UNews - Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience

Dr. Gerlinde Metz named a Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow

caroline.zentner — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 17:10:16 +0000

Acknowledging her exceptional contributions to health sciences, neuroscientist Dr. Gerlinde Metz has become the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s first professor to be named a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellow (CAHS). Fellows are recognized by their peers nationally and internationally for their contributions to health sciences and have demonstrated leadership, distinctive competencies and a commitment to advance health sciences.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have been elected to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences,” says Metz. “It is truly an honour to join the ranks of CAHS and it is also a recognition of the excellent research environment at ULethbridge and the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience and the neuroscience department in particular. Achieving milestones in innovative health research is only possible through collaborative efforts with our colleagues and through the significant accomplishments of our trainees. This recognition is a tribute to all of them!”

Metz was one of 48 Fellows to be elected to the CAHS for 2023. Election to the CAHS Fellowship is considered one of the highest honours for those who work in health sciences in Canada.

“I would like to personally congratulate all the applicants that were elected as a Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences for 2023. This recognition reflects their dedication and excellence in their field,” said Dr. Jan Sargeant, Chair of the Fellowship Committee, in a news release. “We look forward to having their expertise further enrich the work of our Academy.”

Metz focuses on the influence of experience and environment on behaviour and brain plasticity. Her research has indicated that adverse experiences at any time in life can raise the risk of disease. More recent research has concentrated on the effect of stress on subsequent generations where results have shown that the experiences of grandparents and parents can influence the health of their children.

One of the research streams for Metz and her research lab is the effect of stress on health. Their research has examined the effects of prenatal stress from events such as the Quebec ice storm in 2013 and the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016. She and her research team have also looked at the importance of studying sex differences, the value of touch therapy following stroke, developing a urine analysis to diagnose concussion and enhance recovery, pre-term labour and the effects of space travel on astronauts’ health.

Metz completed a BSc at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Giessen, in Giessen, Germany. She did graduate work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Giessen and ETH Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland and completed a PhD at ETH Zurich. She is a Professor of Neuroscience at ULethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, a Tier 1 Board of Governors Research Chair in Healthy Futures and Adjunct Professor with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and an associate member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

In its announcement, the CAHS provided a summary of her research.

“Her research investigates how experiences, both positive and negative, affect brain health from early development to old age. Her pioneering work has demonstrated that transgenerational stress affects the well-being of future generations, which is now leading to new tools for risk prediction and diagnosis of human disease. Devoted to interdisciplinary and translational research and training around the globe, her work advances precision health with benefits for the most vulnerable populations.”

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, a non-profit organization, works to ensure are appropriate expertise and best scientific evidence are available to provide advice for a healthy Canada.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientist Dr. Robert Sutherland to receive distinguished contribution award

caroline.zentner — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 16:47:17 +0000

Marking a stellar career as a researcher and professor, Dr. Robert Sutherland has been named winner of the 2022 Donald O. Hebb Distinguished Contribution Award by the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour & Cognitive Science (CSBBCS).

The award recognizes those who’ve made a significant contribution to the study of brain, behaviour and cognitive science through their research, training of others and leadership in the field. Donald Hebb is often called the father of neuroscience for the way he merged psychology with neuroscience.

“This award is a very special honour, in part, because I had the privilege of having met and talked with Donald Hebb after his retirement,” says Sutherland, Chair of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Department of Neuroscience and one of the drivers behind the creation of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN). “His contributions to Canadian neuroscience are difficult to exaggerate. Receiving an award named after this great scientist is especially valuable to me.”

Following the completion of his PhD at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Halifax, Sutherland joined ULethbridge as a post-doctoral fellow under Drs. Bryan Kolb and Ian Whishaw. His key focus was on developing better ways to measure memory in non-human animals. He devised methods that are now used by drug companies and laboratories around the world.

Wanting to expand his skill set and work with students at all levels, Sutherland then took a position at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of New Mexico. There, he was able to work with students from undergraduate to PhD levels and post-doctoral fellows. During that time, he developed a theory of long-term memory that impacted the field and began focusing on understanding the role of the hippocampus in long-term memory. While scientists generally thought the hippocampus was only briefly involved in the storage of new memories, Sutherland’s work has shown the hippocampus continues to be engaged during memory recall.

He returned to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a senior Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research scientist when the CCBN building opened in 2001 and ULethbridge became home to the first Department of Neuroscience in Canada to offer degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels.

Sutherland has received many honours and was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2021 and he was twice named one of the 50 Most Influential Albertans by Alberta Venture Magazine. In 2011, he made the list for his breakthrough discovery about the regeneration of cerebral cortex cells in adult mammals and, in 2013, he was listed for his contributions as president of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations.

Sutherland will receive his award on Tuesday, July 19 at the CSBBCS annual meeting in Halifax, where he will also deliver the Hebb Award Lecture.

Neuroscientists create novel assessment toolbox

trevor.kenney — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 20:25:13 +0000

Images of a mouse performing the string pulling task.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscientists from the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Drs. Majid Mohajerani, Ian Whishaw and Samsoon Inayat, together with current (Surjeet Singh) and past (Qandeel) graduate students and two undergraduate students (Arashk Ghasroddashti & Pramuka Egodage) created a new methodology for analyzing one of the most widely used and fundamental tasks in assessing cognitive and movement function, among other markers, in both animals and humans.

Dr. Majid Mohajerani

Their work was recently published in eLife, an online, open-source platform that publishes work of the highest standards and importance in all areas of biology and medicine.

The paper, A Matlab-based toolbox for characterizing behavior of rodents engaged in string-pulling, describes a state-of-the-art method for analyzing mouse string-pulling. In neuroscience, a toolbox is a computerized method that presents a student with a simple set of standard procedures for performing an analysis — in other words an app. Here, the researchers used advanced machine vision methods to automatically extract movement kinematics and whole-body movement.

The string-pulling task requires a subject to reel in a string using hand-over-hand movements in order to obtain a reward at the end of the string. The task has been given to dozens of different species of animals, including bumble bees, adult humans (who pull a rope), and in this case mice. The task simultaneously assesses body posture, skilled hand use by both hands, as well as inter-hand coordination. String pulling is used for purposes from physical exercise to the assessment of cognitive and motor function in neurological disease.

Dr. Ian Whishaw

The main drawback of the string-pulling task is in scoring the many concurrent movements that occur and, deriving a score for that movement and determining whether the behaviour is normal.

“Currently, most of the analysis is carried out with manual scoring of each frame of a video recording and is very tedious,” says Whishaw. “Automated analysis of string-pulling is a useful way for obtaining an objective assessment of movements, for identifying the contributions of different body parts to string advancement and is rapid.”

“The toolbox features a graphical user interface for video data analysis and follows the analysis framework with two major components, a global assessment of whole-body position and speed and fine kinematic assessment of movements of body, ears, nose and hands,” says Inayat.

Dr. Samsoon Inayat

“We demonstrate that with whole-body measures, we can detect overall differences in position and motion patterns of two different strains of mice,” adds Mohajerani. “In the future we will be able use the toolbox to assess humans who have neurological disorder that affects movement (e.g., Multiple sclerosis, Huntington disease, Parkinson's disease) or those recovering from nervous system injury (e.g., spinal cord injury, stroke, concussion), as well as to quickly assess whether a treatment is effective. In principle, the toolbox can be modified as an app for a smart phone, so that a test and its analysis can be done by individuals at home with minimum hardware and software setting.”

“We are overwhelmed with the request of pioneers in the field around the globe in using this tool in their labs. Now, we are looking for funding to add artificial intelligence tools to the current version of the toolbox to be used for different species (e.g., primates, humans) and establish this platform for use in a clinical setting,” says Mohajerani.

For more on the new toolbox, visit eLife to read the full paper.

Epileptic seizure event leads Luczak down new path of discovery

trevor.kenney — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 16:37:41 +0000

The majority of people who are touched by an epileptic seizure event can only endure the terrifying moments and put their faith in doctors to help their loved one. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Dr. Artur Luczak, however, was in a position to do much more when his infant son suffered a seizure, and what he’s learned about seizures since has flipped the script on understanding how the brain functions during these traumatic events.

When Dr. Artur Luczak witnessed his infant son experience an epileptic seizure, it understandably made an indelible impression both personally and professionally.

When Luczak, a researcher in the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN), witnessed his infant son experience an epileptic seizure, it understandably made an indelible impression both personally and professionally. Already deep in research that examines the interaction between neurons in the brain, Luczak turned to look at ictal (seizure) events by applying data techniques to gain a better understanding of how seizures develop in the brain.

“Having my son in my hands when he lost consciousness was the worst experience in my life,” says Luczak of the seizure event. “It really put me on this path to not only do the basic research but also this transitional research, which means in the future we can have a better understanding of the brain and hopefully design some better help for people with epilepsy.”

The prognosis for his son is positive as he fell into that group of infants who sometimes experience febrile seizure events when they develop high fevers. For the many people who are diagnosed as epileptics however, understanding what is happening in their brains is extremely complicated.

Luczak explains the prevailing theory behind ictal events is that the balance between excitatory neurons and inhibitory neurons in the brain is out of line, favouring excitation and a massive excitatory event. Using a unique technique to look at up to 100 neurons simultaneously, including the ability to differentiate between excitatory and inhibitory neurons, Luczak and his research team found that the inhibitory neurons, rather than being dormant throughout an ictal event, were significantly contributing to the seizure.

“This means that it’s not just excitation without check of inhibition but rather there is some complex network problem in which also inhibitory neurons are playing an important role,” says Luczak, whose findings from a collaborative study with the U of L’s Dr. Bruce McNaughton and researchers from Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Ghent ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ (Belgium) were published recently in the top neurology journal Brain. “It means that the picture is unfortunately much more complex than we thought.”

Luczak says the brain’s circuitry is the most complex system known to man, with billions of neurons interacting with each other for even the most basic of functions. Knowing now that inhibitory neurons are not passive throughout an ictal event opens up a whole new avenue of research.

“The first obvious thing is trying to repress these inhibitory cells during an ictal event. What will happen if we switch off those neurons, will it make it worse or will it reduce the seizure?” he asks. “This is the next question we will be pursuing to somehow better understand what is happening.”

Luczak and his team are performing basic research, putting together the building blocks upon which others construct treatments. What his work will turn into down the road is not yet known, and it may not even lead to epileptic treatment but rather shed light on any of a number of other neurological problems.

“We don’t know yet how to help people with epilepsy based on this research but it will steer us to a better understanding of the brain and points out the understanding we had so far is too simplistic,” he says. “We are trying to understand how the basic circuitry of the brain works and hopefully it will eventually lead to designing some better treatments for people with neurological disorders.”

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."

Championing the U of L mandate

trevor.kenney — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:57:30 +0000

By RICHARD WESTLUND

A key part of most successful government relations strategies is to identify and utilize champions for your cause. For federal initiatives, the
U of L has found a literal champion of its own.

The Deputy Minister ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Champion Program is an initiative housed in the Canada School of Public Service, and is aimed at strengthening linkages between the Government of Canada and Canadian universities.

Earlier this year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge was granted membership into this program. Subsequently, Dr. James Ralston, the Comptroller General of Canada, was named as the U of L's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Champion.

Ralston received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, his Master of Arts (Economics) from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Ottawa and a Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science) from Carleton ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Beginning his career with the Provincial Auditor of Alberta, he later joined a national accounting/consulting firm in Edmonton and Ottawa. He was appointed the Comptroller General of Canada after working for the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) for 15 years.

The role of a deputy minister champion is flexible. In speaking with my counterparts across Canada, it is clear that relationships between universities and deputy minister champions vary greatly and are unique to each institution. It is hoped that the relationship between Ralston and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will create new opportunities for our students and faculty, such as stronger co-op arrangements between the
U of L and the federal government, the facilitation of interactions that link U of L research and teaching strengths with appropriate federal departments and continuous information sharing of university and government directions and priorities.

Ralston has been an eager and willing partner with the U of L from the outset of the champion program. He had already taken the time to tour the U of L and meet with a variety of folks from different parts of campus, including meetings with President Mike Mahon, Provost Andrew Hakin, the Career Resources Centre and our co-op programs office. He also toured the Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience and the U of L Art Gallery.

Now that Ralston has an understanding of the programs offered and research conducted at the U of L, he is in a better position to identify links and opportunities between the federal government and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Furthermore, he is in a better position to represent U of L interests and, when appropriate, facilitate and advise on effective strategies.

Richard Westlund is the Director of Government Relations at the U of L. In an effort to better inform different parts of our campus and external communities about the various government relations activities that occur at the U of L, he has started a blog. Visit it at blogs.ulethbridge.ca/government-relations

Calgary a key U of L market

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:08:17 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge plays a unique and significant role in providing thousands of Calgarians access to a personal, high-quality, comprehensive educational experience. Additionally, faculty at the U of L conduct research that is both relevant to the Calgary economy and to the quality of life for Calgarians.

With that in mind, Calgary MLAs listened with great interest to a recent presentation made by U of L vice presidents Dr. Andrew Hakin and Nancy Walker.

Hakin highlighted the U of L's evolution as a comprehensive ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, while also detailing the institution's emphasis on providing access to post-secondary education. The Calgary numbers are compelling.

In Fall 2009, the U of L was the choice of 2,680 Calgarians, which accounts for one-third of our total student body. The number of students at the Calgary campus hit an all-time high with 524 students enrolled. Last year, 278 students from SAIT, Mount Royal, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and Bow Valley College transferred to the U of L.

Hakin detailed the U of L's strategic plan and how its key elements focus on a continuing commitment to all students.

Questions from members of the Calgary caucus suggested that many of them were already engaged in the issues of the post-secondary sector, while some comments showed a direct understanding of the U of L's strengths and advantages.

Justice Minister Alison Redford commended the U of L on the work it is doing in neuroscience, highlighting discoveries that are being made at the Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience and the influence they have on government policy.

MLA Manmeet Bhullar, a former Parliamentary Assistant for Advanced Education and Technology asked how changing demographics might affect enrolment at the U of L.

While the number of 18 to 24 year-olds living in southern Alberta will decrease over the next decade, Hakin sees the city of Calgary as a real opportunity of growth for the U of L.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Len Webber was interested in the state of student housing on campus, learning that the U of L is working towards increasing the number of beds on campus and that success in creating more spaces will enhance the student experience.

The U of L recognizes Calgary as a key demographic and that building and maintaining links to the city are vital as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ moves forward.

Richard Westlund is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's director of government relations

Solidifying memory while you sleep

trevor.kenney — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:55:32 +0000

Neuroscience professor Dr. Masami Tatsuno's investigations into REM and non-REM sleep and their effects on memory are producing findings that are quite awakening. Memory is a crucial brain function for humans and other animals; therefore, understanding how memory is encoded and maintained in the brain is an important problem of neuroscience.

Tatsuno, an AHFMR funded researcher at the U of L Canadian Centre for Behavioral Neuroscience (CCBN) and an iCORE scholar, is conducting studies aimed at understanding how REM and non-REM sleep contribute to memory consolidation. He investigates neuronal activity in lab animals to determine what types of memory benefit from REM and non-REM sleep, what the specific benefits are, and whether or not REM and non-REM sleep play complimentary roles in the formation of memory.

"Neuronal activity patterns that appear in the brain when a subject is engaged in a behavioural task reappear during the subsequent sleep," Tatsuno explains. "We call this memory reactivation or memory replay."

Many researchers believe that memory is stored on the connections between neurons. Changes in these connections due to some new experience or behaviour are reinforced again during sleep; this indicates the formation of new memory.

Tatsuno inserts multiple electrodes into the brains of his study subjects, monitoring up to 240 electrodes at a time to gain insights on how the brain functions and is subsequently modified during awake and sleeping conditions. Subjects are engaged in simple tasks such as running on a track or repeating a simple sequence. Tatsuno then investigates how the subjects' brains change by comparing neuronal activity during pre-task sleep, during the task, and again during post-task sleep.

Tatsuno has also been developing a computational technique that allows for the analysis of vast amounts of neuronal activity data. With his theoretical training in applied physics, he tries to integrate computational and experimental approaches in his research. The mathematics provides an insight into memory reactivation and learning, as well as the computational principles of memory function.

"Sleep is not only for recovery from fatigue; it plays an active and important role in memory formation," Tatsuno explains.

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