Sahara Khademullah and Antoine Godin, researchers at the CERVO Brain Research Centre, are part of the latest cohort of Brain Canada’s Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program. Each receives $100,000 for a project tackling the same problem: the loss of inhibition that makes neural circuits hyperactive in neurodegenerative diseases.

Sahara Khademullah will study frontotemporal dementia, the most common form of dementia before age 65. Using a mouse model, she will examine whether the failure of inhibitory neurons in the prefrontal cortex and reduced levels of the protein KCC2 disrupt brain circuits, then test whether an already-approved drug, prochlorperazine, can restore balance and improve cognition and social behaviour.

Antoine Godin will instead focus on the extracellular matrix, the mesh that surrounds neurons. Using advanced optical imaging techniques and computational modelling, he will measure how its breakdown in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disrupts ions such as chloride and potassium and weakens inhibition, paving the way for new therapeutic targets.

The links still point to Brain Canada’s French pages. For the English version of your site, open each page and use the “English” button at the top to get the English address.