Early diagnosis and prevention | Cervo Brain Research Centre

	Nicolas Berthelot
	Alexandre Bureau Development of statistical methods to identify the genetic causes of complex diseases. Many psychiatric illnesses have complex causes, which may include multiple genetic factors, and significant environmental contributions. In addition, the symptoms associated with different psychiatric illnesses are sometimes variable from one individual to another. Alexandre Bureau's team aims to develop and apply statistical methods to identify the genes involved in these complex diseases. The statistical approaches developed by Dr. Bureau make it possible to analyze whole genomes of...
	Nicolas Doyon Reaching a deeper understanding of neurons and neural networks through mathematical simulation and modeling. Professor Nicolas Doyon, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, uses his expertise in mathematical modeling to better understand how ion transporters influence signal processing by neurons. Precise control of the amounts of certain ions, such as chloride ions, is necessary for the proper functioning of neurons. Professor Doyon's studies have led to a better understanding of the spatio-temporal control of ion transport in neurons. Defects in the...
	Simon Duchesne Important discoveries in brain imaging enabling early diagnosis of brain disorders Dr. Simon Duchesne's research aims to enable the earliest possible diagnosis of degeneration of the brain, as caused by disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. By comparing measurements taken from radiological images of the brains of cognitively healthy people with those of the brains of people with a disease, Professor Duchesne can determine the significant differences that characterize the latter. The presence of such "biomarkers" in the brain could predict the onset of symptoms decades in advance...
	Marc Hébert Promising discoveries on the effects of light on the brain, and the use of light to improve the health of night workers and to help diagnose psychiatric illnesses. Marc Hébert is a specialist in the study of the biological clock, or chronobiology, and photobiology, which is the study of the effects of light on the brain. His research has shown that light has important effects on mood, and, specifically, that blue light affects the biological clock. These discoveries have led to the development of technologies that directly affect people's health, using light to reduce the...
	Carol Hudon Development of novel methods for early detection, and non-pharmacological treatments of cognitive decline during aging Dr. Hudon is a neuropsychologist who develops approaches to better diagnose and treat disorders that occur most often in the elderly population, such as mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Early detection increases the likelihood that a change in lifestyle and certain treatments may delay the progression of the disease, significantly improving the quality of life of people affected. Dr. Hudon uses and tests neuropsychological assessment and...
	Jasna Kriz Innovative approaches to understand the role of immune cells in brain diseases Dr. Jasna Kriz studies the role of brain immune cells, called microglia, in the healthy brain, in cerebral ischemia, and in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Dr. Kriz has developed mouse models in which she can detect the activation of genes of interest by bioluminescence, and thus see which genes are activated or inhibited during brain damage, or in neurodegenerative diseases. These models make it possible to see the expression of genes in real time and in...
	Pierre Marquet Identification of biomarkers for risk of major psychiatric disorders in vulnerable populations to develop new strategies for early interventions and prevention. Dr. Pierre Marquet's research aims to identify and detect risk biomarkers for major psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and recurrent severe depression, in vulnerable children, well before the appearance of the first clinical symptoms. The detection of an infantile risk syndrome from these biomarkers would allow the implementation of early management strategies, which are known for their...
	Michel Maziade Psychiatric genetics and child neurodevelopment program: characterizing infant risk pathways for the prevention of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression Dr. Michel Maziade, a clinical psychiatrist and researcher, has led a research program for more than 35 years on families affected by schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. The risk of developing these disease in children born to an affected parent is 15 to 20 times higher than that of other children. His work has shown that healthy children who are born to an affected parent can, early in life, carry...
	Chantal Mérette 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....
	Nancie Rouleau Mindfulness to treat attention disorders and anxiety Dr. Nancie Rouleau's research focuses on attention disorders, and aims to develop and validate new approaches to treatment. Dr. Rouleau’s team studies mindfulness, which is a training to intentionally focus one's attention on the present experience - without attempting to modify it, which is emerging as a new way of helping people with cognitive or attention disorders to overcome these disorders. This training is done using different activities, including meditation and yoga. The first part of Dr. Rouleau's research...
	Marc-André Roy Innovative approaches to treating psychosis and schizophrenia Dr. Marc-André Roy is a psychiatrist and a clinical scientist. His research focuses on schizophrenia , particularly early psychosis. He is among the pionneers and leaders in Québec and Canada in this field in which he has worked without interruption since 1997, which was aknowledged with the Heinz Lehman award of the AMPQ that recognizes lifetime contribution to psychiatry . He is also interested in the disorders that are often associated with these psychotic disorders, including anxiety disorders, substance use...

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