Projects
Integrating neurotransmitter receptors and multi-modal brain imaging to improve treatment selection in Parkinson’s disease
People living with Parkinson’s often have wide variations in their motor and cognitive symptoms but receive similar medication. At McGill University, Ahmed Khan, a PhD candidate, uses data from brain scans of people with Parkinson’s to create a computational model predicting how the disease will progress in each individual. He’s trying to determine the role of neurotransmitter receptors, the brain’s main signaling molecules involved in the disease. These models could give people a clearer picture of each individual’s treatment needs.
Read moreMitochondrial dysfunction and vulnerability to oxidative stress in induced dopaminergic neurons derived from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients
A new technology that maintains the age of the donors when converting skin cells into brain cells will give PhD candidate Emilie Legault a major advantage when investigating why people get non-familial, or idiopathic, forms of Parkinson’s. At the Université de Montreal, Legault uses these transformed cells to study the effects of aging on the development of Parkinson’s. She’s assessing how aging affects brain cells’ ability to manage stress or clear away damaged mitochondria, the energy-generating powerhouse within cells.
Read moreFinding the missing genetic links in Parkinson’s
Although researchers know genetics play a factor in the development of Parkinson's, they haven't yet uncovered all the risk factors in the human genome. At McGill University, PhD candidate Eric Yu, a geneticist, will investigate the role genes that get duplicated or deleted play in elevating the risk of Parkinson's. He'll also try to determine the effect of mutations in non-coding areas of the gene , to see if this non-coding DNA is associated with proteins linked to Parkinson's.
Read moreExercise as treatment
Sleep problems affect most people with Parkinson's, reducing their quality of life. At McGill University's Memory Lab, Jacopo Cristini, a PhD candidate investigates whether different types of exercise can improve sleep quality and slow down the progression of motor and cognitive decline in people with Parkinson's. If the people in his study experience improvements in sleep, associated with better motor and cognitive function, the results will potentially strengthen the evidence for exercise as an additional prescription to treat Parkinson's.
Read moreThe power of social connection
People with severe symptoms from Parkinson’s may experience a high quality of life. At Toronto’s Ryerson University-Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Esztella Vezer, a PhD candidate, investigates whether social participation and social support affect the way people with severe Parkinson’s perceive their quality of life. Using questionnaires, Vezer will ask people to recount their social activities, describe their supports, and rank their quality of life. Her findings could inform the design of future programs and supports.
Read moreTracking eye movements to diagnose Parkinson’s
At Queen's University, PhD candidate Heidi Riek, a neuroscientist, is identifying patterns of eye movements in people with Parkinson's, those without Parkinson's, and people with other progressive brain diseases. Her goal is to create a tool so doctors can measure their patients' eye movements and compare them to these patterns. She hopes the process will enable doctors to tell if someone has Parkinson's, how far it has progressed, and if dementia is present, knowledge that can help inform treatment plans.
Read moreStrengthening swallowing muscles to prevent choking and improve quality of life
Weakening of the swallowing muscles in people with Parkinson's increases the risk of choking due to solid foods and liquids entering and potentially blocking their airways. At Toronto's University Health Network, Pooja Gandhi, a PhD candidate in speech and language pathology, uses an exercise-based approach to help people with Parkinson's strengthen their swallowing muscles. Following four weeks of intensive treatment, Gandhi hopes people she works with will be able to better protect their airways, clear food and liquids, and be able to eat and drink normally, improving their quality of life.
Read moreDecoding a sleep disorder and Parkinson’s
Most people with a sleep disorder that causes them to act out their dreams eventually develop a progressive brain disease. For almost half of those people, the disease is Parkinson’s. But researchers don’t know why. At McGill University, Prabhjyot Saini, a PhDcandidate in human genetics, is analyzing the genetic code of people with REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD). Isolating genetic variants will help researchers understand who's at risk of RBD, and what role the genes play in the link to Parkinson’s and other progressive brain illnesses.
Read moreMathematical modelling to help diagnose and treat Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's are progressive brain disorders that are difficult to diagnose but share some symptoms. At McGill University, PhD candidate Quadri Adewale, a neuroscientist, has created a mathematical model integrating information from brain scans of people with Alzheimer's with data produced by screening more than 1,000 genes. By comparing his Alzheimer's model with a model for Parkinson's, Adewale hopes to discover common and unique genetic markers of the two diseases. The results could help diagnose each illness and develop personalized treatment plans.
Read more