/channels/taxonomy/term/1577/all en /channels/channels/event/mcgill-experts-answer-your-questions-exploring-associations-between-cardiac-and-cerebral-health-352664 <p>The ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Dementia Education Program has partnered with AVC-Aphasie Laval to offer a series of free public lectures on neurocognitive disorders.</p> Fri, 10 Nov 2023 19:10:08 +0000 webfull 194700 at /channels /channels/channels/news/how-brains-internal-compass-works-347094 <p>Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with the latest advances in brain imaging techniques. The findings shed light on how the brain orients itself in changing environments – and even the processes that can go wrong with degenerative diseases like dementia, that leave people feeling lost and confused.</p> Wed, 22 Mar 2023 16:03:43 +0000 webfull 188415 at /channels /channels/channels/news/fighting-brain-cancer-its-root-332868 <p>±«ÓãÖ±²¥ researchers identify proteins that drive cancer stem cells. Targeting and supressing a particular protein called galectin1 could provide a more effective treatment for glioblastoma, in combination with radiation therapy.</p> <p>Due to its resistance to therapy, glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive cancerous brain tumour in adults. It grows fast and spreads quickly. While treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can help ease symptoms for a few months, in most cases tumour cells regrow after treatment and the cancer recurs.</p> Tue, 31 Aug 2021 15:10:36 +0000 webfull 172657 at /channels /channels/channels/news/new-use-old-drug-how-does-ketamine-combat-depression-327092 <p>A group of proteins called 4E-BPs, involved in memory formation, is the key to unlocking the antidepressant effect of ketamine in the brain, according to researchers from three Canadian universities. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03047-0">discovery</a> could lead to better and safer treatments for certain patients suffering from major depression.</p> Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:07:12 +0000 webfull 166245 at /channels /channels/channels/news/ctv-news-mcgill-university-researchers-discover-way-fight-brain-tumours-resistance-therapy-323829 <p>New findings out of ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ in Montreal have revealed a potential way to overcome aggressive brain tumours' resistance to therapy: by deleting a specific gene. Researchers have long been searching for ways to treat Glioblastomas – the most stubborn type of brain tumour – as they’re well known for their resistance to treatment. A few years back, they were able to confirm the key role a gene called the OSMR gene plays in the process of brain cancer growth.</p> Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:41:21 +0000 webfull 162624 at /channels /channels/channels/news/gene-targeting-helps-overcome-resistance-brain-cancer-therapy-323716 <p>New insight into a gene that controls energy production in cancer stem cells could help in the search for a more effective treatment for glioblastoma. A ±«ÓãÖ±²¥-led study published in <i>Nature Communications</i> reveals that suppressing the OSMR gene can improve the effectiveness of radiation therapy.</p> <p>This approach, led by the laboratory of Arezu Jahani-Asl, Assistant Professor of Medicine at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥, was successful in preclinical mouse models where the deletion of the OSMR gene resulted in a significant improvement of tumour response to therapy and expanded lifespan.</p> Mon, 17 Aug 2020 13:12:58 +0000 webfull 162510 at /channels /channels/channels/news/healthy-brains-healthy-lives-launches-hbhl-neuro-innovation-fund-286136 <p>The Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (<a href="//www.mcgill.ca/hbhl/">HBHL</a>) initiative is happy to announce the launch of its Neuro-Innovation Fund. HBHL’s Neuro-Innovation Fund aims to close the gap between proof-of-concept research grants, and funding from traditional investors (angels, venture capitalist, institutional investors). The Fund will provide technology development grants to support further proof of principle and/or add value to new technologies or inventions related to the research themes of HBHL.</p> Fri, 23 Mar 2018 19:29:35 +0000 webfull 136747 at /channels /channels/channels/news/tele-quebec-brains-biological-clock-stimulates-thirst-sleep-285989 <p>On sait que le sommeil et la température de notre corps sont régulés par l'horloge biologique. Charles Bourque, du Centre de recherche du CUSM à Montréal, a découvert une nouvelle fonction qui le serait aussi : la soif. Il en a fait la preuve de façon éclatante chez la souris.</p> <p><a href="https://electronslibres.telequebec.tv/episodes/38248">Télé-Québéc (Electrons libres)</a></p> Tue, 20 Mar 2018 15:28:01 +0000 webfull 136558 at /channels /channels/channels/news/brain-genes-related-innovation-revealed-birds-285749 <p>Wild birds that are more clever than others at foraging for food  have different levels of a neurotransmitter receptor that has been linked with intelligence in humans, according to a study led by ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ researchers.  The findings could provide insight into the evolutionary mechanisms affecting cognitive traits in a range of animals.</p> <p>The study, published in <em>Science Advances</em>, was conducted by ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ biologists Jean-Nicolas Audet and Louis Lefebvre, in collaboration with researchers from Duke and Harvard universities.</p> <p><strong>Barbados birds</strong></p> Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:00:32 +0000 webfull 136393 at /channels /channels/channels/news/launch-hbhl-knowledge-mobilization-program-285651 <p>Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (<a href="/hbhl/">HBHL</a>) is a high profile, high priority multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral initiative located at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ made possible with support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (<a href="http://www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx">CFREF</a>). The <a href="/hbhl/files/hbhl/hbhl_strategic_research_plan.pdf">HBHL Strategic Research Plan</a> outlines the vision, deliverables, and overall goals of the initiative, and the research priorities of its four research themes.</p> Tue, 06 Mar 2018 21:40:30 +0000 webfull 136159 at /channels /channels/channels/news/launch-mcgill-western-collaboration-grant-program-284521 <p><a href="http://www.cfref-apogee.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx">Canada First Research Excellence Fund</a>'s investment of $150 million in ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s <a href="//www.mcgill.ca/hbhl/">Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives (HBHL)</a> and Western University's <a href="http://www.uwo.ca/brainscan/">BrainsCAN</a> marks a pivotal step that will unlock the mysteries of the human mind and lay the groundwork for a pan-Canadian network of collaboration that promises to uncover new ways to treat, prevent and cure brain disorders. </p> Tue, 06 Feb 2018 16:34:48 +0000 webfull 134818 at /channels /channels/channels/news/non-invasive-method-detect-alzheimers-disease-283481 <p>New research has drawn a link between changes in the brain’s anatomy and biomarkers that are known to appear at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), findings that could one day provide a sensitive but non-invasive test for AD before cognitive symptoms appear.</p> <p>Scientists have known for some time that one of the first signs of AD is buildup of amyloid-Beta and tau proteins in the brain. They have also known that the hippocampus atrophies and loses volume in some AD patients years before cognitive decline.</p> Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:21:01 +0000 webfull 133659 at /channels /channels/channels/news/addiction-abnormal-communication-brain-224684 <div> <p>Addiction to cigarettes, drugs and other stimulants has been linked in the past to the brain’s frontal lobes, but now there is scientific evidence that indicates where in the frontal cortex addiction takes hold and how.  Addiction could be a result of abnormal communication between two areas of the frontal lobes linked to decision-making.  The discovery will undoubtedly stimulate clinical work on new therapies for millions of people who suffer from addiction.</p></div> Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:11:37 +0000 webfull 94397 at /channels /channels/news/june-als-awareness-month-227292 <p><strong>What is ALS?</strong><br />Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disease in which progressive muscle weakness leads to paralysis. ALS is a result of the death of motor neurons (nerve cells) in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Most people survive less than five years following diagnosis, but a small percentage of patients live for ten years or even longer. So far, there is no cure. About 3,000 Canadian adults have ALS and less than 1 in 10 patients have a family history of the disease. </p> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:34:35 +0000 webfull 97024 at /channels /channels/news/how-brain-recognizes-familiar-music-234011 <p>Research from ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ reveals that the brain’s motor network helps people remember and recognize music that they have performed in the past better than music they have only heard. A recent study by Prof. Caroline Palmer of the Department of Psychology sheds new light on how humans perceive and produce sounds, and may pave the way for investigations into whether motor learning could improve or protect memory or cognitive impairment in aging populations. The research is published in the journal <i>Cerebral Cortex</i>. Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:57:40 +0000 webfull 101683 at /channels