Development and application of biostatistical analysis methods for experimental and observational data in neuroscience

Professor Chantal Mérette is a specialist in the analysis of the complex data that is generated in neuroscience studies. Thanks to her expertise and that of her team of biostatisticians and epidemiologists (specialists in the factors influencing the health of populations), her research has made it possible to detect and validate biomarkers of risk of major neurodevelopmental diseases, including schizophrenia, recurrent major depression, and bipolar disorder.

Dr. Mérette's research is highly collaborative. She is involved in the conceptualization of numerous research projects, in determining the required sample size, in estimating the power of a study, in developing predictive models, and in analyzing data after the results are collected. The common goal of these projects is to detect risk factors for a given disease, understand the cause-and-effect mechanism, and validate the effectiveness of a clinical trial intervention or comparative study of current treatments.

Dr. Mérette has developed the Neuroscience Biostatistics Platform whose goal is to provide neuroscience researchers with leading-edge methodologies to answer their research questions. The team of biostatisticians and epidemiologists she leads possesses all the skills needed to develop databases, identify the optimal quote for a study, propose the sampling method and the analysis that will maximize the chances of achieving the objectives of the study. Dr. Chantal Mérette is interested in several areas and psychiatric diseases and has contributed to studies on the genetics and treatments of insomnia, the development of cognitive structures or mental processes in young people at risk of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, the effects of neglect or abuse on children on the development of psychoses, and genetic variants related to suicidal behavior, among others. It has resulted in several randomized clinical trials to validate the efficacy of new treatments or interventions, such as omega3 in menopausal patients, tele-rehabilitation in patients after knee surgery, or exercise in subjects burdened by a physical disability or a predisposition to develop a psychiatric illness.

Dr. Mérette and her team's work in biostatistics in neuroscience is at the root of many advances in neuroscience, both in understanding the fundamental processes that underlie brain function, as well as in early detection and testing of clinical treatments for diseases and disorders of the brain.