UNews - Neuroscience

The haunting effects of ancestral ghosts

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 17:10:29 +0000

Ancestral stress delivers a one-two punch, affecting our health and well-being both physically and emotionally.

Now, new research by Dr. Gerlinde Metz at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, shows just how damaging and pervasive stress may be — its effects even crossing multiple generations through pregnancy.

Dr. Gerlinde Metz, left, Metz and her team’s latest work is focused on translating epigenetic signatures of stress into the discovery of new predictive biomarkers of disease, thereby creating the opportunity to develop personalized medicine.

“We have developed models to explore how stressful experiences can travel from one generation to the next to influence stress resiliency and risk of disease,” says Metz, a professor of neuroscience and the U of L’s Board of Governors Research Chair in Healthy Futures. “Our work has shown that experience not only in parents, but also in grandparents and generations beyond can influence health and disease from early development to old age.”

Her team’s pioneering research has shown for the first time that remote ancestral stress — several generations removed from a mother — can influence her risk of preterm birth, diabetes, and the development of her baby.

“These are important new insights, because in about half of the cases of preterm birth the causes are not known,” she says. “Here we have identified a new mechanism that allows us to better predict the risk of preterm birth for a mother. Together with our collaborators, we plan to use this knowledge to find new treatments that can prevent early labour.”

Funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Alberta Centre for Child, Family & Community Research, Metz’s team includes work by both graduate and undergraduate students.

Understanding Ancestral Stress May Help Better Disease Prediction and Prevention

“Together with our exceptional team of collaborators and trainees, our next step is to identify mechanisms — including how the brain translates stress to alter pregnancy health — and identify diagnostic markers of prenatal stress that guide future human studies of early biomarkers in risk assessment,” says Metz.

She highlights that transgenerational inheritance of stress responses may explain many complex diseases and mental health conditions for which the causes are poorly understood. Often, the risk of such conditions runs through families.

“It is as if stress generates an ancestral ghost that will affect the health of future generations. These ancestral experiences are not passed on through changes in the genetic code of the DNA. Instead, stress induces an epigenetic footprint that will be passed on to future generations,” says Metz. Epigenetics refers to an external influence that changes the expression of a gene, meaning that a stressful experience can essentially leave a mark that is transferred from one generation to the next.

Recovering from Ancestral Stress

Metz and her team’s latest work is focused on translating epigenetic signatures of stress into the discovery of new predictive biomarkers of disease, thereby creating the opportunity to develop personalized medicine.

To advance preventive therapies, her research also determines if environmental enrichment and drug treatment are able to improve maternal and newborn long-term health outcomes.

“We have some new intriguing findings that demonstrate that an enriched environment can reduce the impact of ancestral stress,” she says. “While we cannot reverse the stressful experiences of our ancestors, healthy lifestyle changes are a means to intervene at any time in life. We hope that these encouraging results will translate into new treatments that promote healthy futures for our children and next generations.”

There's no place like the U of L for Anna Kovalchuk

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 16:54:15 +0000

For Anna Kovalchuk (BSc ’14, MSc ’15), the door has been open for her to study virtually anywhere she’d like, and yet it’s never been a question as to where she really wants to be – the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

“A lot of people asked why I was doing everything in Lethbridge, why not go elsewhere, and I thought, why would I?” she says. “I have a great basis here; I have a great working relationship with my supervisor and other students in the lab. It’s a great university.”

Anna Kovalchuk (right) plans to complete her PhD studies under the tutelage of Drs. Bryan Kolb (left) and Robbin Gibb.

It is also, literally, a second home to her. The daughter of biological sciences researchers Drs. Igor and Olga Kovalchuk, Anna was a fixture in U of L labs long before she was eligible to attend the school as a student. And while she didn’t follow in her parents’ footsteps entirely, turning to neuroscience early in her undergraduate studies, Kovalchuk has stayed true to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and plans to continue her PhD studies on campus.

“I was able to get into Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab for an independent study when I was an undergraduate student and just continued every semester,” she says. “I think I kind of roped him into taking me on as a master’s student, and now I’m doing my PhD co-supervised by him and Dr. Robbin Gibb.”

Her studies continue to build on the work she’s done in trying to find the mechanisms underlying the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments in patients suffering from cancer, and the methods to mitigate them.

“For my master’s, we were looking at the effects of chemotherapy and radiation on the murine brain; now we want to see what the effects of chemotherapy and radiation are when a tumour is present,” she explains. “For example, we want to see what sort of effects there would be on children who are getting chemotherapy treatment, and how this might impact them later on in their lives. Maybe if we can see what kind of mechanisms are going on in the brain we can understand what we can do to mitigate the side effects. In the end, that’s our goal, to see how our work in the lab can help people.”

Combatting the effects of cancer has always resonated with Kovalchuk. For years she has been among the country’s leading fundraisers for the annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure Post Secondary Challenge. Her professional goal is to become a radiation oncologist, but only after she completes her PhD in neuroscience.

“I want to get into medical school, it’s a big goal of mine, but I want to have a PhD before that because I would like to continue with research if I become a doctor,” she says. “I’d like to mesh the patient aspect with the clinical research aspect and enjoy both worlds.”

Kovalchuk credits Kolb for helping her discover her passion for neuroscience and a thirst for discovery.

“He helped me build up my love for neuroscience until I just realized that it was the right thing for me all along,” says Kovalchuk. “He’s guided me through all of this, and really helped me through all these years. I wouldn’t change anything about my education. He’s been a great mentor, and I’m really thankful to have had the opportunity to work in his lab.”

Summer students share their research and win prizes

caroline.zentner — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 21:53:06 +0000

The annual Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience Summer Student Symposium had 19 students present their research, covering topics as varied as facial detection using artificial retinas and the effects of maternal inflammation and prenatal stress on offspring behaviour.

First place, and a U of L Bookstore gift card worth $100, went to Marko Ilievski for his presentation on the exploration of face detection with the use of artificial retinas.

Rachael Chan captured second place, and a bookstore gift card worth $50, with her presentation on the impact of shipping stress on behavioural testing in rodent models.

Third place, which also came with a bookstore gift card valued at $50, went to Zach Wanner for his presentation titled ‘Establishing a collection process for in vivo metabolomics.’ Metabolomics can be defined as the study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind.

Hannah Scott earned an honorable mention for her presentation on the mechanisms that promote stress resilience across generations.

“Congratulations to all participants of the Summer Student Symposium for giving great presentations and special congratulations to the winners,” says Dr. Artur Luczak, one of the symposium organizers.

Photos of the winners and a list of all the presentations can be found on the symposium webpage.

Mitacs Globalink students gain research experience while sampling local culture

caroline.zentner — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 17:32:09 +0000

Undergraduate students from across the globe are expanding their learning at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge this summer through the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship program.

The program allows undergraduate students from Brazil, China, France, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Vietnam to participate in a 12-week research internship under the supervision of Canadian university faculty members. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, with nine interns, is one of more than 45 universities in Canada to host Mitacs Globalink Research interns this summer.

Mitacs Globalink students from left to right, Mohamed Alanquri, Kanika Parashar, Neeraj Prakash, Santhosh Polubothu, Mitacs director Oba Harding, Luong Ai My, Mayela Sosa and Houlin Yu. Two interns are missing from the photo.

Mayela Sosa, a third-year psychology student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guadalajara, Mexico, studies neuroscience. She’s working on a grasping study in Dr. Claudia Gonzalez’s Brain in Action lab.

“I chose this project because of the professor and because it is more related to movement and neuroscience than other projects,” she says. “I’m learning a lot. Many of my friends tried to get an internship in Canada so I’m really grateful Mitacs has given me this opportunity.”

“The Mitacs Globalink program is outstanding. It identifies talented undergraduate students, who are highly qualified personnel, to come to Canada for 12 weeks to gain research experience,” says Gonzalez, a U of L kinesiology and physical education professor. “As faculty, the program has provided me with the opportunity to have a pair of extra hands in the lab and a student to hopefully inspire or excite about research in Canada and at the U of L.”

Santhosh Polubothu, an electrical engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee near New Delhi, has been doing research in reversible logics under the supervision of Dr. Jackie Rice, a U of L mathematics and computer science professor.

“I have done some work in digital electronics back at my university so I thought it could be more useful for me. This project was my first choice,” he says. “The Mitacs Globalink Research Internship is one of the best programs in the world. It’s very hard to get in and the stipend is very good. It’s not about the money but the research we’re doing.”

Neeraj Prakash, who’s studying engineering physics at the National Institute of Technology Calicut, India, is working under the supervision of Dr. Adriana Predoi-Cross, a U of L physics professor.

“I’m having a good experience working in the lab. Even though I’m an undergrad, I’m getting the opportunity to work as a researcher,” says Prakash, adding he especially enjoys having input into the project he’s working on.

Houlin Yu, an undergraduate biology student at Northwest Agriculture and Forestry ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Yangling, China, is working in Elizabeth Schultz’s plant biology lab on a project to define the role of the FKD1 gene family using Arabidopsis thaliana, or thale cress. This is Yu’s first visit to another country and he’s soaking up as many experiences as he can.

“It’s spectacular to see the scenery and the people are hospitable,” says Yu. “I love the lab I am working in here. I want to come back here to do my master’s under Dr. Schultz’s supervision.”

The students have also managed to squeeze in some fun. They have visited downtown Lethbridge, Waterton Lakes National Park, participated in an escape room adventure, toured tecconnect, and celebrated Canada Day at Henderson Lake.

Mitacs is a national, non-profit organization that designs and delivers research and training programs in Canada to support industrial and social innovation in Canada.

U of L students turn research ideas into a company that's generating buzz

caroline.zentner — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 21:02:46 +0000

A group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate students is patenting a process that harnesses the power of the body’s own cells to repair scar tissue in the brain – thereby opening up a new world of possibilities for treating stroke and traumatic brain injury.

Aubrey Demchuk and Scott Wong use a transmission electron microscope to obtain an image of a cell nucleus

The students, who just recently formed Nomadogen Biotechnologies Inc., have created a combination genetic and cellular therapy dubbed Nomadocytes, which utilizes patient-derived cells to non-invasively deliver therapeutic molecules to brain cells affected by injury or disease.

The group recently won two of three categories at the Chinook Entrepreneur Challenge presented by Community Futures Lethbridge Region, earning the top award in the Technology and Innovation Business Stream and Student Business Stream.

“This research is very exciting,” says Zak Stinson, a Regina, Sask. native who came to the U of L in 2011 to complete a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Neuroscience. He is now working on his Master of Science with a major in Neuroscience degree under the guidance of Dr. Bruce McNaughton and is based out of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California-Irvine. “Neurodegenerative disorders are devastating to patients, families and the economy. There is massive unmet need for new, better treatments for things like stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease, and this need is only going to increase as the population ages.”

The beauty of Nomadogen’s technology is its relative simplicity and non-invasive nature.

“Nomadocytes are a naturally occurring type of brain cell that we can derive from bone marrow cells, modify for our own purposes, and re-administer without any invasive neurosurgical procedures,” explains Aubrey Demchuk, a Lethbridge native who recently completed a Master of Science degree with a major in Neuroscience at the U of L. “We are simply adapting a small communication vesicle produced by these cells so that they are attracted specifically to areas of the brain that are damaged, basically anything with scar tissue from either stroke or traumatic brain injury, and using them to deliver a therapeutic message.”

Zak Stinson

The cells naturally migrate to these damaged areas in the brain before releasing a vesicle that contains a specifically designed DNA molecule. This molecule is taken up by the scar tissue and, when the DNA is expressed, converts the scar tissue back into functional neurons.

The group’s pre-clinical trials in cell culture models have been extremely encouraging and, by fall 2015, testing will move into rodent models.

“If the cells behave in a living brain as we predict they will, the therapeutic potential for Nomadocytes is massive,” says Stinson.

Because the technology they have created is an easily adaptable platform, a litany of other neurodegenerative disorders could potentially be treatable and the therapy could even conceivably be used to target peripheral injuries, such as tissue damage in a limb.

Demchuk, Stinson and partners, Scott Wong and Evan Caton, met as part of the U of L’s award-winning iGEM program and quickly found a synergy in their thinking.

Evan Caton

“The four of us have different but complementary backgrounds in genetics, neuroscience, and biochemistry and together we generated a number of ideas that fit together very nicely,” says Demchuk. “At the end of the iGEM season, we had collectively invested a lot of time and thought into this project and wanted to pursue it further, if only because the research seemed promising. The company was kind of an accident that came out of it.”

She admits that, as scientists, they never thought about the business side of their technology but were encouraged by faculty members within the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) to incorporate and then patent their technology. With guidance from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ-Industry Liaison Office and assistance from technology advisor Bill Halley and the Regional Innovation Network Southern Alberta (RINSA), among others, Nomadogen is generating significant industry buzz.

“It is very exciting because we are already much more successful than we had ever hoped,” says Demchuk. “We came in with very low expectations and so far we have had a lot of people interested and invested in our idea.”

Canada Foundation for Innovation investment to support creation of cutting-edge cellular imaging research centre

trevor.kenney — Fri, 29 May 2015 17:24:48 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will embark on the creation of a new interdisciplinary research facility that promises to be Canada’s leading cellular imaging research centre thanks to a $2 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Canada Foundation for Innovation.

The Cell Signaling Interdisciplinary Research Centre (CSIRC) is a facility that will bring together researchers from neuroscience, biochemistry and biological sciences.

Today, the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced more than $333 million for new research infrastructure that Canadian researchers will use to advance Canadian knowledge in areas ranging from mood disorders and robotics to food security and the search for new planets.

At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the $2,098,277 investment towards Dynamic Brain Mapping: Cell signaling to systems function, will create the Cell Signaling Interdisciplinary Research Centre (CSIRC), a facility that will bring together researchers from neuroscience, biochemistry and biological sciences.

“We plan to create Canada’s leading cellular imaging research centre to make fundamental discoveries on how dynamic regulation of brain and other systems activity determines risk for important diseases,” says lead investigator Dr. Robert Sutherland, Board of Governors Research Chair in Neuroscience. “These discoveries will provide new, key targets for developing prevention and therapy strategies.”

Sutherland, who will work closely with fellow neuroscientists Drs. Aaron Gruber, Andrew Iwaniuk, Bryan Kolb, Robert McDonald, Bruce McNaughton, Gerlinde Metz and Majid Mohajerani as well as Drs. Olga Kovalchuk (biological sciences) and HJ Wieden (biochemistry), explains how the new facility will extend the scope of researchers who are currently studying basic processes regulating brain health, degenerative disorders, infective agents and cancer.

“Gene expression and epigenetics play a key role in answering how cells learn, how they process, store and distribute information acquired during development,” he says. “CSIRC will enable us to make new discoveries in gene expression, epigenetics and therapeutics in cancer, dementia, developmental brain disorders, stroke and infections.”

Dr. Lesley Brown, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Interim Vice-President (Research), says the CFI investment recognizes the research expertise present at the U of L.

“Our researchers are respected as leaders in their field and the work they do is of great relevance to important areas of public concern such as health care,” says Brown. “This investment from the federal government is an endorsement of the world-class research being conducted here on campus.”

Nearly all of the infrastructure will enable the usersof the CSIRC group to conduct brain-imaging projects with viral vectors and genetically modified rodents. It will allow the group to move forward their activities, such as health-related research, training and partnering with non-academic collaborators, to that of a world leader.

“Today’s announcement will strengthen Canada’s reputation in science and technology by supporting research infrastructure that will attract world-class talent, train a new generation of students and make discoveries that benefit Canadians in remarkable ways,” says Holder.

Neuroscience pioneer Dr. Bryan Kolb to receive Honorary Degree

trevor.kenney — Thu, 07 May 2015 15:55:15 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Senate is pleased to announce the second of its 2015 Honorary Degree recipients – internationally renowned behavioural neuroscience expert and academic, Dr. Bryan Kolb.

Dr. Bryan E. Kolb is among the world’s leading researchers in an area that is critical to advancing the health of Canadians, better understanding the interrelationship between the brain and behaviour.

“Dr. Kolb is one of our longest serving and most respected faculty members, as well as a world renowned leader in neuroscience research and true pioneer in his field,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Chancellor Janice Varzari. “In addition to his work in the lab, he is an inspiring educator who has helped ignite a passion for science and discovery amongst countless students. It is our pleasure to present him with an honorary degree.”

The U of L will present Dr. Bryan Kolb with the degree of Doctor of Science, honouris causa, at the Spring 2015 Convocation Ceremony II on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness.

Dr. Bryan Kolb

Bryan E. Kolb is among the world’s leading researchers in an area that is critical to advancing the health of Canadians: better understanding the interrelationship between the brain and behaviour. A ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty member since 1976, and today its Board of Governor’s Research Chair in Neuroscience, Bryan Kolb was instrumental in establishing the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience as a world leader in neuroscience research.

His explorations have resulted in many innovative breakthroughs that have revolutionized how we think of human brain science. He was among the first to discover the brain’s full capacity to recover from injury thanks to plasticity – its ability to change throughout life. Because of his pioneering research, brain plasticity has become a foundational platform for today’s neuroscience research. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ awarded him the Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research in 1999.

As an academic, Bryan Kolb has made a profound impact on advancing the study of neuroscience and cultivating the next generation of researchers in the field. In the classroom, his talent, scientific curiosity and passion translate into an engaging and nurturing teaching style that inspires students to succeed. In 1991, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ honoured him with a Distinguished Teaching Award.

To further help advance the discipline of behavioural neuroscience, Bryan Kolb has shared his extensive knowledge by publishing 304 refereed articles, five books and 58 book chapters. He has also delivered numerous presentations and workshops about brain development for a wide spectrum of audiences, and his significant achievements in behavioural neuroscience have led to many honours and awards.

For his extensive and important contributions as a researcher and academic to the field of behavioural neuroscience, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to confer upon Bryan E. Kolb the degree of Doctor of Science, honouris causa.

Challenge of neuroscience discovery keeps distinguished alumnus energized

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 21:23:13 +0000

Today, Dr. Terry Robinson (BASc ’72) is a leading neuroscience researcher. But in the late 1960s, he wasn’t sure what career to pursue.

Dr. Terry Robinson says the opportunity to do research as a U of L undergraduate student set his career path in motion.

After backpacking through Europe and spending yearlong stints at Wisconsin State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Montreal's Concordia ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the native of Huntsville, Ont. decided to head west. Robinson enrolled in third year at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, where he took the first physiological psychology course taught by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Ian Whishaw. Fascinated, he asked Whishaw how he could learn more about neuroscience and ended up working as a research assistant in the professor's lab. The experience turned out to be transformative.

“I love the continual challenge of neuroscience,” says Robinson, who is now the Elliot S. Valenstein Distinguished ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Michigan (U of M). “Each experiment leads to more and more questions and you never know what roads you're going to go down.”

Under Whishaw's supervision, Robinson conducted experiments that, among other things, tested the brain's visual discrimination abilities. He eventually went on to pursue a colloquium studies option in fourth year, enabling him to do research on a full-time basis. By the time Robinson finished his bachelor’s degree, his work had been published in a handful of peer-reviewed journals.

“The U of L set the stage for my whole career,” says Robinson. “The freedom to do research as an undergraduate student, and to have intensive research experiences, put me at a great advantage.”

Robinson went on to earn a master's degree and PhD in physiological psychology from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan and Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, respectively. He completed postdoctoral training at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California at Irvine and then joined U of M in 1978. Over the years, he has served as Chair of the university's Biopsychology Program and as director of the Neuroscience Program.

Robinson has also been a prolific researcher. His 220-plus journal articles have been cited more than 32,000 times, making him one of the highest-cited scientists in the field of neuroscience. He has a long list of accolades to his name, including: the D.O. Hebb Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (2010), the Distinguished Scientist Award from the European Behavioral Pharmacology Society (2013) and the William James Fellow Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (2014). He was also named the U of L Alumnus of the Year in 1992.

Robinson's research examines the roots of addiction. Specifically, his lab focuses on the repeated use of psychostimulant drugs, such as amphetamine and cocaine, and the behaviours they produce and the long-term changes they cause in the brain. The findings could have tremendous implications for the treatment of addiction and the management of relapses.

Individuals have different reactions to the cues associated with addictive drugs. For instance, whereas one person may be resistant to potential temptations, such as drugs or drug paraphernalia, another person may relapse simply after seeing those same items. It all comes down to the various ways that the brain processes such cues.

With funding from the United States' National Institutes of Health, Robinson has identified “sign trackers” – animal subjects who are more likely to attribute motivational value to cues, develop impulse control disorders, such as addiction, and relapse when in the presence of cues. Knowing who is genetically predisposed to be a sign tracker may make it easier in the future to predict how an individual will behave in the presence of cues, and his or her risk of relapsing.

“Advancing our understanding of addiction will one day lead to better therapies,” says Robinson. “But from a purely scientific perspective, it's also important to understand how drugs change the brain's ability to process motivational cues.”

Structural changes in the brain have long been one of Robinson's interests. And since the 1970s, he has collaborated with U of L neuroscientists Drs. Robbin Gibb and Bryan Kolb to study how drugs affect the physical makeup of the mind. In addition, long after leaving Lethbridge, Robinson continued to maintain his connection with Whishaw; the pair has examined, for example, how function is maintained after loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine, in an animal model of Parkinson’s Disease.

Those research partnerships, says Robinson, are critical in neuroscience.

“The field is so multidisciplinary. It would be difficult for one person to be a master of all the required skills. Collaborations, therefore, bring together different types of expertise,” he says. “Plus, it's fun to work with old friends.”

Annual Brain Awareness Week highlights U of L neuroscience research

caroline.zentner — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 18:44:43 +0000

Everyone is invited to learn more about the world-renowned brain research being done at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) during Brain Awareness Week, March 9 to 14.

Dr. Robbin Gibb, a U of L professor of neuroscience, will present this year’s public talk, addressing the importance of brain development in the preschool years. Gibb will discuss research into training the preschool brain for success in school and beyond through simple play activities. This free lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at the Yates Memorial Centre.

Dr. Robbin Gibb will discuss brain development in the early years during her public talk.

On Saturday, March 14, the CCBN will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors are invited to step inside to find out more about the cutting edge research being done and the discoveries being made in southern Alberta. The open house includes tours of the labs, the chance to meet CCBN scientists and an activity room for children to engage in educational brain-related activities.

“We encourage people of all ages to participate in this year’s Brain Awareness Week,” says Dr. Artur Luczak, a professor and neuroscience researcher at the CCBN and one of the organizers of Brain Awareness Week. “Research being done here in Lethbridge covers a wide range of neuroscience topics, including memory, stroke, brain diseases, how the brain has evolved in different species, and brain development over the lifespan.”

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) activities are organized by the Lethbridge Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. BAW is a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research.

Coinciding with BAW is a public talk on the evening of Wednesday, March 11 by Jay Ingram, former host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks and Discovery Channel Canada’s Daily Planet, titled The Alzheimer’s Mystery. Beginning at 7 p.m. at The Galt Museum, Ingram will talk about the research being done in Alberta to understand Alzheimer’s disease. The CCBN’s Dr. Rob Sutherland is an invited guest and will be available for the public discussion.

Doctoral student using Parkland Institute award for study to uncover links between prenatal stress and aging

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 22:35:32 +0000

The effects of prenatal stress can be seen across generations and Mirela Ambeskovic is studying those effects across a lifespan.

Ambeskovic (BA '12, MSc '14), a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge doctoral student studying under neuroscientist Dr. Gerlinde Metz, became interested in studying the effects of prenatal stress because of the influence it had on her and her family when they lived in Bosnia. Ambeskovic’s grandmother experienced prenatal stress in the aftermath of the Second World War, when shelter and food were scarce, as did her mother a generation later.

Mirela Ambeskovic is seeking to determine how prenatal stress programs the brain and behaviour across generations.

“I was a prenatally stressed baby, too. When my mom was pregnant with me, my dad went into the army. So she was home alone and had to deal with lots,” says Ambeskovic. “In a way, I feel like it maybe benefited me, building the same kind of resilience I see in the subjects we test.”

She came to Canada in 1998 after her family, including her mother and two siblings, was displaced in the Bosnian war that lasted from 1992 to 1995. She attended Winston Churchill High School and started studying biology and psychology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge a year after graduating. Two years later, she made the switch to neuroscience and got some experience working in the laboratory under Dr. Deborah Saucier, a former U of L professor of neuroscience. After she took a class on stress with Dr. Metz, she knew she’d found the field she wanted to explore further. Ambeskovic asked if Metz would take her on as a master’s student and a few days later she was in the lab.

“Everything fell into place. I stuck with it and now I’m doing my PhD. I love coming to work every day,” says Ambeskovic.

Her own stress level recently received a little reprieve when she was awarded a $5,000 scholarship through the Parkland Institute. With the financial pressure alleviated, she’ll be able to focus solely on her research.

“The main goal of my research is to determine how prenatal stress programs the brain and behaviour across generations,” she says. “I am interested in possible prenatal stress and aging interactions. I assess for cognitive and motor functions, depression and anxiety levels and brain plasticity in rats from young adulthood to middle-aged and aged.”

She studies rats over an 18-month period, equivalent to a human lifespan of 60 to 70 years. Every six months she evaluates brain and behavioural changes in the animals. Ambeskovic looks specifically at the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that integrates learning, memory and emotion and helps in decision-making. She also compares the effects of prenatal stress on males and females to see if any sex differences exist and whether the rats’ lifespans and susceptibility to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, kidney failure and heart failure, are affected.

In addition to a control group of non-stressed rats, Ambeskovic studies a group of rats where only the great-grandmother was prenatally stressed and not subsequent generations, and another group where all four generations experienced prenatal stress. While her research isn’t yet completed, she’s already found some results that point to the effects of prenatal stress.

“Prenatally stressed animals have a shorter lifespan and are more prone to diseases earlier in life than non-stressed individuals,” she says. “Prenatally stressed animals age faster with earlier onset of motor and cognitive deficits. Interestingly, the males are more affected than females. Females deal much better with prenatal stress than males do. Their behaviour is not as affected, nor is their brain. It actually appears that the prenatally stressed females build resilience to stress and show enhanced cognitive and motor functions.”

Not all prenatal stress is bad. Some stress is good as it prepares individuals for the environment they are born into. For instance, an animal pre-programmed to survive in a stressful environment will cope better and go on to reproduce, ensuring survival of the species, and this may have evolutionary purposes.

“It catches up to them as they get older. The organism kind of gets run down,” says Ambeskovic. “Maybe that’s why we see the difference between males and females. Males are OK when they are younger to the stage that reproduction can happen. As they get older, their bodies run down and they start giving up faster. They age faster than the females. But why females are so resilient all the time I’m not quite sure.”

In a separate study, Ambeskovic looked at the effects of prenatal stress on the emotional or mental states in young and middle-aged male rats. She found increased levels of depression and anxiety, enhanced hyperactivity and stress hormone levels in middle-aged rats. She called this cluster of behaviours exhibited by her male rats a ‘middle-age crisis’ as it resonated with similar behaviours in humans.

Ambeskovic is also looking at the epigenetic effects of prenatal stress. Certain genes, or parts of genes, may be turned on or off, depending on the environment and the rat’s experiences. For example, putting animals in an enriched environment has been shown to reverse some of the effects of prenatal stress.

“In our multi-generationally stressed animals, a lot of genes seem to be either up or down regulated and these seem to be involved in aging and immune functions, along with diabetes and depression. We need to look further into specific genes and micro-RNAs (small sequences of specific DNA) that might be changing,” she says of future studies.

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