Brain Imaging Centre

Research at the Brain Imaging Centre

The Douglas Institute’s Brain Imaging Center (BIC) offers researchers a platform to analyse brain imaging data from functional and structural neuroimaging techniques. They primarily study:

The pathophysiology of several psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and ADHD
The cognitive functions in healthy subjects, such as emotional processing, spatial navigation, memory, and stress response.

To collect data, the researchers currently use scanners at the Montreal Neurological Hospital and Institute. But a new building on the Douglas campus will open its doors in March 2011. The Douglas Institute will then be the second psychiatric institution in Canada to have its own brain imaging centre, usually found only in general hospitals.

The new Brain Imaging Centre will house two state-of-the-art brain scanners:

The 3-tesla MRI scanner for humans
The 7-tesla MRI scanner for small animals

These scanners will make possible:

Better diagnoses. The scanners will identify biological markers of various mental disorders in the patients’ brains. Currently, all diagnoses – including those of major depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia - are based on the observation of patients and self-reports
Better prognoses. New brain-imaging measures will enable researchers to make better predictions of the evolution of the patient’s disorder, thus leading to better-adapted treatments
Longitudinal studies. On-site scanners will make it possible to monitor the progress of more patients over longer time periods
The development of animal models for various mental disorders. Researchers will be able to monitor animal brains over time and see how they are affected by such conditions as stress and substance abuse.

In addition to scanners, the Brain Imaging Centre will house complementary technologies, including cerebral electrophysiology, physiological monitoring and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Team members

The Brain Imaging Group is directed by Martin Lepage, PhD and composed of:

9 researchers
5 post-doctoral fellows
8 research assistants/technicians
29 graduate students
6 undergraduate students

The following labs collaborate with the Brain Imaging Centre:

Martin Lepage, PhD, Laboratory uses brain imaging to decipher episodic memory and understand its dysfunction in schizophrenics.
Jorge Armony, PhD, Laboratory uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the neural bases of human emotional processing.
Memory and Motion Lab directed by Véronique Bohbot, PhD, focuses on the multiple brain areas involved in processing episodic memories (spatio-temporal information) during navigation.
Research Laboratory on Psychological Trauma directed by Alain Brunet, PhD, studies the impact of traumatic events, their risk factors and treatments.
Ridha Joober, PhD, Laboratory focuses on the identification of genes that modulate the risk for psychiatric neurodevelopmental disorders, using both affected and non-affected human subjects as well as animal models.
Laboratory of Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience directed by Gillian O'Driscoll, PhD, focuses on the neural basis of what are considered "behavioural markers of risk" for schizophrenia.
Jens C. Pruessner, PhD, Laboratory is interested in the effects of stress on the aging process and in individual differences in stress responsivity.
Natasha Rajah, PhD, Laboratory uses brain imaging to examine the neural substrates of learning and memory in healthy young adults.

Contact

Brain Imaging Center
Douglas Institute
Frank B. Common Pavilion, F-1132
6875 LaSalle Boulevard
Montreal, Quebec H4H 1R3
Tel.: 514-761-6131, ext. 4393
Fax: 514-762-3045
martin_dot_lepage_At_douglas_dot_mcgill_dot_ca

Last updated : May 27, 2010