UNews - Robbin Gibb

Trailblazing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists shaped global brain health and education

caroline.zentner — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 22:28:29 +0000

Brainstorm, a documentary that chronicles how ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professors Drs. Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw revolutionized the understanding of the brain, will premiere at the Yates Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. After selling out the Yates theatre, organizers decided to show the film concurrently at the Sterndale Bennett Theatre. For more information and to sign up for seats to view the event from the Sterndale theatre, visit Brainstorm. Those not attending the premiere will be able to watch the film on TELUS TV in early 2025.

Brainstorm was directed by Dr. Jenna Bailey, adjunct assistant professor with the Department of History and Religion, co-produced by Bailey and Dr. Edgar Bermudez Contreras, an adjunct professor at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN), and edited by Bryn Hewko, assistant professor of new media.

“I made this film to showcase the groundbreaking work of two bold neuroscientists whose discoveries have transformed our understanding of the brain and advanced treatments for brain disorders and diseases,” says Bailey. “Their innovative research, fearless exploration of the unknown, and dedication to mentoring generations of scientists are captivating stories that highlight the power of science in making a real impact.”

The 42-minute film delves into the history behind the establishment of the CCBN and its growth through the efforts of Drs. Bryan Kolb, Ian Wishaw, Robert Sutherland and Robbin Gibb. The research results produced by CCBN scientists have provided insight into Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and early brain development, to name a few. As a result, prevention strategies for brain disorders and programs to improve brain health have been developed. Community programs have sprouted from their findings and have been key to launching such programs as Building Brains Together and the Early Years program through the Martin Family Initiative.

Brainstorm was produced with the support of TELUS STORYHIVE. Additional funding was generously provided by the Alberta Medical Association, Government of Alberta, Alberta Media Fund, CCBN, Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) and the Historical Society of Alberta.

Watch the trailer.

About TELUS STORYHIVE

Since 2013, TELUS STORYHIVE has been able to support a community of thousands of local content creators across British Columbia and Alberta, providing over $66.9 million in funding and creating a safe space for storytellers to hone their skills and bring the projects they care about to life. Visit TELUS STORYHIVE for more information.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events

caroline.zentner — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:55:23 +0000

Each year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience celebrates Brain Awareness Week (March 11 – 17) by providing opportunities for the public to learn about advances in brain research from our neuroscientists.

Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand

The first of three events is a free community lecture by Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand. Her talk — “The Neuroscience of “Normal”: How do our brains shape who we are?” — will delve into the extraordinary ways our brains shape our perception of the world and make us who we are. She’ll discuss how external factors can change our brains, the ways our personality traits influence how we see the world and the impact of major life events in reshaping our realities.

Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.
Galt Museum Viewing Gallery

Dr. Robbin Gibb

The second event is a free public talk by Dr. Robbin Gibb titled “The Social Synapse: Using play and relationships to build executive function.” During the lifespan, one of the most important ways to promote healthy brain function is through supportive and positive relationships. In her talk, Gibb will highlight the success in the community using play-based programs that exercise working memory, cognitive flexibility and behavioural inhibition. These programs are offered through the Building Brains Together organization, funded by the City of Lethbridge and currently running in preschools, middle schools and seniors’ centres. Gibb and her team are also involved in providing cognitive testing for participants in the Chess for Life program for justice-involved youth. Their goal is to demonstrate that youth who learn to play chess with a one-on-one mentor during their 25-hour sentence show improvement in executive function skills.

Wednesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m.
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Science Commons, BMO Auditorium

The final event is an open house at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. Everyone is welcome to attend and explore what the centre has to offer.
Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Science Commons

Keep the learning going all summer long with the Building Brains game bag

caroline.zentner — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 17:55:02 +0000

The folks at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Building Brains Together group have developed a game bag to keep kids learning all summer long while they’re having fun.

The bags contain 10 games that help build children’s executive function skills and all the supplies needed to play. The games are designed for preschool-aged children to help improve their readiness for kindergarten. The kits are now available and can be ordered online through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Bookstore at a cost of $29.99.

“We know that play builds those healthy brains and a strong foundation,” says Vicki Hazelwood, coordinator of Building Brains. “We want to see kids thrive and the game bags are a tool that we can get into families’ hands and equip them to play games that make a difference. We know through the research that these playful activities will help build executive function skills in children.”

Games in the bag include Red Light, Green Light, a game that improves children’s working memory and helps them build emotional control. Musical Freeze has children dancing to music and, when the music stops, they freeze in the same pose shown on a card. Another activity in the bag is a shared project, where two children work together. The process allows children to plan, negotiate and work together to make whatever they want using modelling clay.

“We know in the first five years of life, a child’s experiences have a powerful influence on development, physically, socially and emotionally,” says Hazelwood. “So, if they have positive playful experiences with a caregiver in their life, then it really promotes strong and nurturing relationships and it sets them up for positive outcomes in the future.”

The Building Brains curriculum and games were sparked by the results of the Early Development Instrument that was used across Canada almost seven years ago to test kindergarten readiness. The results showed Alberta children were behind the Canadian average and children in Lethbridge were behind the Alberta average. Dr. Robbin Gibb (BASc '77, MSc '01, PhD '04), a U of L neuroscience professor, founded the Building Brains organization and under her leadership, local organizations came together to look at how to strengthen adult capabilities to support childhood development. The curriculum is based on principles of developmental neuroscience and research has demonstrated its effectiveness in helping children learn executive function skills such as self-regulation, working memory and flexible thinking. Children are not born with executive function and the Building Brains activities are an excellent way to practice and build these important skills.

With funding from the City of Lethbridge, Building Brains partners with organizations such as Lethbridge Housing Authority, food banks, the school division and Family Centre to connect with as many caregivers and children as possible.

“We want to see healthy, resilient children in our community,” says Hazelwood.

“With these game bags, our hope is to re-invest in continuing the program and supporting healthy child development in our community.”

Building Brains Together group offers play activities to local families through park posters

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 May 2020 17:32:25 +0000

Don’t let your children know, but the new activity posters that have popped up on lampposts around Henderson and Nicholas Sheran Lakes are actually helping them build their brains.

Building brain activities are as simple as finding colours and listening for sounds as you walk along the paths.

The posters, placed by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists Drs. Robbin Gibb (BASc (BSc) ‘77, MSc ‘01, PhD ‘04) and Claudia Gonzalez (MSc ‘00, PhD ‘04) and the Building Brains Together (BBT) group, are designed for families to engage their children with simple activities as they make their way around the city paths.

“The Walk and Play signs went up after the playgrounds had to close due to Covid-19,” says Gibb of the posters located on both sides of the Lethbridge Little Library stands. “We thought it would be great for families walking on our paths to have fun ways to interact as they move along. Our Building Brains Together group has focused on play as the key means to building healthy brains, and since our face-to-face interactions with families have had to stop — we are reaching out with things like the posters.”

The activities are simple, including games such as a walk bingo card (you take a picture with your phone and fill it out as you walk), an exercise to look for colours along the path, and to listen for sounds such as barking, laughing or birds singing. There’s even an obstacle course where kids run around benches or jump on pathway cracks. All the activities are informed by years of basic neuroscience research.

A mother and her daughter take part in some of the Building Brain activities at Nicholas Sheran Lake.

“By playing these games, children are building connections in the areas that support the executive function skills that are so critical for life success,” says Gibb. “A lot of this play involves serve-and-return interactions and it builds fundamental connections in the prefrontal cortex, a key brain area for executive function and for social understanding.”

The Building Brains and Futures initiative, out of which the BBT group was born, started in 2014 following the release of data from the provincial government’s Early Child Development Mapping Initiative. This initiative assessed development of kindergarten-aged children in five domains: physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and thinking skills, and communication skills and general knowledge. The results showed that Alberta children were behind the Canadian average and children in Lethbridge were behind the provincial average.

“In Lethbridge, less than 50 per cent of preschoolers demonstrated typical development in all five domains,” says Gibb. “That is unacceptable, so members of the Early Childhood Coalition decided to do something about it.”

The group was very active last summer, securing grant support that allowed them to hire summer students who set up tents in city parks and talked to parents and caregivers about how playing with their children would help develop their brains. They provided access to information about the project and handed out kits containing brain-building games.

“By the end of last summer, our group talked to more than 500 parents and gave out more than 100 of the brain-building bags,” says Gibb.

With children out of school and care facilities due to the COVID-19 situation, Gibb and her group have now found a way to keep that development going.

“We are also contributing activities to families receiving food hampers. We’re just really trying to imagine how we can help in this interesting and challenging time,” she says. “ We have been working on our own YouTube channel to demonstrate how to play with children and we have recently added baby games and more games for three-to-five year-olds on our buildingbrains.ca website and are working on adding games for six-to-eight year-olds as well.”

With the help of Gibb and the BBT group, taking a simple walk is now a way to engage a young mind and strengthen it for the future.

Chemotherapy research program earns Anna Kovalchuk esteemed Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

trevor.kenney — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 17:20:58 +0000

Anna Kovalchuk (BSc ’14, MSc ’15), a PhD student at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, is one of 166 doctoral students in Canada to be awarded a 2015-2016 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

The recent announcement by the Government of Canada also included 70 new Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, for a total financial commitment of $34.7 million to attract and retain the best young doctoral students and post-doctoral fellows in Canada and around the world.

Kovalchuk is currently working on completing her doctoral degree under the supervision of Drs. Bryan Kolb and Robbin Gibb.

“I congratulate all recipients of this year’s Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, says Kirsty Duncan, minister of science. “This investment represents our government’s commitment to support emerging researchers whose hard work will help put our country at the forefront of scientific discovery while equipping them with the skills they need to join a strong middle class.”

“It’s a very prestigious scholarships offered in Canada and it was a little bit unexpected. It’s such a competitive scholarship but my hopes were high,” says Kovalchuk. “These scholarships are incredibly important; it’s an incentive to continue with research, at least it is for me.”

The scholarship is worth $50,000 per year for three years, which Kovalchuk says will be put to good use in helping her continue her research. At present, she’s working on completing her doctoral degree under the supervision of Drs. Bryan Kolb and Robbin Gibb.

With Kolb and Gibb, Kovalchuk is researching the effects of chemotherapy on the brain using a mouse model. Many patients, after receiving chemotherapy, report having effects with their attention, memory and cognitive function. The effects are known as chemo brain.

“We’re exploring what is happening at the molecular level that is causing this side effect. If we can figure out what is going on, it will be a foundation for helping ameliorate or even eradicate these side effects,” says Kovalchuk.

Kovalchuk started the research while doing her master’s and has added another element since she started her doctoral work. Partnering with Champions Oncology in the United States, a firm that offers personalized cancer treatment, she is looking at the brains of mice implanted with samples of patients’ tumours and treated with chemotherapy.

“We were lucky enough to get the brains of these animals. Now we can see at the molecular level what the presence of a cancerous tumour does to the brain and what happens after chemotherapy treatment,” she says. “From our results, we might have to rename the term ‘chemo brain’ to include ‘tumour brain’ because the presence of a tumour has a huge effect on the brain and chemotherapy adds more.”

Kovalchuk eventually hopes to become a radiation oncologist. She has been accepted into the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine and will start her studies there next July. She’s passionate in her desire to combat cancer and has consistently been among the country’s leading fundraisers for the CIBC Run for the Cure Post-Secondary Challenge.

“I’m really grateful to everyone who got me to this point, from my supervisors and other mentors from the U of L and the U of C and the Jack Ady Cancer Centre to my parents for guiding me in this direction,” says Kovalchuk. “I’m glad it’s all come together and I’ll take the opportunities as they come.”

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 time is research time for six local high school students

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:03:15 +0000

Summer time usually gives high school students a break from learning, but six local students have spent most of their summer getting educated about research instead.

The Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) program, funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), gives students in Grade 11 the chance to spend six weeks participating in health-related scientific research labs and research centres at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Grace Forster, who will be entering Grade 12 at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in September, is one of six HYRS students at the U of L this summer. She applied to the HYRS program because she enjoys the sciences and thought the program would help her find out if she enjoys laboratory work and whether she wants to study science after high school.

She began working in Dr. Gerlinde Metz’s lab on July 8, analyzing data from a research study into the effects of travel stress on mice.

“We do a lot of stress research in the Metz lab. One of the things that isn’t typically controlled very well is shipment stress,” says Forster. “Almost every laboratory gets animals shipped because most don’t have the capacity to maintain breeding colonies that will be big enough. We’re essentially looking at how shipment stress affects basic motor function in adult mice.”

To gauge motor function, Forster took measurements of stride length, distance between the hind feet and rotation of the feet in a sample of travel-stressed mice. These measurements were compared to those gathered from a sample of mice bred in house. Forster spent the first three or four weeks completing the data set, which involved a lot of painstaking hand measurements.

“We found that the shipment-stressed animals had significantly shorter stride lengths, which indicates they would have less postural stability and slower walking speeds,” says Forster. “They would respond differently to the behaviour and motor tests.”

The results show that findings from research studies could be skewed if both in-house mice and shipment-stressed mice are used in the same project. Forster says the results point to a need to use only one kind of mouse in a research project to ensure consistency.

During the HYRS program, Forster helped out with a variety of other projects, too. She learned how to handle mice, weigh pups and mothers and measure their body circumference. In addition, the HYRS students took part in educational tours, attended brown bag lunches with panels and presentations, and heard from university professors and university students about their scientific careers.

“We had the opportunity to visit the gross anatomy lab in Calgary (the cadaver lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary medical school), which was very interesting,” she says. “That was one of the coolest experiences.”

The HYRS students also had some fun — Forster’s favourite activity was The Great Escape, a live-action, escape-the-room adventure.

She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HYRS program to other high school students.

“I don’t think there’s anything else like this program that can give high school students the type of experience in the sciences that can make an impact on their university education or their careers,” she says.

Other HYRS students at the U of L include Eyram Asem, a Winston Churchill High School (WCHS) student, who worked in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s lab and Kai Bailey, from Chinook High School, who worked in Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab. Kate Chua, from Catholic Central High School (CCHS), spent time in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab and Anileen Pageni, a WCHS student, worked in Dr. Ute Kothe’s lab. Daniel Rocca, a student from CCHS, worked in Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab.

Gonzalez has Canada Research Chair renewed

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:48:59 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge kinesiology professor Dr. Claudia Gonzalez is among a group of 150 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs (CRC) announced this week by the Government of Canada.

The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), unveiled a $139-million investment, with an additional $7.6 million in infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, in the Canada Research Chairs program. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is one of 36 post-secondary institutions in the country to receive funding.

Dr. Caudia Gonzalez, left, with Dr. Robbin Gibb and a trial with two young research subjects.

“Through our government’s updated science, technology and innovation strategy, we are making the record investments necessary to push the boundaries of knowledge, create jobs and opportunities, and improve the quality of life of Canadians,” says Holder. “Our government’s Canada Research Chairs Program develops, attracts and retains top talent researchers in Canada whose research, in turn, creates long-term social and economic benefits while training the next generation of students and researchers in Canada.”

Gonzalez, a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control, has had her Tier 2 Chair renewed for 5 years with an investment of $500,000. She was initially named a CRC in 2009. An accomplished researcher, her latest work on hemispheric differences in sensorimotor control encompasses behavioural, neuropsychological and developmental domains.

Some of her recent research has focused on hemispheric lateralization for grasping and linking those findings to the development of Executive Function (EF) and language. Gonzalez worked closely with U of L neuroscientist Dr. Robbin Gibb on several studies that showed that a more lateralized brain supports the development of EF – a blanket term that is considered to include self-regulation, working memory and planning. They have shown that children who used their right hand more often to pick up objects demonstrated better executive function and speech production proficiency.

“Our results suggest that EF enjoys privileged support from the left hemisphere, which also controls the right hand. More likely, however, the results indicate that greater degree of lateralization (either to the left or right hemisphere) supports better behavioural control,” says Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, a Canada Research Chair in Sensorimotor Control, and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology.

Along this research line, her lab is currently exploring different motor-based training programs to enhance EF and language development in typically-developing and clinical populations of children.

Gonzalez is one of 10 Canada Research Chairs on campus, spanning disciplines as diverse as psychology, neuroscience, history, economics, sociology, physics and biological sciences.

The Canada Research Chairs Program was created in 2000. It is an ongoing annual program designed to attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds by helping to promote research and development and supporting top-tier talent at Canadian post-secondary institutions.

International child and youth studies conference looks to engage local practitioners

trevor.kenney — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 20:19:04 +0000

Leading researchers and practitioners will examine the state of child and youth studies at an international conference to be held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in May.

Mapping the Landscapes of Childhood II will be held in Markin Hall, May 8-10, 2015, and is hosted by the U of L’s Institute of Child and Youth Studies (I-CYS). It will bring together scholars and practitioners from a wide variety of academic disciplines including the sciences, arts, humanities, social sciences, policy studies, social work and education in an effort to share knowledge and create collaborative opportunities.

“Conferences like this are important in that they promote and empower new ideas,” says Dr. Kristine Alexander, I-CYS co-director and a Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Child and Youth Studies. “Bringing a wide spectrum of people together – ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, community members, practitioners – will allow for a broader understanding, and creation of, new knowledge and the opportunity to ensure that new ideas are considered by those who work with youth.”

All interested parties are invited to attend the conference and take in the multidisciplinary panels, scholarly presentations, poster sessions, keynote events, practitioner sessions and feature film screening. Registration and conference details can be found at uleth.ca/conreg/icys/.

The conference builds on the understanding of the inaugural event held at the U of L in 2011 that attracted an international group of 125 scholars. That conference was a catalyst for the creation of I-CYS, which is now directed by a group of seven primary researchers.

Mapping the Landscapes of Childhood II features keynote addresses by three international speakers:

- Tim Gill (British children’s advocate): From Protection to Resilience: Why and How We Should Reframe our Approach to Risk in Childhood.
- Dr. Katie Hinde (Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ): Food, Medicine, & Signal: How Mother's Milk Shapes Infant Development.
- Dr. Karen Wells (Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies, Birkbeck ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of London): Theorising Transnational Childhoods: Networks, Capital, and Social Reproduction.

Additionally, Dr. Jane Humphries (Professor of Economic History, All Souls College, Oxford) will host a discussion following a screening of the BBC4 documentary, The Children Who Built Victorian Britain, based on her book, Childhood and Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution.

Practitioner workshops that pair ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with professionals such as teachers, social workers, policy makers and others will also take place at the conference. These workshops include:

- Moving the Mountain: Brianna Olson & Wallis Kendal (iHuman Youth Society, Edmonton).
- Making the Most of Individual Differences in Education: Applications from the Montessori Method: Zahra Foroud & Dr. Afra Foroud.
- Practical Advice for Fostering Healthy Brain Development: Dr. Robbin Gibb, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.
- Bridging Cultures: Engaging Aboriginal Learners in Culturally Relevant Ways: Dr. Michelle Hogue & Ira Provost (��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge).

The U of L’s Institute for Child & Youth Studies is a multidisciplinary research institute committed to examining what children and youth mean as social, demographic, artistic, legal and existential categories. While strongly grounded in the humanities and social sciences, I-CYS connects scholars working in all disciplines and faculties at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and beyond.

I-CYS is also a community-building project. Through events, an e-newsletter and website, the group fosters conversations and collaborations that cross the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines, while creating links between scholars, practitioners and community members. The group aims to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary research – both curiosity- and policy-driven – about young people.

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.”

UNews - Robbin Gibb

Trailblazing ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists shaped global brain health and education

Related Topics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events

Related Topics

Keep the learning going all summer long with the Building Brains game bag

Related Topics

Building Brains Together group offers play activities to local families through park posters

Related Topics

Chemotherapy research program earns Anna Kovalchuk esteemed Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship

Related Content

Master's student earns Alberta Cancer Foundation research studentship award

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

Related Topics

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

Related Content

Master's student earns Alberta Cancer Foundation research studentship award

Related Topics

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

Related Topics

Gonzalez has Canada Research Chair renewed

Related Content

Building blocks construct future

Research team links hand preference in children to executive function

Related Topics

International child and youth studies conference looks to engage local practitioners

Related Topics

Challenge of neuroscience discovery keeps distinguished alumnus energized

Related Topics

Trailblazing ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists shaped global brain health and education

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events