatment for Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome. The funding, which totals 1.6 million Euros, will support an international research collaboration dedicated to Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome (SGS), an ultra-rare … Read more

Dr. Naguib Mechawar featured in IFLScience.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar quoted in SciTechDaily

Work by Dr. Naguib Mechawar highlighted in EurekAlert.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy pens article in The Conversation.

Drs. Serge Gauthier and Pedro Rosa-Neto featured in Health e-News.

ACCESS Open Minds has published some early results from its program, based on preliminary data from 14 of its sites across the country. View the full report here.                   Some of the key findings were: ACCESS Open Minds provides a safe and welcome space to youth aged 11 to 25, including … Read more

  *** Deadline February 17, 2021***   Douglas students and postdocs: The Douglas Research Blitz is back in an online format, because in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, we still need to share and discuss our research!

Gabriel Devenyi interviewed by Nature.

Dr. Salah El Mestikawy featured in the Scientist-in-Chief’s “Impact of Research” column. Since the start of the pandemic, the incidence of anorexia among teenagers has skyrocketed—an alarming situation considering that 10% of people suffering from anorexia die from complications related to the disorder and there is currently no drug to control it, mainly because the … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki quoted in La Presse Nous traversons tous une période de stress, et nous savons que les Canadiens voient leur santé mentale se détériorer en ce moment », a commenté le Dr Gustavo Turecki, directeur du département de psychiatrie de l’Université McGill et codirecteur de la Banque de cerveaux Douglas – Bell Canada, … Read more

Paradigms are shifting in youth mental health care in Canada ACCESS Open Minds is proud to release preliminary research data highlighting the concrete impacts its innovative mental health care model is having on youth and communities across the country.

Dr. Rob Whitley pens an opinion piece for CBC.

Interview with Marie-Josée Fleury in CBC Montreal – Out of the Dark.

Dr. Carl Ernst heads international research group that received funding from two major European grants to find treatments for the devastating rare genetic disease Schinzel-Giedion Syndrome (SGS). The grants are the first major funding awarded for SGS research.

Reut Gruber pens article on Canadian youth and sleep in Leaders and Learners.

Dr. Natasha Rajah was a member of a panel discussion on preventing brain aging diseases for women, organized in honour of Women’s Brain Health Day and Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in January; an event organized by RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities and the Women’s Brain Health Initiative.

Drs. Massimiliano Orri, Marie-Claude Geoffroy, Patricia Conrod, and Naguib Mechawar in Qualaxia. De nombreux experts craignent une hausse des taux de suicide pendant ou suite à la pandémie de la COVID-19. Plusieurs facteurs justifient cette préoccupation, tels que l’augmentation du taux de suicide lors de l’épidémie de SRAS en 2003, notamment chez les personnes âgées … Read more

In January 2020, the Douglas Research Centre established a Standing Committee for Equity Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI). Over the past year faculty interested in this initiative have had 3 meetings to finalize the Mandate, Terms of Reference and discuss committee composition. It was unanimously agreed that it would be important to have 2 trainee representatives as … Read more

Dr. Howard Steiger interviewed in La Presse.

Dr. Rob Whitley pens an opinion piece for the Vancouver Sun

  The Douglas Research Centre is proud to be one of the early signatories of the ALBA Declaration on Equity and Inclusion. The Alba Network was founded by a group of leading scientists to promote equity and diversity in the brain sciences.

Entrevue avec Dr. Nicolas Cermakian, Ici Radio-Canada

On Thursday, December 17, we had the privilege of hearing 6 excellent talks by the nominees of the Hendlisz Award. Thanks to the DAL, Dr. Nicolas Cermakian, and all who organized and participated in this great event! This event is made possible by the generous support from the Hendlisz Family. Thanks again to all!   … Read more

We would like to announce that Dr. Joseph Rochford has taken on the role of Chair of the Douglas REB, effective December 1,2020. We thank him for accepting this important role for the Research Centre and take advantage of this opportunity to thank Dr. Bruno Debruille, who has occupied this position for the last 10 … Read more

Drs. Judes Poirier, Serge Gauthier, and Pedro Rosa-Neto featured in Health e-News.

Dr. Eric Latimer featured iun the Toronto Star Policing homelessness, it turns out, is costly. In Toronto, an average of $59,000 (Canadian) of public resources is spent on each homeless person with a mental illness, according to a 2017 study led by McGill University professor Eric Latimer. The research calculated the costs of services including … Read more

Dr. Ashok Malla featured in Toronto Star “Let’s say you have anxiety or depression,” said Dr. Ashok Malla, lead investigator for the Montreal-based Access Open Minds initiative, one of two hub organizations that run the Chatham facility. “You’ll get a person who is qualified to deal with that. But at the same time, you might … Read more

Congratulations to Scott Bell winner of the 2020 Jury Prize for his outstanding image titled “Neuro Nova”.

Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy cited in Le Devoir

Dr. Srividya Iyer was elected Vice President of the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) which is an international organization that aims to to change the way the global community thinks about young people and their mental health by ensuring youth mental health services are appropriate to a young person’s age and stage of development, … Read more

Drs. Pedro Rosa-Neto and Serge Gauthier featured in the Scientist-in-Chief’s “Impacts of Research” column.

Dr. Alain Brunet on Radio-Canada

Congratulations to Dr. Romina MIzrahi, who was just awarded the American College of Neuropsychophamacology's Joel Elkes Award!   The ACNP presents the Joel Elkes Research Award to a young scientist in recognition of an outstanding clinical contribution to neuropsychopharmacology. Of particular interest in selecting the awardee are contributions that further our understanding of self-regulatory processes as they affect … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Gustavo Turecki and Dr. Michael Meaney for being among the most highly cited researchers of 2020! Each year, Clarivate™ identifies the world’s most influential researchers who have been most frequently cited by their peers over the last decade. This is demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley in La Presse

Dr. Rob Whitley in Hill Times

Drs. Michael Meaney and Gustavo Turecki among the most cited researchers – McGill Reporter

Dr. Howard Steiger in Journal de Montréal Si l’alimentation joue un rôle important pour la santé physique, de plus en plus de recherches s’intéressent à son rôle pour la santé mentale. Dans un contexte où la pandémie a provoqué une hausse considérable des troubles d’anxiété et de dépression, en plus de la période de l’année … Read more

Congratulations to Mark Brandon for receiving a Brain Canada Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research Award! He is one of 20 awardees across Canada to receive this $100,000 award aimed at enabling paradigm-changing research of the brain to improve the lives of all Canadians. “The program supports early-career investigators at a critical point in their professional development, so … Read more

Dr. Salah El Mestikawy in McGill Health e-News.

Dr. Rob Whitley in the Vancouver Sun. Opinion: Veterans' social integration hampered by stereotypes based upon unfounded concerns that vets are primed to "snap."

Dr. Sohem Rej (associated researcher) in L’Actualité.

The Douglas Academic Life Student Committee has selected Pratap Singh Markam for October’s Trainee Spotlight. Trainee Spotlights showcase the career path of Douglas trainees with a focus on their motivations and their accomplishments. Read more about Pratap and past Trainee Spotlights.

In fall 2019, Dr. Patricia Silveira, a researcher at the Douglas Research Centre, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University and interim Scientific Director at the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics & Mental Health, was invited to join the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child as a core member. The Council, which translates … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley featured in Psychology Today

As a part of the Formation croisée sur les troubles concomitants (Cross-Training on Comorbidities) pandemic programming, a free short training module (3h) on Opioids, mental health, and pain has been prepared by Dr. Michel Perreault and his team (in French only).  The training module and additional information are available at https://formationcroisee.com/.  The Formation Croisée (Cross training) website … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley on CityTV News

Congratulations to our researchers, Drs. Judes Poirier and Sylvia Villeneuve, for their collaborative work on loneliness and Alzheimer’s disease, which was recently awarded a large grant from the NIH. Led by Nathan Spreng and Danilo Bzdoc, this work aims to advance our understanding of how social isolation and feelings of loneliness impact the brain and cognitive functioning in older … Read more

Through a collabortation between Dr. Outil Linnaranta and the National Research Council of Canada, virtual reality approaches are being used to offer mental health care to isolated and remote communities in Quebec's north.  Read more about it on the NRC website.

Congratulations to Dr. Gustavo Turecki for obtaining the Colvin Prize from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation! This award is attributed scientists recognized for outstanding research leadership and contributions to research in mood disorders. Congratulations! Click here to read more.

Drs. Judes Poirier and Sylvia Villeneuve in EurekAlert. Researchers from The Neuro, from StoP-AD at the Douglas Research Centre, and from the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute will lead a research program centered on an emerging field of neuroscience thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Aging (NIH/NIA) in the USA.

Dr. Cecilia Flores recently obtained a large grant by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (an institute of the US-based National Institutes of Health) to pursue her work on the effects of amphetamine on the development of the adolescent brain, specifically on increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. We caught up with Dr. Flores to find … Read more

Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 4, 2020-October 10, 2020. Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. The week was established in 1992 by the Canadian Psychiatric Association, and is now coordinated by the Canadian Alliance … Read more

Interview with Dr. Naguib Mechawar on Radio-Canada

Dr. Alain Brunet mentionné dans Madame Figaro

Dr. Rob Whitley featured in Psychology Today Is the media getting better at covering suicide? New research examines adherence to suicide reporting guidelines in the media.

Congratulations to Dr. Cecilia Flores on her National Institute on Drug Abuse Project Grant! This 5-year project, entitled, “Amphetamine in adolescence disrupts prefrontal cortex development,” aims to study how exposure to stimulant drugs of abuse in adolescence disrupt ongoing brain development, increasing vulnerability to psychiatric disorders using animal models. An important aspect of this research is the large differences … Read more

We are proud to announce that researchers at the Douglas Research Centre will be contributing to a major investigation into the causes and effects of psychosis in adolescents who are at risk. The $52M-project, named Psychosis Risk Outcomes Network, or ProNET, is led by Dr. Scott Woods at the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University and is being … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Serge Gauthier and Dr. Ashok Malla for being nominated fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences! CAHS recognizes excellence in health sciences and CAHS fellowship is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated, through their careers and lives, that they are committed to their field of expertise in many ways. For more information on CAHS and … Read more

Dr. Rob Whitley quoted in Montreal Gazette

Congratulations to our researchers who were successful in this latest round of CIHR grants! The successfully funded researchers and their respective projects are: Dr. Naguib Mechawar – "Remodeling of cerebral plasticity by early-life adversity: cellular and molecular mechanisms in the human brain" Dr. Norbert Schmitz – "The role of depression in the intergenerational transmission of type … Read more

Q & A with Dr. Geoffroy Over the summer, the Canada Research Chair program announced the most recent recipients of Tier 1 and Tier 2 CRCs. Among them were Marie-Claude Geoffroy, PhD, a researcher in the McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Research Centre, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill … Read more

Congratulations to Masoumeh Dehghani for her NARSAD Young Investigator Award! Her project, “Dynamic 1H-MRS measurement of glucose metabolism in BD disorder in the euthymic state” was selected among numerous strong submissions for funding by the Brain and Behavior Reserach Foundation. Congratulations!

Dr. Reut Gruber quoted in Globe and Mail

Congratulations to Massimiliano Orri for his NARSAD Young Investigator Award! His project, “Genome-Wide Investigation of Irritable and Non-Irritable Depression Phenotypes: Toward a Refinement of the Genetic Architecture of Depression,” was selected among numerous strong submissions for funding by the Brain and Behavior Reserach Foundation. Congratulations!

Do you want to get involved in the planning of academic activities in the research centre? If so, this is for you! 

The Douglas Student Committee for Academic Life (or "the DAL" for friends!), composed of trainees (students and postdocs) of the research centre, aims at planning scientific activities involving trainees and others in the … Read more

Dr. Naguib Mechawar featured in Urbania. 

Dr. Rob Whitley quoted in Broadview magazine

Press release on Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve‘s work in Science Daily. Even for people who carry the gene for early onset Alzheimer’s disease, more years of education may slow the development of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain that are associated with the disease, according to a new study.

This year, the annual Douglas Research Day, which is organized by the Douglas Academic Life committee, was replaced by the 2020 Douglas Special Scientific Symposia (D3S). This series of virtual events included a mix of long and short talks by students and postdocs, offered via a Web conferencing service, and were held on May 21, June 4, June … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Manuela Ferrari for her new Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for her project “Learning to care: Exploring empathy and compassion using digital narratives“!

Congratulations to Dr. Eric Latimer for his new Insight Development Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for his project ” Co-construction of an innovative homelessness prevention intervention for youth leaving care”!

Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy for her new Canada Research Chair (Tier-2) in Youth Suicide Prevention. Dr. Geoffroy research team is studying how suicidal risk develops in children and adolescents and is searching for modifiable protective factors for suicide.

Dr. Rob Whitley on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Dr. Suzanne King in La Presse

Congratulations to Dr. Gustavo Turecki for his achievements and for being chosen for the CINP Sumitomo/Sunovion Brain Health Clinical Research Award! 

Dr. Rob Whtiley in Psychology Today The Darker Side of Casual Sex – Examining the relationship between promiscuity and mental health

Congratulations to Dr. Scott Bell designated Brain Star winner by the Canadian Association for Neurosciences! The article “Mutations in ACTL6B Cause Neurodevelopmental Deficits and Epilepsy and Lead to Loss of Dendrites in Human Neurons” is available here.

Dr. Suzanne King in Québec Sciences

Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve in Science Daily.

Congratulations to our researchers, Dr. Manuela Ferrari, Dr. Marjorie Montreuil and Dr. Laurence Roy, who received FRQS Salary Awards!  The projects that will benefit from that funding are: Promouvoir l'utilisation d'interventions technologiques pour la formation, le suivi clinique et le traitement des maladies mentales: Un modèle 2.0 pour les services d’intervention précoce pour la psychose (Dr. Ferrari) … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Reut Gruber, whose work with the Riverside and Lester B. Pearson School Boards recently earned them a National Award for Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada)! The award was given to them in recognition of their work as community leaders who are committed to physical and health education. Specifically, through their partnership … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki in Le Devoir. Le chef de psychiatrie au CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, Gustavo Turecki, appréhende un bond des demandes de soutien en santé mentale de la part de la population durant la phase de déconfinement. « La pression va sortir », avertit-il dans un entretien avec Le Devoir.

Congratulations to Malosree Maitra, from the team of Dr. Gustavo Turecki and to Amanda Larosa, PhD from the laboratory of Dr. Tak Pan Wong for obtaining a prize of $ 1,000 for the Dr. Holly Memorial Awards Carsley. Thanks to generous gifts from Dr. Holly Carsley's family and friends, the Douglas Research Centre and the Douglas … Read more

Congratulations to Drs. Mallar Chakravarty, Cecilia Flores, Jamie Near, Judes Poirier, Lalit Srivastava, and Florian Storch, all recipients of a research grant from the Discovery Grants Program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The projects that will benefit from that funding are: Multi-variate and multi-modal modelling of neuroimaging data to better understand brain ageing (Dr. Chakravarty) … Read more

Dr. Patricia Silveira in CTV News.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki on Global TV

Dr. Gustavo Turecki featured in McGill Reporter.

Dr. Gustavo Turecki in La Presse

Dr. Alain Brunet in Quebec Sciences

Congratulations to Dr. Marie-Josée Fleury, recipient of two grants : Insight Grant (SSHRC) and Substance Use and Addictions Program (Health Canada).  Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program provides grants and contributions funding to other levels of government, community-led and not-for-profit organizations, as well as individuals (micro-grant funding only), to respond to drug and substance use issues … Read more

The Douglas Research Centre was recently awarded funding from the Neuro’s Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI) to support the development of Open science. TOSI is a leader and living lab for Open Science, with the goals of: Establishing best practices and developing tools and infrastructure to support sharing Expanding and measuring our impact Encouraging the global scientific community to … Read more

Congratulations to Dr. Martin Lepage for the renewal of his James McGill Professor award! This award recognizes a senior scholar’s status as an outstanding and original researcher of world-class caliber and an international leader in his or her field.

Congratulations to Dr. Natasha Rajah, who was just awarded a CIHR Sex/Gender Science Chair in Neurosciences, Mental Health, Addiction! Congratulations to her on this well-deserved achievement!

Congratulations to Dr. Srividya Iyer, who was recently awarded a CIHR Operating Grant in the Patient-Oriented Research Impact Assessment Grant Scheme. Along with her colleague Dr. Valerie Noel and youth partner and student trainee, Kathleen MacDonald, Dr. Iyer will be pursuing a project entitled, "Reducing delay in treatment of psychosis through rapid access: Awareness and implementation of the … Read more

Dr. Gustavo Turecki on CTV News

Dr. Gustavo Turecki, Scientific Director of the Douglas Research Centre, Chair of McGill’s Department of Psychiatry, and Chief of Psychiatry at CIUSSS Montreal West Island, is a psychiatrist and researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. In this Q&A by McGill’s Med e-News, he shares some tips and perspective about how to cope with stress and anxiety during these … Read more

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Norbert Schmitz was recently awarded a CIHR Catalyst Grant for his project, the Analysis of Canadian Longitudinal Study in Aging. Congratulations on this successful application!

Dr. Mark Brandon interviewed by Quanta magazine.

Thanks to everyone who came out the Douglas Foundation's event, Open Minds, which took place on February 20 at the beautiful Paradox Theatre. The event raised over $385,000! Congratulations to the organizers, volunteers and thanks to all the donors for their generosity.  

Dr. Robert Whitley in Psychology Today Social Media and Mental Health: Time for a Digital Detox? Why social media is bad for mental health, and what can be done to reduce usage.

Alexandra Keinath, a postdoctoral candidate with Dr. Mark Brandon, was recently awarded a prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship by CIHR.  This very competitive fellowship is awarded to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country’s economic, social and research-based growth. Congratulations!

By Nicola Di-Narzo A new study led by Dr. Sylvain Williams, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and his postdoc Dr. Guillaume Etter suggests that even at advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, there are possibilities for therapeutic treatments. Deep brain stimulation, a method that uses electrical stimulations of neurons and brain circuits to treat some … Read more

  Au moment où les jeux vidéo commencent à être implantés dans certaines écoles secondaires québécoises par le biais de programmes inspirés des sports-études, Véronique Bohbot, professeure au Département de psychiatrie de l’Université McGill, tire la sonnette d’alarme. La chercheuse à l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale Douglas ne s’explique pas cette décision, qui ne suit … Read more

The Science Centre team met Dr Naguib Mechawar, Ph. D., the director of the Douglas-Bell Canada Brain Bank. 

Judes Poirier, PhD and Serge Gauthier, MD, specialists in research on and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, have just published a new edition of their book, La maladie d’Alzheimer, which was published nearly 10 years ago.

On February 4, Dr. Howard Steiger made an appearance on Ricardo’s show, to talks about eating disorders and different types of therapy available to individuals dealing with them. Dr Steiger and Ricardo cooked one of his patient’s favourite dishes: a beet and tofu sandwich. Watch it here (in French only).

Interview with Dr Howard Steiger: Les nouveaux troubles alimentaires in Radio-Canada’s Les éclaireurs with Patrick Pasbourian Our society has favoured thinness for many years, yet there is a growing preoccupation with healthy and natural food that may partially explain the appearance of food avoidance and management disorders.

Audio from Radio Canada – L’heure de pointe – Acadie with Amélie Gosselin Click to hear an interview summarizing novel approaches to mental health care for youth. Dr. Srividya Iyer shares her work with the public on Amélie Gosselin’s radio segment. Santé mentale et jeunesse: une nouvelle approche Wednesday, February 5, 2020 Media:  Radio

Audio from Radio Canada – L’heure de pointe – Acadie with Amélie Gosselin Click to hear an interview summarizing novel approaches to mental health care for youth. Dr. Srividya Iyer shares her work with the public on Amélie Gosselin’s radio segment.

By Lisa Dutton Dr. Howard Steiger is Director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute’s Eating Disorders Program (EDP), the only large-scale, specialized program for the treatment of adults suffering from eating disorders in Quebec. Dr. Steiger is active as a clinician, teacher, and researcher. He has published numerous clinical, scientific, and theoretical articles in the … Read more

We are pleased to announce that several Douglas researchers are named in a recently-funded CIHR Catalyst Grant. The successful application, Towards a pan-Canadian network for integrating research-evaluation and knowledge translation in youth mental health services was submitted by Jai Shah and will allow him to complete a large-scale project with Srividya Iyer, Manuela Ferrari, Ridha Joober, Ashok Malla, Patricia Boksa, and Valerie Noel. Congratulations on this successful … Read more

Entrevue avec Sylvain Williams, PhD. Par Alain Labelle, de Radio-Canada Le recours à la stimulation cérébrale profonde (Deep Brain Stimulation) a permis à des souris atteintes de la maladie d’Alzheimer (MA) de retrouver la mémoire, montrent les travaux du Dr Sylvain Williams et de ses collègues du Centre de recherche Douglas associé à l’Université McGill.

CIHR results for the last project grant competition have been announced. Congratulations to Nicolas Cermakian, Marie-Josée Fleury, and Outi Linnaranta for their successful applications!     The funded projects are:  Nicolas Cermakian – Circadian regulation of host-pathogen interactions in vector-borne parasitic infections Marie-Josée Fleury –  Grands utilisateurs de l'urgence en santé mentale et recommandations pour l'amélioration des services Outi Linnaranta … Read more

Les 40 ans de la Banque de cerveaux: Entrevue avec Dr Naguib Mechawar.

The biochemical mechanisms in the brain underlying suicidal behavior are beginning to come to light, and researchers hope they could one day lead to better treatment and prevention strategies. Interview with Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD.

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child‘s interdisciplinary group of distinguished members includes leading researchers and scientists representing the fields of neurobiology, immunology, molecular biology, endocrinology, psychology, economics, social policy, and pediatric medicine. They are based at private and public research universities in the United States.

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. The 2019 awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 16, 2019. Congratulations to the winners, and a special thank you to the Hendlisz family for making this … Read more

The Queensland Flood Study (QF2011) took advantage of a severe flood in Queensland, Australia to investigate the effects of disaster-related prenatal maternal stress on temperament characteristics at 6-months-old. Results showed that mothers’ subjective stress reactions and cognitive appraisal of the disaster while pregnant were associated with easier aspects of temperament in their infants. However, with … Read more

A recent university study says stress felt by women while pregnant can heighten the risk of certain diseases in their children when they become adults.

Dr. Naguib Mechawar and the Douglas Bell Canada Brain Bank Featured on Canal Savoir

Naguib Mechawar, PhD, and his work on inflammation in the brain during depression and suicide have been featured in Canal Savoir’s series, Histoires inflammatoires. Catch it on the air at one of the broadcast times (below) or on demand, on Canal Savoir’s website, Savoir Media. Saturday, December 14, 2019 (4:30 p.m.) – Sunday, December 22, 2019 (1:30 … Read more

Norbert Schmitz has received the 2019 Alexander Leighton Award in Psychiatric Epidemiology. This award was created in honour of Professor Alex Leighton, a pioneer and leader of Canadian psychiatric epidemiology. Its purpose is to recognize a person or group that has contributed significantly to the advancement of Canadian psychiatric epidemiology through innovative studies, methods development, teaching or … Read more

Caitlin Fowler, a PhD student in Dr. Jamie Near's laboratory, is featured in the December edition of the Douglas Academic Life's "Trainee Spotlight". In the trainee spotlight, candidates share their perspective on what brought them to the Douglas Research Centre, what they are currently working on, and what it's like being a student here.  See … Read more

On Dec. 3, 2019, Forbes released their annual 30 under 30 list. Congratulations to Daniel Almeida, who was cited in the Science Category! Daniel is a PhD student in Dr. Gustavo Turecki’s lab, and works on molecular changes in postmortem brain samples of individuals who have experienced child abuse. Congratulations!   See original announcement. Article … Read more

Web of Science has identified Michael J. Meaney as one of the world’s most cited researchers. Their annual list identifies scientists and social scientists who produced multiple papers ranking in the top 1 per cent by citations for their field and year of publication, demonstrating significant research influence among their peers. In all, more than 6,000 researchers from … Read more

On November 22, the 2019 edition of the Annual Douglas Research Blitz was held and had an excellent turnout!  We had the pleasure of hearing from Pascal Ibrahim (PhD Candidate), Lani Cupo (PhD Candidate), Nadia Blostein (Undergraduate student), Marie-Ève Cloutier (Master's student), Mila Urosevic (Undergraduate student), Hazal Ozlen (Master's student), Liam O'Leary (PhD candidate), and Kelly Perlman … Read more

See Dr. Kieran O’Donnell’s In-depth interview with CTV from Nov. 21, 2019: In-depth – Study on the mental health and pregnancy. Link to full video.

Congratulations to Dr. Shah, who was among the six 2019 recipients of the SickKids-CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) New Investigator Grants in Child and Youth Health. He received funding for his project entitled, Understanding pathways to mental health care during and after the psychotic prodrome: A mixed methods study. Congratulations! See the full posting … Read more

Congratulations to our researchers who recently received the ERA-Net NEURON Joint Transnational Call 2019! Out of the 15 international projects funded, 2 of them involve Douglas researchers (https://www.neuron-eranet.eu/en/909.php): Dr. Naguib Mechawar received funding for his project, entitled MOODMARKER: Discovery, verification and validation of a biomarker profile for depression. Dr. Gustavo Turecki received funding for his project entitled ANTaRES: … Read more

The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) award the Nemko Prize in Cellular or Molecular Neuroscience to Lauren Mackenzie Reynolds, PhD, a former doctoral student in Cecilia Flores’ laboratory at the Douglas Research Center and McGill University. The prestigious Nemko Prize recognizes a young neuroscientist for his or her PhD thesis that advances the understanding of molecular, … Read more

Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible and incurable, and will affect one million Canadians in 2050. Why isn’t research going faster? What about early diagnosis? What do we know about the disease? Drs Poirer, Chakravarty, and Villeneuve explain on Découverte (Radio-Canada). Watch video here.

As in previous years, the selection of the Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards for the best student publications will be carried out via a peer-review process. Specifically, the applications will be evaluated by a review committee consisting of post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.  We are calling for volunteers to serve on the committee for the 2019 award … Read more

Dr. Reut Gruber, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine was included among the list of 2019 Women’s Y Foundation laureates, who were honoured on September 26, 2019 at The Windsor Montreal during the 26th Women of Distinction Awards.

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Award is given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Research Centre. Once again this year the trainees submitting the highest ranked submissions will be invited to present a short talk in a scientific event to take place in December. … Read more

Congratulations to Maria Natasha Rajah, who has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the Haile T. Debas Prize.

Congratulations to our researchers, Alain Brunet and Howard Steiger, who were inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) on Thursday, September 19, 2019. Dr Brunet was inducted in recognition of his research on the treatment of psychiatric disorders by selectively blocking the reconsolidation of specific memories; Dr Steiger was honored for his leadership … Read more

A group of researchers led by Nicolas Cermakian (McGill University, Douglas Research Centre) and Nathalie Labrecque (Université de Montréal, Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont Research Centre) has just identified the mechanisms that control the function of specific immune cells, CD8 T lymphocytes, according to the time of day. This study, published this week in the Proceedings of the … Read more

Dr. Brigitte Kieffer’s research is featured in a recent edition of the NIH Record, published by the National Institutes of Health, the medical research agency of the USA.  Read this article in which Dr. Kieffer dissects the effect of opioids on the brain, here:  https://nihrecord.nih.gov/2019/07/26/kieffer-dissects-opioid-effects-brain  

Dr. Kieran O’Donnell was recently awarded a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant by Brain & Behavior Research Foundation for his project, “Molecular Screening for Perinatal Mental Health”. Congratulations!

Dr. Kieran O’Donnell was recently awarded a NARSAD Yound Investigator Grant for his project, “XXXXXX”. Congratulations!

On August 15th, the annual Undergraduate Research Expo of the Douglas Research Centre took place, and it was a great success, with 20 poster presenters (a record), 15 grad student/postdoc judges, and over 60 enthusiastic participants. Prizes were given to the best poster presentations, given by the following students (also see attached picture): First Place: Marie-Ève Cloutier (Nicolas … Read more

An article by Dr. Tak Pan Wong of the Douglas Research Centre, a professor in the McGill’s Department of Psychiatry, was published today in the Journal of Neuroscience. This study used a mouse model of depression using social stress to show that a biological marker in the hippocampus could explain some of the cognitive difficulties … Read more

In individuals facing depression, daily interactions and activities become challenging. Depression can be associated with social avoidance (e.g. refusing to enter situations in which they may be forced to interact with other people out of fear of judgement or criticism). Physicians and other mental health workers have documented a decrease in memory function among their … Read more

A study published in Neurology has attracted media attention for reporting that it may be possible to detect Alzheimer's before the appearance of disease symptoms. Listen to Dr. Poirier's interview here (at 17:22).  

Congratulations to Dr. Kieran O’Donnell, former CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, for being recently named a CIFAR Fellow in Child & Brain Development! Dr. O’Donnell’s exciting work on prenatal mental health and early-childhood development has gained the attention of the research community and we look forward to seeing his continued success.

Congratulations to Dr. Gustavo Turecki! The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine has selected Dr. Gustavo Turecki to receive the Margolese prize for his pioneering work that has advanced our understanding of how early life adversity changes the brain to influence suicide and depression. The prize includes a $50,000 award and is among the most prestigious honours bestowed … Read more

Last Thursday, FRQS announced the results for its 2019-2020 funding competition on Platform of Funding Programs for Intersectoral Research on Aging. In all, over $ 8.19 M were awarded within this competition. We are very proud of our researchers, Drs. Pedro Rosa Neto and Serge Gauthier, who received over $1.44M for their project, Biomarkers of aging and dementia: BioVie.   Congratulations!

The Douglas Research Centre and McGill Department of Psychiatry Research Day was held on June 11 and was a great success! Thanks to all participants!  As has become our tradition, the recipients of various prizes were announced at the end of the day: Douglas Research Centre Students Oral presentations 1st prize (Prix d'excellence du FRQ-S): Scott Bell (Ernst … Read more

Congratulations to Cecilia Flores who was awarded the “Innovations in Neuropsychopharmacology Award” from the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CCNP).  This award recognizes the outstanding innovative nature of the work by Dr. Flores to a single piece of research contributed over a number of years.  Dr. Flores will present the results of this research at the 42nd annual CCNP … Read more

Dr. Rémi Quirion, Québec Chief Scientist and past Director of the Douglas Research Centre, was inducted in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for his health leadership. With over 750 publications, Dr. Quirion is one of the world’s most frequently cited neuroscientists.  He has also trained almost a hundred graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, helping to build … Read more

Congratulations to the following researchers, who were recently awarded prizes Natasha Rajah – Haile T Debas prize – Faculty of Medicine, McGill, for outstanding work to promote diversity and inclusion Cecilia Flores – 2019 CCNP Innovations in Neuropsychopharmacology Award (ccnp.ca) Lalit Srivastava – 2019 CCNP Medal  Congratulations to four researchers who received Chercheur Boursier FRQ-S grants: Mallar Chakravarty – Investigation … Read more

Discovery of mutations in ACTL6B gene offers insight into brain development Mutations in a gene involved in brain development have led to the discovery of two new neurodevelopmental diseases by an international team led by researchers at McGill University and CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center. The first clues about the rare disorder arose after doctors were … Read more

Suzanne King is one of the four co-principal investigators of the new Réseau Inondation Inter-Sectoriel du Quebec (RIISQ – the Intersectorial Flood Network of Quebec). Bringing together more than 120 researchers from 16 universities of Quebec, as well as dozens of governmental and non-governmental partners, its mission is to find and implement solutions to the problem … Read more

When you do something automatically, you lose control.  It's what happens to kleptomaniacs. – Salah El Mestikawy Listen to a recent radio show that aired on France Culture on kleptomania, including an interview with Salah El Mestikawy. https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/lsd-la-serie-documentaire/au-voleur-34-voyage-en-kleptomanie

The Douglas Research Centre researcher Véronique Bohbot was interviewed by Matthieu Dugal about the effects of video games on the brain, and specifically how these affect the hippocampus. View the video here (in French only) : https://savoir.media/clip/doit-prescrire-des-jeux-video  

A recent article in the Metro newspaper highlights the work of Professor Srividia Iyer, which aims to develop preventive approaches for youth at risk of psychosis..   Excerpt: «The idea of early intervention is to make sure youth look for help and do it early, says Srividia Iyer. This requires working with teachers, family physicians or even … Read more

Dr. Mallar Chakravarty featured in the Scientist-in-Chief’s “Impact of Research” column.

Congratulations to Massimiliano Orri, Postdoctoral fellow, on winning the February 2019 Relève étoile Jacques-Genest prize, from the Fonds de recherche Santé – Québec. His award-winning publication is : Association of Childhood Irritability and Depressive/Anxious Mood Profiles With Adolescent Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Orri M, Galera C, Turecki G, Forte A, Renaud J, Boivin M, Tremblay … Read more

Imagine a place where 20% of youth are affected by a mental illness and where 75% of mental health problems arise before the age of 24. Now imagine the same place but with only 1 in 5 of youth who need mental health intervention getting access to the appropriate care. On top of that, youth … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Institute research centre. The 2018 awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 13, 2018. 1st place:  Laura Kervezee (teams Diane Boivin, Nicolas Cermakian) for her article "Simulated … Read more

Women make up the majority of the health workforce and yet remain under-represented in leadership and decision-making positions. This gender gap overlooks women’s expertise and talents, and compromises the knowledge and policy base for advancing health and equity globally. The need to improve the visibility and recognition of women in global health is clear, and … Read more

Drs. Véronique Bohbot and Mallar Chakravarty – Science Daily Press Release

Press release on Dr. Mallar Chakravarty‘s work in Science Daily

The Montréal West Island IUHSSC is proud to announce the double appointment of Dr. Gustavo Turecki, as both the Chief of Psychiatry of our organization and the Scientific Director of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. His mandate includes strengthening the academic component of the clinical mental health services offered at the Douglas Institute and our … Read more

The 2018 Research Day took place June 5th 2018, and was an opportunity to celebrate our trainees!  Congratulations to the Research Day award winners: Students of the Douglas Institute Oral presentations: 1st prize (Prix d'excellence du FRQ-S): Malvin Jefri (lab of Carl Ernst) 2nd prize: Lauren Reynolds (lab of Cecilia Flores) 3rd prize: Elisa Guma … Read more

New treatment approach could give quicker response times The discovery of a new mechanism involved in depression – and a way to target it with a drug as effective as classical antidepressants — provides new understanding of this illness and could pave the way for treatments with fewer side effects. In a study published in … Read more

Study reveals what happens on the molecular level of 20,000 genes Have you ever considered that working night shifts may, in the long run, have an impact on your health? A team of researchers from the McGill University affiliated Douglas Mental Health University Institute (DMHUI) has discovered that genes regulating important biological processes are incapable … Read more

Listen to a recent interview with Naguib Mechawar, Director of the Douglas Bell Canada Brain Bank, on Radio-Canada: http://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/les-eclaireurs/segments/entrevue/64098/banque-cerveaux-montreal-sante-mentale-etudes-depression-naguib-mechawar  

You’re about to turn 60, and you’re fretting. Your mother has had Alzheimer’s disease since the age of 65. At what age will the disease strike you? A Canadian study published in JAMA Neurology shows that the closer a person gets to the age at which their parent exhibited the first signs of Alzheimer’s, the … Read more

Frequently encountered in the elderly, Alzheimer’s is considered a neurodegenerative disease, which means that it is accompanied by a significant, progressive loss of neurons and their nerve endings, or synapses. A joint French and Canadian study published in Scientific Reports now challenges this view. Conducted among more than 170 subjects at various stages of Alzheimer’s … Read more

View recent interviews with Mallar Chakravarty and Christine Tardif  on CTV and Global Montreal about a study about a new detection method for early signs of Alzheimer's disease.  The study, done in collaboration with the many researchers of the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, shows that non-invasive brain imaging techniques can be used to detect early signs of … Read more

ApoE4, cela vous dit quelque chose ? Derrière ce nom de code se cache le gène dit de l’Alzheimer. Récemment encore, être porteur de ce gène signifiait que la maladie avait de très fortes chances de vous frapper un jour. Tous les porteurs de ce gène ne développeront pourtant pas l’Alzheimer. Selon une nouvelle étude … Read more

January 1998. An ice storm plunged more than 3 million Quebecers into darkness for 45 days. It was an unforgettable natural disaster, especially for Suzanne King, a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute. She saw it as a unique opportunity to study the effects of stress on pregnant women and their future children. … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Awards are given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Institute research centre. The 2017 competition was for articles published between early November 2016 and early November 2017. The awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December 14, 2017. … Read more

Research Infosource has once again released the results of their ranking of Research Hospitals in Canada, revealing that the Douglas Hospital Research Centre ranks once again in Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals 2017.   Full rankings are available on the Research Infosource website.

Congratulations to Ashok Malla, who was named one of the 150 Leading Canadians For Mental Health by CAMH. He has been chosen for "creating new hope for greater recovery by testing an approach that delivers care to young people who have a wide range of mental illnesses sooner." Over more than two decades, Dr. Ashok Malla’s … Read more

Child abuse has devastating and long-lasting consequences, considerably increasing the lifetime risk of negative mental health outcomes such as depression and suicide. Yet the neurobiological processes underlying this heightened vulnerability remain poorly understood. Research done in the laboratories of the McGill Group for Suicide Studies investigated the hypothesis that epigenetic, transcriptomic, and cellular adaptations may … Read more

Read an article (in French) which explains recent results obtained in Cecilia Flores’s lab, which sheds some light on the role of a gene called DCC during the development of the brain of teenagers:   Le gène qui gouverne le cerveau des ados – La Presse +

View a recent profile of Gustavo Turecki, in Le Monde: Gustavo Turecki, biologiste du suicide  

View this video profile of Brigitte Kieffer: Chercheuses d’avenir, on France 24.com: Brigitte Kieffer, la Française qui explore le cerveau  

The official unveiling of of the Olympus Discovery Center plaque took place June 27th at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. On the picture, left to right: researchers Sylvain Williams, Naguib Mechawar and Dominique Walker, Bill Colins, CEO, Olympus Canada, Brigitte Kieffer, Director of the Douglas hospital research centre, and Mariêve Picard, Senior Sales Consultant – … Read more

Thank you to all participants of the Douglas & Psychiatry Department Research Day, which took place on June 2nd.  We are proud to announce the winners of the prizes for best presentations: Students of the Douglas Institute Oral presentations: 1st prize (Prix d’excellence du FRQ-S): Scott Bell (lab of Carl Ernst) 2nd prize: Chloé Nobis … Read more

Read a recent article about discoveries made in Nicolas Cermakian’s laboratory in a recent edition of Le Devoir newspaper, showing how controlling the internal clock of cells could help slow the progress of cancer tumor.  Read the full article in Le Devoir (in French only) Remettre les pendules à l’heure – Le Devoir

Watch television coverage of Naguib Mechawar’s recent discoveries showing a link between neuroinflammation and depression on Télé-Québec.  Journalist Marianne Desautels-Marissal visited the Research centre and the Brain bank to discuss this important discovery with Dr. Mechawar (in French): http://zonevideo.telequebec.tv/media/33050/un-test-de-cyberdependance-lien-entre-depression-et-inflammation-un-robot-aux-traits-humains/electrons-libres  

Congratulations to Alain Brunet, who received an inaugural Principal’s Prizes in Public Outreach Through Media, which recognizes the efforts made by professors, post-doctoral fellows, research associates and graduate students who have engaged with the media over the course of the previous year. VP Goldstein noted that, “it’s much more than research excellence that earns accolades – it’s … Read more

Does the biological clock in cancer cells influence tumour growth? Yes, according to a study conducted by Nicolas Cermakian, a professor in McGill University’s Department of Psychiatry. Published in the journal BMC Biology, these results show for the first time that directly targeting the biological clock in a cancerous tumour has an impact on its development. … Read more

View a video developed by Salah El-Mestikawy and his collaborators, which explains how alcohol and drugs highjack the brain’s reward system in addiction.  In French only.    On the MAAD digital website: http://www.maad-digital.fr/video/systeme-de-recompense-et-addiction  

Research from the Sylvain Williams laboratory was chosen as one of the top ten discoveries of 2016 by Quebec Science magazine.  The group was able to show that REM sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation. They used an advanced optogenetics approach to block theta oscillation in the hippocampus specifically in this sleep phase, … Read more

The Leo and Rachel Hendlisz Award is given to the best research articles of the year published by students and postdoctoral fellows of the Douglas Institute research centre. The 2016 competition was for articles published between mid November 2015 and early November 2016. The awardees were announced at a special scientific event held on December … Read more

Congratulations to Gustavo Turecki who was recently a new Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.  Dr. Turecki was named Canada Research Chair in Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide.   Canada Research Chairs are granted to outstanding researchers acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields. The CRC program was created to enable Canadian universities to … Read more

Congratulations to Naguib Mechawar, who received a $100,000 research grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  This research grant aims to determine if early life adversity affects white matter development in the brain in a way that increases suicide risk.  This research could lead to the identification of potential brain targets for suicide prevention. Read the … Read more

On October 13, during the Quebec Heart Cocktail, Dr. Norbert Schmitz from McGill University in Montreal received a Research Achievement Award, which is annually given by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to highlight the exceptional work of distinguished researchers in heart and stroke health. Dr. Norbert Schmitz from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute received the first $10,000 Henry and Berenice … Read more

Gustavo Turecki was recently awarded the Léo-Pariseau prize for biological and health sciences by the Association francophone pour le savoir, ACFAS. This prize is awarded yearly to a researcher to highlight the excellence and impact of his work and actions in the area of biological or health sciences. The Association francophone pour le savoir – … Read more

Canadian patients will be enrolled in clinical trials led by McGill and funded by the Weston Brain Institute October 3, 2016 – Montreal, QC, Toronto and Ottawa, ON KalGene Pharmaceuticals and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) are proud to announce the signature of an agreement worth over $1M to develop, scale up, and … Read more

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine has selected Dr. Michael Meaney to receive the Margolese prize for his work exploring how epigenetic changes affect neurodevelopment, and for his potential to make further contributions brain research. The prize includes a $50,000 award, among the most lucrative honour given by a Canadian university. The recipient was chosen by … Read more

Congratulations to Lauren Reynolds, Ph.D. candidate in Cecilia Flores’s laboratory, who was awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (NRSA F31) from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Insititute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). This is a very prestigious award, that has been awarded to very few … Read more

You may have noticed that women are more prone to sleep disturbances than men. They are, for instance, up to twice as likely to suffer from insomnia than men. Could there be a link between the body clock that regulates sleep and being a female or a male? Yes, according to an original study conducted … Read more

Dr. Michael Meaney’s work featured in Big Think

Congratulation to Sylvia Villeneuve, who was recently awarded grants for two major Alzheimer societies, the Alzheimer Society (Canada) and the Alzheimer Society.   Dr. Villeneuve won an Alzheimer Society Research Program/Brain Canada New Investigator Grant, which are designed to help launch the careers of outstanding researchers who are within the first 2 years of their initial … Read more

Research sheds new light on what constitutes healthy aging of the brain The inability to remember details, such as the location of objects, begins in early midlife (the 40s) and may be the result of a change in what information the brain focuses on during memory formation and retrieval, rather than a decline in brain … Read more

Congratulations to Ashok Malla who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Université de Montréal for his work aiming at early intervention to treat psychosis.  His efforts to promote early identification,  prevent treatment delays and to promote access to care in first episode psychosis were highlighted as being of crucial importance.  Read Dr. Emmanuel Sip's … Read more

Dr. Mallar Chakravarty is the recipient of the 2016 CCNP Young investigator, designed to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of research in neuropsychopharmacology by an individual young basic scientist or clinical investigator in Canada. Applications are judged primarily on the basis of the candidate’s work as an independent investigator. The award consists of a $2000 honorarium … Read more

Sylvain Williams recently published an article in the Journal Science in which he provides evidence that Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is involved in memory formation in mice.   “We already knew that newly acquired information is stored into different types of memories, spatial or emotional, before being consolidated or integrated,” says Sylvain Williams, a researcher … Read more

The Canadian Institutes of the Health Research (CIHR) recently announced the new Chairs of the Institutes Advisory Boards. Dr. Gustavo Turecki, from the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, has been named Chair of the Institute Advisory Board on Research Excellence, Policy and Ethics. The CIHR Nominating and Governance Committee followed a transparent, fair and merit-based process … Read more

The CIHR website features an article about ACCESS Open Minds, an ambitious, country-wide research Network funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Graham Boeckh Foundation, through the Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). Its goal is to transform mental health care so that children, Adolescents and young adults aged 11 to 25 are … Read more

Congratulations to the following researchers, who received grants from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé! Dr. Marie-Claude Geoffroy, chercheur-boursier clinicien Junior 1 Dr. Sherif Karama, chercheurs-boursiers cliniciens Junior 2 Dr. Martin Marc Lepage, Chaire de recherche Dr. Laurence Roy, chercheur-boursier junior 1 Dr. Rob Whitley, chercheurs-boursier Junior 2   

La Presse newspaper features an article on the front page about Alain Brunet’s recent initiative to propose a new therapeutic approach for victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris who are suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  The novel approach Alain Brunet proposed to the Paris hospitals will bring patients to recall their memories multiple … Read more

Congratulations to Martin Lepage who was awarded a prestigious Research Chair from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQ-S).  This prestigious program highlights the excellence of a limited number of experienced researchers selected by competition amongst the candidates exiting the “Chercheurs-boursiers” program.  Professor Lepage won one of only four FRQ-S Research Chairs attributed … Read more

Neuroscientists have known for years that two abnormal proteins, called beta-amyloid and tau, accumulate in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease.  However, they did not know which of the two proteins was driving the development of dementia associated with the disease.  New research done at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre by Pedro Rosa-Neto … Read more

Dr. Alain Brunet, from the research centre, is involved in an ambitious project, developped with Paris hospitals, to treat victims of terrorist attacks in Paris who are suffering of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.  The treatment protocol,  developed by Dr Brunet and his team, aims to reduce the intensity of a painful memory using a … Read more

Bruno Giros explains some of the underlying biological differences that can explain why we are not equally susceptible to depression.  His recent research has shown that noradrenaline can play a role in certain patients, and suggests new therapeutic targets to treat depression.  Listen to Bruno Giros interviewed on the radio show Les Éclaireurs on Radio-Canada. … Read more

Colleagues and friends at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre were very saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Duncan Pedersen.  Dr. Pedersen had a sudden illness while in Chile for work on a project in Global Mental Health and passed away on January 27, 2016 . Our thoughts go out to his family and … Read more

The team of Bruno Giros, a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and professor of psychiatry at McGill University, reports the first-ever connection between noradrenergic neurons and vulnerability to depression. Published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, this breakthrough paves the way for new depression treatments that target the adrenergic system. Stressful life events—job loss, … Read more

Two Douglas researchers were recently awarded Canada Research Chairs: Mark Brandon, Canada Research Chair in Neural Circuits of Memory, and Sylvia Villeneuve, Canada Research Chair in Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.  Both researchers are new recipients of Tier 2 Chairs, valued at $100,000 annually for five years with one opportunity for renewal.  Tier 2 chairs are for … Read more

Thinking about suicide or attempting suicide: victimized adolescents more at risk at 15 A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry(JAACAP) by the team of Dr Marie-Claude Geoffroy, researcher at the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill Group for Suicide Studies) and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre, reports that adolescents chronically victimized … Read more

In an interview on Radio-Canada, Salah El Mestikawy explains the discovery of a gene whose disruption is linked to a higher incidence of addiction.  Addiction affects the reward center of the brain, a very powerful motivation system, and few medications exist to treat this illness.   View the interview on the Radio-Canada website.

Professor Éric Latimer received a Montréal Centre-Ville prize in the events category for “Je compte Mtl 2015“. Led by Éric Latimer and James McGregor, this project was the first count of homeless persons in Montréal.  Between March 24 and 26th 2015, over 1000 volunteers canvased Montréal to reach and count the homeless of the city. … Read more

The latest study by Dr. Fabrice Jollant, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, demonstrates how difficulty making effective decisions can predispose an individual to suicide, a discovery that could lead to potential solutions for prevention. The study was recently published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.   Dr. Jollant and his colleagues at the Douglas Mental Health University … Read more

The official inauguraion of the Centre for translational research on Mood Disorders and Suicide and of the modernized Douglas Bell Canada Brain Bank took place August 24th 2015.  An investment of $9.8 million made the development of these important infrastructures possible.   “With this major investment, the centre can cement its position as a world … Read more

A new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry by a team led by Salah El Mestikawy, Ph.D., researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute (CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’île-de-Montréal), professor at McGill University and head of research at CNRS INSERM UPMC in Paris, opens the field to new understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying addiction in humans. This … Read more

Congratulation to Srividya Iyer on receiving an CIHR foundation grant for her research program, titled: “Enhancing youth mental health: A program of research into mental healthcare needs, pathways, outcomes and services”.   The CIHR Foundation grants cover a seven-year period  and provide larger amounts of long-term support for innovative, high-impact programs of research.  Dr. Iyer was granted … Read more

A new study by Naguib Mechawar and his team, published in Molecular Psychiatry, sheds light on the role of a class of cells called astrocytes in depression and suicide. This research provides evidence that networks of astrocytes are altered specifically in areas of the brain associated with mood regulation. In addition, in describing the existence … Read more

New research brings clearer understanding of people found Not Criminally Responsible Not criminally responsible is a phrase that conjures up fears fuelled by vast media coverage of high-profile cases in which individuals with severe mental illness have committed violent offences. Yet these cases are rare occurrences; they are exceptions to the norm within the NCR … Read more

Physiological changes over the course of a day are regulated by a circadian system comprised of a central clock located deep within the centre of the brain and multiple clocks located in different parts of the body. This study, which was published in The FASEB Journal (published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), included … Read more

A paper published by the Flores laboratory sheds some light on the role of gene, called DCC, which controls dopamine connectivity in the prefrontal cortex during adolescence, and show that dysfunction of the gene — through stress and drug abuse, for example — can lead to long-term mental health consequences. View the original research article: … Read more