UNews - stroke

CCBN research capabilities expand with state-of-the-art optical imaging lab

caroline.zentner — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:29:03 +0000

A state-of-the-art optical imaging lab in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) is giving ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge scientists a leg up in unlocking the secrets of how our brains function. Two-and-a-half years in the making, Mohajerani's lab is hoping to map, with outstanding precision, how the brain repairs itself after a stroke and also provide new insight into neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Having an optical imaging facility, along with the establishment of a population of transgenic mice, will allow Dr. Majid Mohajerani and his colleagues to study the mouse brain in action. This modern rodent-imaging facility is the result of a collective effort that began in 2008 with a major investment of Polaris funds from Alberta Innovates: Health Solutions and the U of L to Dr. Bruce McNaughton and with two infrastructure grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to Dr. Rob Sutherland.

Transgenic mice look like ordinary mice but they have been genetically modified. They are used in research because they carry many of the same genes as humans and can be used to study many illnesses, including neurological diseases.

“We know that some of the human brain disorders are caused by a variation or a mutation in a gene or group of genes. In the past 30 years, researchers began to insert human genes into the brain cells of living mice," says Mohajerani. "Using transgenic animals, scientists like me can now try to discover the cause of many diseases, and this may point the way to better treatment of those brain disorders."

With these developments, CCBN researchers will now be able to answer more complicated and detailed questions about what goes on in the brain after an injury like a stroke or in neurological diseases like Alzheimer's.

“One of the topics we are interested in studying is the effect of tiny, ischemic (resulting from inadequate blood supply) strokes on cognitive impairment and dementia. This type of stroke is a common feature of the aging brain. In collaboration with Dr. Rob McDonald's lab, we are studying how these small strokes could potentially drive the progression of Alzheimer's pathology and cognitive impairment. Having a transgenic animal model of Alzheimer's disease is essential to address this question," he says. "This work might potentially lead to new understanding of the link between stroke and Alzheimer's disease."

Neurons can be manipulated using genetic tools to fluoresce in different colours when exposed to light, allowing researchers to gain a better picture of what’s happening in the brain.

"Using this novel combination of genetics, optical imaging and bioengineering, we can watch thousands of neurons over the course of days and months. This will allow us to study how different parts of the brain communicate and work with each other, and how changes in brain circuitry can lead to mental disorders like Alzheimer's disease," says Mohajerani. “I have invested a lot of effort to bring our infrastructure to acceptable levels. We can consider ourselves a world-class neuroscience institution."

The equipment allows researchers to shine a light on a specific area in the brain of a transgenic mouse and activate the neurons involved in a particular function or behaviour, such as running or recalling a familiar memory. Not only will Mohajerani’s research program reveal more information about how the brain functions, but the results will also improve treatments for human patients.

“We don’t know whether the findings we make with mice are necessarily translatable to humans but we don’t have any other choice. We have to try different things and hope to see one of them get translated into actual use in humans,” he says.

Mohajerani can now see how the efforts of the past two-and-a-half years are coming together.

“This would not be possible without the talented people who work with me in this department—my colleagues who are very knowledgeable about brain function, our hard-working students and trainees, and our wonderful animal care staff.

Dr. Michael Kyweriga’s auditory research study details some of the work being done in Mohajerani’s lab.

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.

Exploring How The Brain Recovers From A Stroke

david.kirby — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:30:12 +0000

“Neuroscience today is like how physics was in the 17th century. We are living in an era that is rapidly changing the way we think about the brain and its ability to process and remember information and recover from injury, just like 400 years ago when we had a rapid advancement in our understanding of the universe. It is an exciting time as we really are just beginning to understand how the brain works and what we can do to improve its functioning.”

Dr. Majid Mohajerani is the U of L's Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chair in Brain Health and Dementia.

That’s how Dr. Majid Mohajerani describes what to him is both the challenge and the thrill of his work as a neuroscientist at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. And now as the university’s Campus Alberta Innovation Program Chair in Brain Health and Dementia, Mohajerani is diving deeper into the mysteries of the brain by studying what happens after it is injured.

Specifically, Mohajerani is researching how the brain is affected by micro stroke, also referred to as a transient ischemic attack, or the transient disruption of blood flow in the brain resulting in neurological dysfunction. He wants to understand how such an event impacts the structural and functional changes in the brain circuit that affect neuroplasticity, the processes involved in human development, learning and memory formation.

“After a stroke happens in the brain, not only motor deficits, it also causes problems in cognitive function and memory, and results in dementia,” says Mohajerani. “We really don’t know how this phenomenon or process works, but it is an important question to answer because dementia is a huge problem in Canadian society.”

Indeed, a 2012 study commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada found that the number of Canadians living with cognitive impairment, including dementia, stands at 747,000, and will double to 1.4 million by 2031.

Mohajerani originally trained to become a biomedical engineer, but while completing his master’s degree at Amirkabir ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Technology in Iran, where he learned how to use artificial neural networks to analyse brain functional activity. The subject got him fascinated with the brain’s complex processes, including how it learns and how it heals after an assault, and he ultimately switch into the field of neuroscience.

In his lab at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Mohajerani is studying the details of brain activity right before, during and right after a stroke occurs in the brains of mice. He is conducting these experiments using narrow band imaging technology, a cutting-edge research tool that provides an in-depth picture of the brain, the underlying neural circuits of the brain and how the brain uses its own plasticity mechanism to recover from neural damage.

He will also share his passion for better understanding the brain with U of L students through a new fourth-year elective undergraduate course he is developing in neural technology that he will start teaching next semester. And starting in 2016, he will teach another new course that he will create, a mandatory undergraduate course for neuroscience students about molecular cellular neuroscience.

By the end of his seven-year term, Mohajerani hopes his brain mapping and stroke recovery research will yield insights into how to more effectively address stroke-related symptoms such as dementia.

“My ultimate goal is to contribute to the development of tools and pharmacology therapies that help improve the quality of life for people who have dementia, and provide preventative treatment to those who don’t.”

U of L iGEM team earns gold in Boston competition

caroline.zentner — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 18:23:22 +0000

On the strength of a project that may one day lead to a new cell therapy to repair damaged neurons in the brain, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM (international genetically engineered machine) team was awarded a gold medal at the iGEM Giant Jamboree 2014 in Boston from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

Known as the Lethbridge Brainiacs, the iGEM team chose an ambitious project that involved using the brain’s own immune cells to facilitate recovery following a brain injury such as stroke.

The U of L iGEM team, sporting thier signature bow ties and suspenders, participated in the 10th annual Giant Jamboree in Boston at the end of October. Pictured here, from left to right, are Dennis Bettenson, Scott Wong, Zak Stinson, Aubrey Demchuk, Evan Caton, Suneet Kharey, Rhys Hakstol and Graeme Glaister. Missing from the photo are Dustin Smith, Kelsey O'Brien, Billy Cowitz, Rachael Chan and Harland Brandon.

“I was dumbfounded and exhilarated,” says Evan Caton, a doctoral student in biomolecular sciences. “This is my first year at iGEM and there were some other really amazing teams there. It was pretty awesome just to be in Boston and be rewarded for the work that we’ve done over the past year.”

“It was satisfying because we worked quite hard this summer and the gold medal is one of the higher standards of achievement at iGEM, so it’s nice to be recognized for that,” says Zak Stinson, a master’s student in neuroscience.

The team picked a neuroscience project that involves engineering immune cells to identify astrocytes (cells that play a role in the scarring process) and reprogram them to become normal neurons.

“When you have a stroke your neurons die and they don’t grow back. By this system, we would be able to replace those lost neurons and hopefully enhance functional recovery after a stroke and traumatic brain injury,” says Stinson. “We were able to take some pretty big steps towards getting this targeting and delivery system built. We weren’t able to test it fully because it was a really ambitious project for one summer, but we got quite a long ways towards showing that we could package these genes in these cells and send them over to astrocytes.”

The project involved inter-disciplinary collaboration. Individual members brought their respective expertise in biochemistry, biology, art and neuroscience to the team.

“The students are actually integrating expertise we have at the U of L into that design project. The students are the force that allows us to integrate existing strengths into a new application,” says Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, a team supervisor and Alberta Innovates Technology Futures Research Chair in Bioengineering in the chemistry and biochemistry department.

More than 220 teams from post-secondary institutions around the world participated in the 10th annual jamboree, with the U of L team being one of two from Alberta and one of 10 from Canada.

“Alberta has actually made up a large portion of the iGEM teams from Canada and they’ve done really well in the past because we have really good support from the provincial government,” says Stinson.

With the Jamboree now complete, team members are busy getting ready for the fourth annual Brick by Brick charity dinner and silent auction Saturday night at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building.

“This year the charity is 5th on 5th Youth Services,” says Caton. “They are facing funding challenges and are at risk of losing a number of programs which could affect thousands of young people.”

The iGEM team has hosted a charity event for the past three years as a way to give back to the community that has supported them throughout the year. As far as Stinson and Caton know, the U of L iGEM team is unique in hosting such an event.

"We got silent auction items from all over the community so the community has been really open to helping us,” says Caton.

All proceeds from the Brick by Brick event will go to 5th on 5th. Although tickets are sold out, anyone wanting to help the organization can donate online through the 5th on 5th Youth Services website.

Neuroscience research capacity boosted by addition of Mohajerani

trevor.kenney — Mon, 12 May 2014 20:16:47 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has added to its internationally recognized research capacity in neuroscience by appointing Dr. Majid H. Mohajerani as the new CAIP Chair in Brain Health and Dementia.

Dr. Majid Mohajerani comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after serving as a research associate at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy.

Mohajerani is the third of four new research Chairs being added to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta Innovation Program (CAIP) Chairs plan. Last year, aquatic health expert Dr. Greg Pyle and remote sensing researcher Dr. Chris Hopkinson were attracted to the U of L through the program.

The government is contributing $1 million for four Chairs, over the course of seven years, for a total investment of $7 million.

Vice-President (Research) Dr. Dan Weeks says this latest CAIP Chair is a tremendous addition for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ that will compliment the world class research currently undertaken at the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN).

“The work that Dr. Mohajerani has undertaken in brain mapping, and in stroke research, is groundbreaking and has been recognized nationally,” says Weeks. “This expertise, combined with the world-class talent that already resides at the U of L, will ensure that important discoveries continue to be made on our campus that will improve the quality of local, national and international communities.”

In 2010, Mohajerani received the New Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Additionally, he received the Henry J.M. Barnett Award –presented annually to the highest rated investigator working in the area of stroke research.

Mohajerani comes to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ after serving as a research associate at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy, where he received his PhD, and at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia.

“I had offers from several institutions within Canada, the United States and Europe and chose to work in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge because the CCBN is a world class research facility including some of the top researchers in the system and behavioural neuroscience,” says Mohajerani.

Mohajerani’s lab employs in vivo microscopic imaging technologies such as two-photon microscopy and functional imaging to study neural activity on the subcellular, cellular, and circuit level in real-time. A central goal of Mohajerani's research program is to use these experimental approaches to study the neurophysiological mechanisms that allow the cerebral cortex to develop normally and change throughout life in response to new experiences (eg. learning) or diseases such as stroke.

The CAIP Chairs plan is part of the Government of Alberta's Campus Alberta collaborative initiative and will provide research Chairs to Alberta's four Comprehensive Academic and Research Intensive (CARI) institutions: the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

“The Campus Alberta Innovation Program brings some of the world’s best research talent to Alberta to discover and create new knowledge in priority areas including human health,” says Dave Hancock, Premier of Alberta and Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education. “I welcome Dr. Mohajerani to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and to Alberta. His leadership and expertise will bring the original and innovative thinking that CAIP research chair recipients are renowned for. CAIP and Campus Alberta’s research facilities are making important discoveries right here in Alberta and those discoveries will have benefits that reach far beyond our borders.”

Touch therapy helps brains recover following stroke

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:12:25 +0000

Recovering from a stroke is harder for those who have been exposed to stress in the womb, but massage-like treatment can improve the odds.

Dr. Gerlinde Metz says it has been encouraging to see the positive impact of tactile stimulation.

New research out of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has found that rats exposed to prenatal stress that then experienced a stroke in adulthood suffered more severe motor disabilities compared to rats that experienced only a stroke.

However, applying tactile stimulation — massage-like touching — to the twice-stressed rats helped to promote their stroke recovery. The study was performed by researchers at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) and Department of Biological Sciences, and also included post-doctoral students. The study is published in the free, open-access, online scientific research journal Plos One.

“We now know that stress in early life will change the stress response throughout the lifetime, and that it can worsen the response to stressful events in adulthood,” says lead researcher Dr. Gerlinde Metz, a neuroscience professor who is also an Alberta Heritage Medical Senior Scholar. “It was encouraging to see the positive impact of tactile stimulation, because effective therapies for strokes is an area that has been very unsuccessful.”

The research revealed that prenatal stress programs the way adults respond to stress, and compromises behavioural and structural recovery from ischemic brain damage caused by a stroke. That finding was reflected through behavioural tests that showed double-stressed rats had more difficulty performing motor tasks such as walking and grasping an object. At a physiological level, these animals’ brain tissues showed a negative impact on the transcription of genes related to central pathways of neuronal survival and plasticity, or the ability of the brain to learn new things.

However, after receiving a type of massage therapy — having their backs stroked with a soft baby hairbrush for 20 minutes a day — the rats performed better in the motor tasks. Ultimately, tactile stimulation was found to prompt neuroprotective processes that allowed the rats to recover faster from stroke. The researchers concluded that tactile stimulation can offset the consequences of even a remote adverse experience that occurs early in life.

Metz says the research provides important and much-needed clues about the impact of stress on human health, particularly as it relates to both triggering and treating a stroke.

“We know that stress affects our well-being and it can make us sick. It causes high blood pressure, which is the number one risk factor for a stroke. But we know very little about how therapies that alleviate stress can be beneficial for stroke victims,” she says. “This research shows it’s important to take into account stress reduction if we want patients with strokes to have better outcomes.”

The paper entitled Lifetime Stress Cumulatively Programs Brain Transcriptome and Impedes Stroke Recovery: Benefit of Sensory Stimulation can be found here.

Understanding how the student brain works

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:39:52 +0000

“When we hear “brain-based research,” we tend to think primarily in terms of brain injuries or diseases such as stroke and alzheimer’s, but what is the connection between neuroscience and inclusive education?

As ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Education’s Dr. Nancy Grigg explains, “The solid body of research that exists to support the use of various educational strategies is now being enhanced by neuroscience research, contributing unique and important knowledge of how best to enhance student learning."

Dan Vanden Dungen, a longtime educator in the Horizon School Division, is learning how neurological theory can make a huge difference in today's classrooms.

Dan Vanden Dungen (BA ’90, BEd ’92) will be among the first cohort of the Inclusive Education and Neuroscience MEd program to graduate in 2014. Initially, he struggled with how neurological theory would translate to the classroom. In retrospect, he says that knowing how the brain works matters because it allows educators to better identify changes that can be made.

“A key understanding from neuroscience is the building of neural pathways to enhance learning for all students in an inclusive environment,” says program instructor Sue Bengry. “In essence, it’s about understanding how the student’s brain works and tailoring the instruction to relate to that functionality.”

“It’s a less subjective way of working,” explains Vanden Dungen, “I believe it’s made me more empathetic, tolerant and resourceful.”

Working in the Horizon School Division for almost twenty years now, Vanden Dungen has worked with a broad spectrum of children, many from local and migratory Mennonite religious communities. More recently, his work as a classroom support teacher has also included students whose primary language is Low German, at the Horizon Mennonite Alternative Program.

“Inclusion is challenging,” he says. “It’s not the way most of us were taught to teach.”

With its cohort model, the structure of the MEd program has provided him with some unexpected connections.

“My cohorts have been an amazing support,” he says. “Being with the same group for three years has been essential to my success in the program. It’s also meant that I have a network of ‘inclusion professionals’ outside of my school and division.”

As we enter a new era of advancement in brain research, neuroscience is helping to inform learning specialists.

It’s becoming easier for researchers to access and interpret information originating in the brain.

“The basis for variations in learning, behaviour regulation and thinking are now being understood and described as ‘variations in brain processes,’” says Dr. Rob Sutherland of the U of L Department of Neuroscience in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. Accordingly, he predicts that “future innovations in education will depend upon understanding and applying what neuroscience has discovered about the developing brain.”

A classroom support teacher can take this specialized knowledge and incorporate it into a customized plan of action that consciously shapes a student’s learning.

“It’s important to provide a solid rationale for your recommendations,” says Vanden Dungen. “To do this, we need to become critical consumers of scientific data and the neuroscience courses help lay that foundation.”

Hotchkiss leaves legacy gift

trevor.kenney — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:20:26 +0000

Just as his life left an everlasting, positive impact on Calgarians, Albertans and beyond, the late Dr. Harley Hotchkiss's (LLD '07) $1 million gift to support brain research will leave a permanent legacy at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The gift will move forward important research at the U of L's Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience (CCBN). A permanent endowment that will carry Dr. Hotchkiss's name will support research conducted by the CCBN's world-leading researchers.

"My father was proud of his association with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, through the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience, for several reasons," says Brenda Mackie, Hotchkiss's daughter. " He had a lifelong love of learning, and he understood that solid medical research leads to better patient outcomes and a healthier population. He strongly believed in giving back to the community."

Hotchkiss is well known for the many contributions he made in the area of brain research. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute was named in his honour.

"He was proud of the vision of collaboration between the Universities of Lethbridge, Calgary and Alberta. This gift to the U of L is a testament to his respect and admiration for the research being conducted there," says Mackie.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President Mike Mahon says Dr. Hotchkiss's extraordinary gift will advance the important work being conducted by CCBN researchers in the areas of brain injury, Alzheimer's Disease, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, stroke and many others.

"We are honoured to receive this very significant gift," says Mahon. "U of L researchers have contributed greatly to understanding the brain. These discoveries are making a real difference in people's lives and will be the base of significant future findings and treatments."

In addition to direct support for research, the endowment will also support a speaker series carrying Dr. Hotchkiss's name, which will bring prominent speakers to Alberta and provide enhanced learning and interaction opportunities with students and researchers.

"Over the years, Harley Hotchkiss has been a very significant supporter of neuroscience research and education in Alberta, and at the CCBN in particular," says Dr. Rob Sutherland, Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the U of L. "As researchers look to diversify support for basic research, gifts such as this from the Hotchkiss family become essential in enabling us to conduct the basic brain research and training that will bring about new discoveries that will lead to tomorrow's treatments for brain diseases."

The gift to the U of L is consistent with the encouragement Dr. Hotchkiss gave others about being involved in their communities. In his 2007 Honorary Degree address at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge convocation ceremonies, he stated, "At the end of the road you will look back on how you lived your life and how you treated others. Be a contributor, and wherever you can, leave things a little better."

5 Questions with Dr. Claudia Gonzalez

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:36:24 +0000

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez (MSc '00, PhD '04) is a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education. Born and raised in Mexico, she earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from the National Autonomous ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Mexico before continuing her education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where she earned both her master's and PhD degrees in neuroscience. She has taught and researched at the U of L since August 2009, and is funded by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

Ever since I can remember, I was interested in science. I was, and still am, fascinated by animal behaviour, particularly human. In middle school, I remember spending hours simply watching people. Later on it became a habit to observe people's actions and to wonder what led those people to act in a certain way. I decided to take psychology in university and it became clear that if I wanted to understand behaviour I had to first understand the brain. I pursued a career in neuroscience and I continue to be baffled by how the brain – a mere three pounds of mush – determines the complexity of our thoughts and actions. My research looks at multi-sensory integration like eye-hand coordination and sensory and cognitive interactions such as visuospatial abilities.

Dr. Claudia Gonzalez looks to unlock the mysteries of how the brain controls movement.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

I often tell my students that I do science for the love of science. My research is motivated by the big question of how the brain works to produce behaviour. In the lab we ask questions such as how does the brain compute the location, size and orientation of an object so that every morning you can pick up your cup of coffee with remarkable ease. We use cutting-edge technology that allows us to break down a hand or an eye movement into hundreds of components so that we can take a really good look at how it is executed. In addition, we look at how these visuomotor interactions are modulated or affected by cognitive functions such as attention and spatial abilities. We are starting to conduct research in neurological populations (i.e.: stroke patients) hoping to gain some further insight into the neural mechanisms underlying visuomotor and visuospatial functions. At the end of the day we hope to understand how the brain integrates sensory, motor and cognitive information. With this knowledge we can begin to develop strategies that translate into better outcomes for patients suffering from neurological conditions.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

I guess that was when I overheard one of my supervisors say: "she will do fine" when discussing my future in science. Really, as a scientist I am very proud when my work is published, cited or funded. Also, it is always a pleasure and an honour to receive inquires from students who want to know about the work that I do and whether they can volunteer or work in my lab.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Students are the heart and soul of my research program. Students' curiosity and excitement about learning and discovery is the best motivating force in the lab. Students don't only carry out the experiments but they help in the design and interpretation of them. It is often in the latter that students' contributions are invaluable; they bring a fresh and unbiased perspective to science and research.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

Two: Early education and translation. "Scientia potentia est" which commonly translates from the Latin as "knowledge is power". So I would invest in teaching children from an early age about their brain and how to take care of it. I think that if children learned some general principles of brain function early in their life, they would be less likely to engage in activities that would endanger their brains such as drug use, or checking from behind in a hockey game.

With respect to translation, I recently spoke to a medical doctor from a different country who told me that she goes to international conferences and brings back with her what she has learned to apply it directly into her patient population. Her story got me thinking that perhaps we don't do enough of that. As a basic scientist I would like to see that more of our findings could be put into practice, which is ultimately where it matters most.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Research and Innovation Services website at www.uleth.ca/research/research_profiles. If you'd like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the November 2012 issue of the Legend. To view the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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