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BRA I N R E PA I R C EN T R E

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Table of Contents

Message from the Chairman 3

Message from the Director of 4Education & Research

Message from the Executive Director 5

Governance and key committees 6

Nutrition for the mind 8

Life Sciences Research Institute 10

Robot purchase for Nain 12

Cognitive repair kit 14

Future of brain surgery 16

Halifax injector 17

LINC study 18

Commercialization 20

Rehabilitative diagnostic innovations 22in applied neuro technology

Dr. Benjamin Rusak: Distinguished scientist 24

Documentary: Dr. Ivar Mendez 24

Hand-held medical data-collecting device 25

Strategic planning 26

Speed networking 27

Profiles 28

Funding support 43

Publications 46

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Message from the Chairman

The Brain Repair Centre: A crucial force in neuroscienceresearch

The Brain Repair Centre has had unprecedented growthover the past five years, expanding from 16 investigatorsto a complement of 41 principal investigators encom-passing all major areas of neuroscience research.During this time, the BRC has attracted over $66 millionin basic research and clinical infrastructure, and it hasdeveloped into the largest and most comprehensiveneuroscience research initiative in Atlantic Canada.

Since its inception, the BRC has fostered bridges bet-ween the basic sciences and the clinical setting. Thisintegrative approach is reflected in the multidisciplinarynature of its members, and it has given the BRC a solidplatform for attracting successful programmatic grantsupport. In the past five years, the BRC has receivedthree consecutive Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) grants

totalling $13.6 million; this AIF record is unmatched byany research group in our institutions.

Our administrative offices have already moved to thenew Life Sciences Research Institute (LSRI), where theBRC is the anchor tenant. The BRC laboratories are sche-duled to move in by the end of the year. For constructionof the LSRI, the BRC raised over $42 million, including a $5.5 million infrastructure Canadian Foundation forInnovation (CFI) grant. The new building is a majorcontribution to the medical research infrastructure of theprovince.

The uncompromising support of all the members of theBRC to its activities and mission has been fundamentalin making the BRC a crucial force in neuroscienceresearch in our region. We will continue to strengthenthe links between basic neuroscience research andclinical care; we are convinced that innovation in basicand clinical research leads to better patient care.

Our record of accomplishments speaks for itself; thechallenge now is to maintain the BRC’s developmentmomentum. Our overall goal is to expand the BRC’sability to participate in meaningful funding for basic andclinical research, and attain $100 million of researchfunding within five years. Given our track record of thepast five years, we strongly feel that this goal is realistic.The BRC has a solid foundation to face the future withconfidence, a future that is indeed bright.

Ivar MendezChairman, Brain Repair Centre


Message from the Director ofEducation & Research

My first year as director of research and education wasexciting and busy. My goals were to enhance comm-unication among researchers, create new opportunities forresearch collaborations, facilitate the move of the BrainRepair Centre into the Life Sciences Research Institute(LSRI) and initiate strategic planning. I have received enor-mous support and help from the research and educationcommittee, a small group of hard-working individuals whohave given generously of their time and ideas.

This year we added a number of members; we now span the faculties of medicine, science and healthprofessions. This breadth of perspectives will enrich andstrengthen our research enterprise. The challenges ofneurological injury and disease are multi-faceted and callfor multiple approaches and talents to improve ourunderstanding of the mechanisms of disease/injury andeffective treatment.

In terms of communication, we launched an electronicnewsletter, Brain Waves, to keep our members and ex-ternal supporters informed of achievements, new initiatives,and the general activities of the BRC. I invite and en-courage BRC members to contribute to Brain Waves so that the newsletter is relevant, compelling and informative.

We were greatly pleased by the success of our first speedresearch networking event in March and all respondentsare looking forward to the next event planned for late 2011.

Members are gradually moving into the BRC space in the LSRI as the facilities become operational. The LSRI is a beautiful building, well designed to foster creativity,collaboration and productivity among researchers andtrainees. It also enhances exchange with other tenants,including InnovaCorp, Genome Atlantic, BioNova, Dal-housie Industry Liaison and Innovation, National ResearchCouncil, and Nova Scotia Research and Innovation Trust. Iexpect the next year will bring the building up to full ca-pacity and I look forward to the research buzz that willensue. The LSRI, and the BRC’s space within it, representoppor-tunities for all BRC members. The goal of these newstate-of-the-art facilities is to enhance our potential forcollaborative projects, strengthening the local researchenvironment and our contributions to health care.

With the help of Jim Neale, a Dalhousie facilitator, theBRC began a strategic planning process in early 2011,which has so far included an environmental scan ofmembers and other stakeholders, and a planning sessionwith members to discuss current strengths, challengesand opportunities. The draft strategic plan, based on theinput we have received, is underway. Once finalized, it will provide the basis of a detailed action plan. Our dis-cussions throughout these phases have been verypositive. There is great motivation and energy frommembers that will help to keep the BRC strong and nimbleto meet the ever-present challenges in the research,clinical and industry environments.

I encourage all BRC members to continue to let us knowwhat is working, what needs fixing, and what we can dobetter. The Brain Repair Centre exists to foster researchexcellence and collaboration among individuals with acommon interest in understanding and treating braindiseases and injury. Our success rests on the commit-ment and contributions of all of members.

Gail EskesDirector of Education & ResearchBrain Repair Centre


Message from the ExecutiveDirector

The opening of the Life Sciences Research Institute(LSRI) in June 2011 was a pivotal event for the BrainRepair Centre and its community. The LSRI was designedto encourage collaboration among researchers andindustry and to promote new opportunities for discovery,innovation and commercialization.

The BRC played a key leadership role in fundraising forthe new building, raising over $42 million. As the anchortenant in the state-of-the-art facility, the BRC looksforward to leveraging the capacity and potential of theLSRI to develop new areas of research collaboration,innovation and commercialization.

The BRC was established in 1999 by a group of neuro-scientists and clinicians who decided to establish amultidisciplinary organization dedicated to brain researchand the treatment of neurological conditions. The BRC’saccomplishments are numerous. In 2006 the BRC becamea research institute of Dalhousie University, approved bythe Senate and Board of Governors. In 2007 the BRC wasrecognized by the Government of Canada as one of sevencentres of research excellence.

Shortly thereafter, the Canada Foundation for Innovation(CFI) awarded $5.5 million to Dalhousie University onbehalf of BRC investigators for the project Brain RepairCentre: An Integrative Approach to Functional Res-toration, which was the largest medical research fundingCFI had ever awarded in Atlantic Canada. With matchingfunds the total value of the project was $13.9 million.The Atlantic Innovation Fund has since approved three

major awards to BRC researchers with a total value,including matching funds, of $13.6 million.

The BRC has established collaboration agreements in theUnited States, United Kingdom, China and Canada. BRCmember-led projects in intraoperative MRI for neuro-surgery, robotics, neurotransplantation, drug discoveryand development, virtual reality based neurosurgery, andremote Internet based rehabilitation have significantpotential for international collaboration, partnerships andcommercialization.

In 2011, BRC member Dr. Aaron Newman and his col-leagues were awarded $1.65 million by the NaturalSciences and Engineering Research Council for a six-year project aimed at training more than 120 students inneurotechnology. The RADIANT project garnered match-ing funds from Dalhousie University and local andinternational businesses.

Membership in the BRC has continued to expand andnow stands at 41 principal investigators (increased from16 researchers just a few years ago). A broad range ofdisciplines are represented including, neurosurgery, neuro-logy, psychiatry, psychology, pharmacology, physiother-apy and occupational therapy. In the past five years BRCmembers have published more than 350 research papers.

The BRC exemplifies how success can be achievedthrough a clear focus, collaboration and teamwork. TheBRC’s unique scientific and clinical focus on trans-lational research has yielded an enviable track record ofpositive results, a strong reputation for excellence, andhas garnered vital support from funding organizations,industry partners, philanthropies, governments and thepublic.

The BRC’s current strategic planning process will providegreater focus and harness our energy and resources todevelop priorities and initiatives that will guide futuregrowth. I look forward to working with BRC members, thebroader research community, collaborators, governmentrepresentatives, industry leaders and communitystakeholders on the next stage of the BRC’s evolution.

Lorne FergusonExecutive Director, Brain Repair Centre


Governance

The BRC is a collaboration of Dalhousie University, Capital District Health Authority and the IWK Health Centre. Thiscollaboration provides a framework for a working relationship between the BRC and its primary institutional partners.

The BRC’s coordinating committee includes the following members:

CEO, Capital District Health Authority

Vice President Research, Capital District Health Authority

Vice President Research, Dalhousie University

CEO, IWK Health Centre

Vice President Research, IWK Health Centre

Dean, Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine

Organizational chart

Coordinating Committee‘Collaborators’

Executive Committee

BRC Membership

Community AdvisoryCommittee

External Scientific Advisory Committee

BRC Administration

CommercializationCommittee

Research & EducationCommittee

Mission

The Brain Repair Centre’s mission is to understand and repair neurological and psychiatric disorders to benefit patientsand the community.

Core functions

The BRC achieves its mission through five core functions:

■ Research & development collaborations

■ Training of highly qualified personnel

■ Clinical trials and health care delivery

■ Industry partnerships

■ Commercialization of discoveries


Key committees

The Brain Repair Centre is governed via a committeestructure. The chair of the BRC provides managementdirection, and strategic leadership of the BRC.

Executive Committee – This committee includes theBRC chair, director of research and education, executivedirector and members representative of the BRC. TheExecutive Committee advises on BRC operations.

Research and Education Committee – Composed ofa representative cross-section of BRC members andchaired by the BRC’s director of research and education,the Research and Education Committee identifiesopportunities and develops strategies to advance theBRC’s mission and objectives in research and education.

External Scientific Advisory Committee – Thiscommittee encompasses internationally renowned brainresearch/repair scientists and clinicians and providesadvice and expertise regarding operation of the BRC,including recommendations on its mission and strategicobjectives.

Community Advisory Group – This committeeconsists of industry, community, government, volunteer

sector and other external groups. It is a resource to theBRC on issues such as advocacy, external relations andsupport for the BRC. This group fosters relationshipswith advocacy groups and develops community support.

Commercialization Committee – This committee iscomposed of BRC researchers, industry professionalsfrom the private and public sectors. This Committeeprovides advice, resources and expertise to BRC andits members on commercialization in cooperation withDalhousie Industry Liaison and Innovation office,National Research Council and other partner institutions.

Institute status

In 2006, the Dalhousie University Senate recognized theBRC as a research institute of the University, and as aunique collaborative initiative of Dalhousie University,Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre. As a researchinstitute, the primary academic objective of the BRC is tofurther basic and clinical research in pursuit of medicalinterventions to address neurological and psychiatricdisorders. The BRC provides a unique interdisciplinaryenvironment for the training of students and healthprofessionals.


New centralized location‘nutrition for the mind’ saysBRC chairman

The Brain Repair Centre has moved into a space thatholds a world of promise for the future of neuroscienceresearch in Atlantic Canada.

Many members of the BRC and the associated researchinfrastructure are housed on two and a half floors of thenew $70 million Life Sciences Research Institute (LSRI)— a facility that officially opened in June 2011.

The LSRI is a setup that BRC chairman Ivar MendezM.D. calls “nutrition for the mind” because it provides acentral location for BRC researchers to come together.The facility houses state-of-the-art laboratories for bothbasic and clinical BRC researchers, many of whom havebeen scattered in several locations within DalhousieUniversity and the surrounding hospitals. It also containsthe BRC administrative offices and provides meetingspace for all BRC members.

“What we’ve created here is an environment thatprovides nutrition to researchers’ minds because this isa place where individuals can collaborate. We havestate-of-the-art equipment and world class facilities,”says Dr. Mendez. “This space will lead to collaborationsthat will advance knowledge. We want to translate theseinto something practical for the patient that is sufferingfrom disease.”

Here’s what a few other BRC membershave to say:

“The Brain Repair Centre will house start-of-the-artfacilities essential for researchers and other tenantswithin the Life Sciences Research Institute to createnovel technologies and intellectual properties necessaryfor the formation of new companies. These companieswill not only generate innovative health products that


will improve patient care but also unique training andemployment opportunities for students interested inapplied research careers.”

Dr. George Robertson, neurobiologist

“I will now have dedicated space in a research-focusedenvironment separate from, but still connected to, thehospital that will enable me to increase and strengthenmy clinical research. The space will be critical to furtherfocus on my research and to develop innovative healthcare strategies. It will significantly contribute to a deeperunderstanding of epilepsy and related treatmentscenarios and in turn, make a difference for people livingwith epilepsy.”

Dr. Bernd Pohlmann-Eden, clinical neurologist andneurophysiologist

“Researchers, including me, will connect face to face on a daily basis with people we work with, share ideaswith, and cultivate new projects with. The potential forcross-fertilization of ideas, solutions and projects istremendous, as is the potential for research growth. I’mexcited about the potential to strengthen my research,

which explores the network of genes that regulate theformation of neurons in both the embryonic and adultnervous systems, and complements the objectives of theAtlantic Mobility Action Project. The Mobility Project is acollaboration of researchers that aims to restore mobilityand important functional abilities to people sufferingfrom brain injury or disease. Many of its collaboratorsare BRC members.”

Dr. Angelo Iulianella, neurobiologist

“The new space, by virtue of its design and locationwithin the Life Sciences Research Institute, bringstogether exactly what the RADIANT team hopes to do –inspire and foster innovation and entrepreneurship to thebenefit of people’s health. RADIANT is a program thatwill help neuroscientists develop an innovation andentrepreneurship mindset, bridging the gap betweenresearch and improved health. The BRC’s new space andlocation will help us to meet this goal.”

Dr. Aaron Newman, Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience Psychology

“For the Brain Repair Centre to now have a physicalspace to call its own lends credibility to its work. Thelocation and design, which foster leading research andfacilitate moving that research to where it should be –helping people – will support further research growthand improved health care in our region and beyond.”

Dr. Shaun Boe, neurophysiologist

“The new space will give the Brain Repair Centre aphysical think tank for creating and applying new ideasto help prevent and treat neurological disease. My goalis to use this space to help all members feel connectedand excited about our potential for improving health careand quality of life for patients and their family.”

Dr. Gail Eskes, director of research and education,Brain Repair Centre.


A short history of the LifeSciences Research Institute

BRC was catalyst for LSRI

Although it has only been open for a short while, the Life Sciences Research Institute (LSRI) is heraldedas a business and incubation centre, a one-stop lifesciences shop, a district of discovery and a place thatprovides nutrition to researchers’ minds.

The LSRI really does hold the promise to be all of thosethings and marks the culmination of more than a decadeof work on the part of many, including Brain RepairCentre chairman Ivar Mendez, who worked tirelessly tobuild a world-class research facility for the centre.

“The BRC was the catalyst,” says Dr. Mendez. “We werereally becoming quite successful as a group at gettingresources and research grants, but we were dispersed in different buildings and areas. We needed a home tobring everyone together and that is how the BRC becamethe catalyst.”

The LSRI also occupied the dreams of people in thecommunity, the government, scientists, medical re-searchers and professionals in many organizations. Theyrecognized that Atlantic Canada had become inter-


nationally recognized for its “cluster” of researchers inthe life sciences. Through collaboration, they could growthe sector to benefit the region’s health, social andeconomic well-being.

That drive to build a world class life sciences sector goes back as far as 1993. Over the years, it’s involved avirtual who’s who of health care, science and business in Halifax — representatives of the Faculty of Medicine,Capital Health, IWK, the Atlantic Canada OpportunitiesAgency (ACOA), Industry Canada, NRC, the GreaterHalifax Partnership, Nova Scotia Business Inc., Innova-corp, the provincial ministry of Economic Develop-ment, Genome Atlantic, BioNova, Ocean NutritionCanada, Dalhousie and the Brain Repair Centre.

It’s a fascinating history which has been documented in a feature article on the BRC’s web site (brainrepair.ca).

The first meeting that actually talked about building a research “village” was in 1997. Among the people atthat gathering was Dr. Stan Kutcher of the Departmentof Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine and a foundingmember of the BRC.

He remembers that this group refined the science villageconcept and sought initial funding, as well as corporateand institutional support for a new association – the LifeSciences Development Association (LSDA).

At about the same time, the BRC was under rapiddevelopment. Led by Dr. Harry Robertson (Pharma-cology), Dr. Mendez (Neurosurgery) and Dr. Kutcher(Psychiatry), a comprehensive approach to advancingbrain science research and clinical care was created.The BRC joined as a LSDA member.

Over the years, the LSDA did a great deal of foundationwork. Among its achievements was an economic impactstudy that showed that biotechnology research in 2000in the Halifax Regional Municipality accounted forspending of more than $86 million annually. It employed2,300 professional researchers and technicians and itgenerated provincial tax revenues of $25 million.

However, the LSDA owned no land and many of thepartners were too small to have the resources to drivethe LSRI concept forward. So the idea sputtered and allbut fizzled out.

But it didn’t. In 2004, Dalhousie provided a piece of landat the corner of Summer and College Streets for the LSRIand the Brain Repair Centre was approved as the anchortenant of the LSRI in 2005.

The BRC made the project “real” because people couldrelate to its research – the importance of researchersworking towards the goal of finding treatments andcures and alleviating suffering.

“The BRC became a tangible institution with people that were working towards a common goal,” says Dr.Mendez. “They were able to relate to it and support it.”

A pivotal moment came in December 2006 when Dr.Mendez flew to St. John’s and made a presentation tothe Council of Atlantic Premiers. Dr. Mendez asked forthe Atlantic premiers’ support in their efforts to securefederal infrastructure funding for the LSRI. He got it.Funding was announced in the 2007 federal budget.

The federal contribution actually arrived with MP PeterMacKay, a big supporter of the project, and a DalhousieLaw School graduate, in October 2007 at a symbolic sod turning. MacKay, the Minister of National Defence,Rodney MacDonald, then premier of Nova Scotia,Dalhousie President Tom Traves and Dr. Mendez alllined up in front of a small black wooden box holding dirt and grass. A grassy chunk was turned over and thedream of the LSRI began to take shape.

“It is wonderful to see it completed and to see what itwill become,” says Dr. Mendez. “What we’ve createdhere is an environment that will provide nutrition tominds because we will bring together individuals whowill collaborate. This type of research will lead to newdiscoveries and treatments. The people of Nova Scotiawill have access to the latest treatments — right in theirown backyards.”


Pilot project ends in robotpurchase for Nain

The results are in, and they couldn’t be better for a pilot project showing how an RP-7 Remote PresenceRobotic System can dramatically improve health carefor a small, fly-in community in Canada’s far north.

Rosie the robot made such a difference for the 1,500residents of Nain – Newfoundland and Labrador’s mostnortherly town – that the Nunatsiavut government re-cently bought a replacement for her. It will be carrying onin the aftermath of the 15-month project initiated by theBrain Repair Centre and Health Canada that ended inMarch.

“That is an amazing thing – the government of the Inuitcommunity bought a robot! It shows you how useful it’s been.” says Dr. Ivar Mendez, the BRC chairman andneurosurgeon, who has pioneered the use of robots tobring medical expertise in real time to patients inremote, underserved areas.

Better affirmation of the project’s success would be hard to find, he says. Debra Keays-White, HealthCanada’s Atlantic regional director of First Nations & InuitHealth is inclined to agree: “It speaks loudly – very loudly– about their interest and commitment to this kind oftechnology.”

Stationed in Nain’s Community Health Clinic – a primarycare facility staffed by nurses - and connected via theInternet, 230 miles to the south, Rosie provided instantaccess to medical expertise at the Labrador GrenfellRegional Health Centre, in Goose Bay.

Physicians there directed Rosie’s movements with theirlaptops. With the face of the attending physicianappearing live in the robot’s screen head, interactionwith patients, family members and nurses occurred inreal time. Unlike conventional telehealth, specialconference rooms and scheduled meetings wereunnecessary and doctors could be virtually present atthe bedside as needed.

From the outstanding results of the Telehealth/Telerobotics Partnership Project here are a fewhighlights:

• Findings were positive from many aspects: improved access to medical care; high levels of patient, nurseand physician satisfaction; enhanced collaboration

Debra Keays-White, Health Canada’s Atlantic regional director ofFirst Nations & Inuit Health and Dr. Ivar Mendez, the Brain RepairCentre’s chairman, with Rosie in the Nain Community HealthClinic.


• Nurses who responded in tracking surveys and phoneinterviews were unanimous the technology lowered their stress because of quick access to physician support and diagnosis. It also facilitated better collaboration with physicians. The report notes how aphysician was able to reliably guide a nurse to deal with a collapsed lung. The nurse said “ there was noneed for questions; the doctor could see exactly whatI saw.”

• Rosie enabled physicians to be more involved in the case management of remote patients. Even in tragic situations, it allowed the physician to be involved andsupportive in providing grief counseling.

• Physicians and nurses found Rosie improved their workflow and there was speculation that wider use ofthe robot among physicians could decrease the workload of the designated physician’s monthly visit to the community.

• Physicians and nurses reported greater job satisfaction with Rosie.

For Dr. Mendez the results confirm his belief thatrobotics is one of the most effective ways to improvehealth care in remote communities. “The project wentbeyond my expectations,” he says.

Dr. Mendez and Ms. Keays-White initiated the HealthCanada project through a partnership involving theQueen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre; DalhousieUniversity; the Nunatsiavut department of health andsocial development; Labrador-Grenfell Health, NL; BellAliant and InTouch Health, the California company thatproduces the robotic system. The project team receivedtwo Health Canada Awards for innovation in health care.

among the health-care team; and savings in medicaltransportation costs.

• In 28 instances, Rosie kept Nain patients from havingto fly south for specialized care. For the 19 patients who did require medical transport out of the community, nine were able to take regularly scheduled flights ($875 round trip) rather than more expensive Medivac transportation ($1,800 one way) to Goose Bay.

• Nursing staff found “more patients came in for treatment,” when they knew they could use Rosie to see a doctor.

• Physicians reported they could more easily gather diagnostic information with Rosie than by using conventional telehealth. The robotic system’s camerasallowed them to easily check the patient, chart or monitors. Physicians could order a drug, see it administered and observe the results in real time. Forone child in respiratory distress Rosie’s capabilities enabled the remote physician to treat him at home rather than face automatic Medivac transport to Goose Bay.

• Nurses reported that the robot “works wonderfully” infacilitating the treatment of patients with mental health issues. Rosie allowed the patient, doctor and nurse to form a collaborative team.

• In 81.1 per cent of the sessions, nurses reported Rosie facilitated patient-physician interaction and understanding. In surveys nurses indicated “the sessions supported the patients in a culturally safe manner, often allowing a family member to be presentfor support.”


A cognitive repair kit

Improving the lives of people who suffer from attention,memory and thinking impairment because of braininjuries or disease is the goal of research to develop aCognitive Repair Kit.

The Brain Repair Centre, in collaboration with DalhousieUniversity, Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre,received nearly $2 million from the Atlantic InnovationFund (AIF) to develop the kit — a computerized, game-like set of mental training exercises to treat memory lossand impairment of judgment and reasoning.

“Our goal is to develop accessible treatments thatpatients can use at home under therapeutic super-vision,” says Dr. Gail Eskes, chief investigator on theproject and director of research and education with theBrain Repair Centre.

“The AIF funding will allow us to address the criticalneed for the development of effective, evidence-basedcognitive treatments to improve the lives of patients andtheir families,” says Dr. Eskes, also an associateprofessor with the Departments of Psychiatry,Neurology and Psychology at Dalhousie University’sFaculty of Medicine.

Treatments currently available are limited in number,time-consuming and require trained personnel toimplement. The Cognitive Repair Kit will give individualsthe tools to engage in intensive skills training at home,with only limited supervision needed by a clinician.

The kit will be installed on a person’s home computer. Itwill feature computerized assessment techniques andoffer training exercises. The technology will be linked tothe Internet so clinicians will be able to monitor eachperson’s performance and adjust the training exercisesas needed.

Co-investigators are BRC researchers and Dalhousieprofessors Dr. Ray Klein, an expert in cognitivepsychology; Dr. David Westwood, an expert in humanvisuo-motor control; and Dr. Ivar Mendez, an expert incell restoration therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’sdisease. They will work with colleagues in ComputerScience and Engineering on design and video gamedevelopment.

The project also will help test another innovation — theDalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB) — abattery of attention tests. Current tests are not wellsuited to identifying effective treatments for differentattention and memory deficits. DalCAB is designed to aidclinicians in assessing a person’s attention and workingmemory, especially in stroke patients and others withcognitive impairment.

The $1.8 million from the AIF is matched by funds fromthe Capital Health, the Brain Repair Centre, the NovaScotia Health Research Foundation, The DalhousieMedical Research Foundation, and Dalhousie’sdepartments of psychiatry, medicine and science.

Dr. Gail Eskes, BRC director of research and education, and herresearch team in the Cognitive Repair Kit lab at the Brain RepairCentre. (Photo: Michelle Doucette Design & Photography)


Educational and economicbenefits

The Cognitive Repair Kit project and others like it offerundergraduate and graduate students, as well aspostdoctoral research fellows, training and employmentopportunities, supporting their research studies academ-ically, experientially and financially.

Research and development funding enables inves-tigators, including Dr. Gail Eskes and her collaborators,to contribute directly to the economy by employingstudents, fellows and research assistants. To date, 12people have been employed, or have had their trainingfinancially supported, through her Cognitive Repair Kitproject, now in its early days. That number will growthrough the project’s five-year span.

As contributors and investigators on such projects,students and research fellows gain first-hand know-ledge, training and experience that enable them to carryout their academic pursuits and complete their academicprograms. In addition, they gain superior foundationsupon which to build research careers.

Joshua Salmon, a psychology graduate student atDalhousie University, is also a computer programmer,who provides information technology support to theCognitive Repair Kit project as a full-time employee. Theproject gives him the opportunity to merge his long-timeinterest in computers with his academic studies inpursuit of a research career in cognitive science, whileearning an income.

“It is a perfect situation for me. I get to be involved inresearch and business and to be exposed to contractwork and business planning. This experience isn’t yetreadily available in the academic sector,” says Salmon.

For his postdoctoral colleague, Dr. Yoko Ishigami, theCognitive Repair Kit project enables her to see that whatshe has learned in her academic study of cognitivepsychology can be applied to help people. Dr. Ishigami isone of three postdoctoral fellows working on theCognitive Repair Kit project.

“The emphasis in the academic sector is mostly on thecreation and transfer of knowledge through research and then publishing papers. While this is incrediblyimportant, I am delighted by the recognition that mywork will help people – directly,” says Dr. Ishigami.

This research is expected to lead to the development of new technology products that will have significantclinical applications and commercialization potential

Dr. Gail Eskes, BRC director of research and education, Dr. YokoIshigami, post-doctoral fellow, and Christopher Dean, typo-grapher. (Photo: Michelle Doucette Design & Photography)


Future of brain surgery unfoldsin Halifax

Soon it will be possible to learn, practice and rehearseneurosurgical skills and neurosurgery by using newsimulation technology.

A group of national and international brain surgeons,researchers, educators and engineers gathered inHalifax in October 2011 to map out the integration of asimulator into neurosurgical training. Their mission: toestablish a program that will change the way brainsurgery is taught and learned in Canada and around theworld.

“The integration of simulation into neurosurgical trainingis pressing – and exciting – because it heeds universalcalls for greater patient safety and responds to the needfor better and more efficient use of health careresources,” says Dr. David Clarke, a Brain Repair Centreresearcher and neurosurgeon. He heads the Division ofNeurosurgery at Dalhousie Medical School and CapitalHealth. “Using a simulator as a training tool will lessenthe need to practise certain skills on patients and willenable trainees and surgeons to rehearse surgeriesoutside of the OR, thereby increasing greater ORefficiency,” he explains.

Dr. Clarke and Dr. Ryan D’Arcy, a BRC researchcolleague affiliated with the National Research Council(NRC) and Dalhousie Medical School, are collaboratorson an NRC project to develop a simulator for brainsurgery. In 2009, Dr. Clarke performed the world’s firstvirtual brain surgery at the QEII Health Sciences Centre

to remove a tumour. The simulator he used to prepare forthat operation continues to be developed and is availableonly at six NRC test sites, including Halifax.

“The neurosurgical simulation work to date in Halifax isattracting attention across the globe. A group of Israelidelegates, who first expressed interest in the simulatorat a Canada/Israel Summit, was among the meeting’sinternational attendees,” says Dr. D’Arcy. “The potentialto shape the future of brain surgery here, and around theworld, by developing an advanced neurosurgical trainingprogram is tremendous.”

The Halifax-based neurosurgical simulation curriculumwork and the October meeting were collaborative effortssupported by the Royal College of Physicians andSurgeons of Canada, the National Research Council, theBrain Repair Centre, Dalhousie University, and CapitalHealth.

Residents try the neurosurgical simulator at its unveiling in August2009. (Photo: Roy Dempsey)


The Halifax injector

Options are being weighed to bring the Halifax Injector to market in a way that benefits the local economy, saysDr. Ivar Mendez.

“There is a lot of interest in the injector,” the BRCchairman says. “We want it to be known as the HalifaxInjector and we’re looking for a way to make sure itscommercial development is Halifax-based and helps theHalifax economy. “

The surgical device allows surgeons to deliver setamounts of stem cells, drugs, genes or other compoundsinto specified parts of the brain with great precision andreliability. There is no other micro injector system quitelike it.

Connected to a computer, the device is programmed foreach patient to indicate where and how deeply theneedle will penetrate the brain, how many deposits ofstem cells, drugs or other compounds will be made andin what volume. The actual injection is activated by atouch to the computer screen.

The injector was wholly developed in Halifax withcombined expertise from the BRC, the Nova ScotiaCommunity College and the Queen Elizabeth II HealthSciences Centre.

Clinical trials with the device are coming up in Europenext year. “They will test the injector in wider clinicalapplications such as drug delivery,” says Dr. Mendez.

“The critical thing with the injector is that it allowsstandardization,” he explains. “So if you develop a

protocol in terms of a dosage of a compound and whereyou want to inject it you can program all theseparameters of delivery into the injector.” This kind ofstandardization can translate into more and betterquality clinical trials.

The concept of the injector arose from the BRC’spioneering work in neural transplantation of cells deepinto the brain to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.Dr. Mendez, a neurosurgeon, was able to effect dramaticimprovements in many of his patients with thetechnique. Initially he had to manually adjust the stemcell delivery mechanism as it was inserted into the brain.His need for rigorous precision drove development of theHalifax Injector.

The Halifax Injector. This version of the device, for human use, is shownwith a glass model of the human skull. (Photo: Roy Dempsey)


Studying the people “LINCed” tothe brains

Studies on drug therapies and molecular models arecommon for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s,Tourette Syndrome and multiple sclerosis, but relativelyless research exists on what it actually means to livewith these conditions.

Dalhousie occupational therapists Dr. Tanya Packerand Dr. Joan Versnel hope to change that with the help of over $800,000 in funding from the Public HealthAgency of Canada in collaboration with the NeurologicalHealth Charities of Canada. The Everyday Experienceof Living with and Managing a Neurological Condition, orthe LINC study, aims to give a detailed picture of what itis it like to live with a neurological disease in Canada.Led from Halifax by Drs. Packer and Versnel, the studyruns to 2013 and includes team members acrossCanada from several disciplines.

LINC encompasses three studies in one. The larger studyis gathering data from 3,500 Canadians living with a neurological disorder. A one-time survey asks abouttopics such as the impact of the disease on health,engagement in everyday activities and use of health andcommunity resources.


Dr. Tanya Packer (front row left) and Dr. Joan Versnel (front row centre)with the LINC study research team. (Photo: Michelle Doucette Design &Photography)

“This part of the study is a snapshot,” says Dr. Versnel.“We’ll compare this data to information about otherCanadians to understand the impact of these conditionson the person, their family and society.”

From this larger pool, 350 people will be drawn fromacross Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and Ontario torepresent a cross-section of diagnoses and demo-graphics. Participants will be interviewed every month byphone for 12-18 months.

“Questions will include how much health care did youaccess this month, did you use Meals on Wheels, whatself-management strategies did you use and what wasthe most important thing that happened to you thismonth – questions that will provide really rich, des-criptive data,” explains Dr. Packer.

The third component will examine 18 families in evengreater depth. The person with the neurological con-dition (or a parent for pediatric cases) as well as familymembers, friends and/or caregivers will be interviewed,producing a detailed story for each person.

The report resulting from the LINC study will be given to Canada’s Minister of Health, which will hopefullyinfluence policy, notes Dr. Versnel. “Policy should be

patient oriented, and LINC will provide the patientperspective. We really want to honour the voice of peoplewho live with these conditions on a daily basis.”

Dr. Packer adds that their work is a perfect fit with theBrain Repair Centre: “We’re looking closely at the peopleconnected to the brains that many of our BRC colleaguesare researching. We can bring our research together atthe Brain Repair Centre—encompassing things ofimportance at all levels for people with brain conditions.Together we can better help people living with theseconditions.”


Commercialization

Brain Repair Centre members recorded significantcommercialization developments in 2010/2011, formingnew companies, registering patents and solidifyingnational and international partners. The BRC is a catalystand incubator of this work.

BRC representatives participated in a trade mission toIndia in 2010 and to Israel in 2011. Also in 2010, theBRC signed an agreement with Neurodyn Inc. toestablish collaborations between Neurodyn and the BRCin research and clinical programs, training,technology transfer and the facilitation of commercialopportunities. Dr. Harold Robertson, BRC member andsenior scientific advisor at Neurodyn, visited China’sShanghai Research Centre in Traditional Medicine toassess the potential of commonly used compoundsthere to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Other efforts to form new partnerships and promotecommercialization included hosting delegates fromMedtronic Inc. who visited the BRC for the first time todiscuss opportunities in robotics and medical devicesand in establishing a popular networking event to fosterconnections among researchers, industry and govern-ment. Dr. Ivar Mendez, the BRC chairman, was afeatured speaker at the Life Science Alley Conference inMinneapolis, and served as keynote speaker at a

number of trade and investment events, coordinated bythe Canadian Embassy and Canadian Consulate Officesin the United States.

The BRC’s activities to foster commercialization holdsignificant potential for new business development.Members have been active in promoting the translationof intellectual property to industry partners and otherinterests. As an example, Dianovix, a company foundedby Dr. George Robertson, has patented biomarkersthat have the potential to indicate whether interferon-beta is effectively treating multiple sclerosis in specificpatients and to differentiate between MS subtypes.


Commercialization committee

The Brain Repair Centre’s Commercialization Committeeprovides advice on commercialization and industryliaison strategies, industry liaison activities, manage-ment of intellectual property, development of industrypartnerships, and the use of BRC funds for thedevelopment of specific products. The BRC hasbenefited from the presence of excellent representativesfrom partner organizations on the CommercializationCommittee including:

National Research Council – IRAP

Capital District Health Authority

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Nova Scotia Community College

InNOVAcorp

Nova Scotia Economic, Rural Development and Tourism

Dalhousie Industry Liaison and Innovation

BioNova

McInnes Cooper

Current BRC representation on the CommercializationCommittee: Dr. Ron Leslie, Dr. Ivar Mendez (ex officio),Dr. Harry Robertson, and Mr. Lorne Ferguson (Chair).

The Commercialization Committee's mandate andcomposition is being reviewed and updated as part ofthe BRC's strategic planning process, currently underway. The strategic planning review will ensure theCommercialization Committee continues to adapt tomeet the evolving requirements of BRC's expandingmembership base.

Other significant commercializationdevelopments include:

• Dr. George Robertson and colleagues, Drs. Manohar Bance, Jian Wang and William Hauswirth, founded Audigen Therapeutics to marketa patent-pending method to prevent hearing loss associated with aging, acoustic trauma and ototoxic drugs. Dr. Robertson also received a patent for use ofmembers of the inhibitor of apoptosis family as a basis for diagnostic tests to predict disease course ofmultiple sclerosis.

• Dr. Ivar Mendez, the BRC chairman, established a non-disclosure agreement with potential industry partners for the commercialization of the Halifax Injector technology. For more on the Halifax Injector,see page 17. Dr. Mendez has also filed a patent application for a telepresence robotic system and method that allows a medical practitioner to interactwith patients, health care providers and family members remotely, and patented the Halifax Neural Transplantation System, a reliable and safe system for performing neural transplantation in the human brain, which is now under consideration for commercialization.

• Dr. Gail Eskes is the principle investigator and project lead for the Cognitive Repair Kit project, described in detail on page 14, through which she and her collaborators intend to develop and commercialize cognitive assessment and training exercises for the treatment of common cognitive impairments such as those resulting from stroke andParkinson’s disease.

• Dr. Aaron Newman received a $1.8 million award through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program to provide students withthe training, tools and experience to become scientist-entrepreneurs. They will have depth in basic scienceand breadth of understanding of clinical issues, legaland ethical principles and business practices.


Unique program to producebusiness savvy researchtrainees

Products like memory puzzles and language systemsthat purportedly improve brain fitness are popular, yetthey rarely have a scientific basis.

According to Dr. Aaron Newman, a Brain Repair Centre(BRC) researcher affiliated with Dalhousie University’sdepartments of psychology, psychiatry, surgery andpediatrics, there is a real need to prove whether thesetools work or not. “As scientists we often know what willwork and how to assess products, but there’s a big gapbetween the lab and business – researchers don’tusually do business or know how to deal with businesspeople,” he says.

While scientists conduct amazing research every day,scientific knowledge doesn’t usually get in people’shands in a useable way.

“We have to learn to take solutions we uncover andmake them useful for people who need them,” says Dr.Newman. “One of the best ways to do that is throughcommercialization – taking our knowledge and dis-coveries and packaging them so they can be sold topatients or clinics.”


Dr. Newman and Drs. Manohar Bance, Ryan D’Arcy,Gail Eskes, Shannon Johnson, Ray Klein, ThomasTrappenburg and Don Weaver have created RADIANT—Rehabilitative Diagnostic Innovations in AppliedNeuro Technology—a program that will help neuro-scientists develop an innovation and entrepreneurshipmindset. RADIANT was made possible through $1.65million in funding from the Natural Sciences andEngineering Research Council of Canada, with matchingfunds from the BRC, Dalhousie, the National ResearchCouncil and private companies Electrical Geodesis Inc.,Brain Products and Elekta.

The first program of its kind in the world, RADIANT willtrain researchers to understand the pathway tocommercialization. Students will learn how businessesrun, how to communicate on their terms, and how to work in a business setting. A graduate certificateprogram as well as a three-week summer institute willstart in 2012.

Slated for 2013 is a Neurotechnology Innovationgraduate program (Masters and PhD). It will featuretraining in neuroscience and computer science as wellas professional skills in business and communication,practica in clinical and industrial settings, and

internships with companies, government laboratoriesand NGOs, giving students exposure to applied sciencein the business world.

“In science you have an interesting question to pursue,and you ask more to obtain basic knowledge,” explainsDr. Newman. “With an innovation mindset, you start byasking, ‘What can we do that will have a positive impacton people’s lives?’ and look for a solution.

“Academic research generally proceeds by buildingknowledge systematically, in small steps. There willalways be a need for this, and most importantinnovations rely on a huge base of fundamentalknowledge. But we want to train scientists who arewilling to go outside of their comfort zone, to find unmetneeds and to be creative about how their skills and basicknowledge can be used to find solutions. As well wewant our trainees to be comfortable with the complexprocess of what happens to an idea between the time itleaves the lab and the time it sees the light of day as aproduct that people can use.”

From validating brain fitness products to bringing neededgoods to health consumers, RADIANT will undoubtedlyshed light on the path from the lab to the market.


Dr. Benjamin Rusak receivesdistinguished scientist award

Dr. Benjamin Rusak received a Distinguished ScientistAward from the Canadian Sleep Society in September2011 recognizing the international impact of his work inthe basic science area of sleep and circadian rhythms.

A major contributor to our knowledge of the mechanismsregulating circadian rhythms and sleep in mammals, heis also a tireless proponent of their importance to ourunderstanding of both basic physiology and humanhealth. Dr. Rusak is a professor in the departments ofpsychiatry, psychology and pharmacology at Dalhousie,director of research in the Department of Psychiatry anddirector of the Chronobiology and Sleep Program atCapital Health. He has been an executive member ofthe Brain Repair Centre since 2006.

His contributions have been recognized by his appoint-ment as a Dalhousie Faculty of Science Killam Professor,as a university research professor and guest professor atJilin University, China, and by his election (1999) as afellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has served theresearch community as the founding editor of theJournal of Biological Rhythms and as an executivemember of the Canadian Association for Neuroscience,the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms and theCanadian Sleep Society. In addition to his service tomany granting agencies, he has been a member ofresearch advisory committees for the Canadian SpaceAgency, the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation,and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Instituteof Circulatory and Respiratory Health, and he has sat on a selection committee for new fellows for the RoyalSociety of Canada.

TV documentary ‘one of ourmost popular programs’

Widespread interest in an EastLink TV documentary, Dr.Ivar Mendez, MD: Creative in Care, came as a surprise tothe film’s subject.

“It was just a wonderful reaction,” said Dr. IvarMendez, chairman of the Brain Repair Centre.

Former patients and others got in touch with him tocomment on the documentary after it aired on the cabletelevision station this spring. Many of them had beenunaware of the extent of Dr. Mendez’s wide-ranging andinterconnected pursuits in medicine, the visual arts,global health and humanitarianism.

Others were amazed that world-class medical researchinvolving robots and other high tech wizardry was home-grown and Halifax-based in the BRC.

Michael Smith, EastLink TV’s vice-president, indicated“approximately 50,000 households watched the pro-gram during the original airtime on EastLink TV and it isnow one of our most popular programs On Demand.” Headded, “Viewer response – comments sent to our viewerfeedback avenues – has been very positive.”

The documentary showed the interrelationships of Dr.Mendez’s activities as a neurosurgeon and researcher, a sculptor and photographer, and a trainer of neuro-surgeons in the third world and as a program providerfor under privileged children in his native Bolivia.


Next: a hand-held medicaldata-collecting device

A dramatic development is on the horizon for RemotePresence technology that could improve health care for many more communities worldwide, says Dr. IvarMendez, the Brain Repair Centre chairman and neuro-surgeon noted for his medical robotic expertise.

“This is a unique system that can transmit complexclinical data such as ultrasound in real time usingordinary cell phone signals,” he explains. “We aredeveloping the clinical protocols to use this device in avariety of clinical situations.”

He is referring to a project under way with InTouchHealth, a California-based company, to tailor robotic datacollecting functions to a hand-held device that runs oncell phone networks. The prototype in development nowis tabloid-size, but developers hope to bring it down tothe size of a smartphone.

In the developing world where telephone and Internetservice are not universally available, cell phone networksare ubiquitous. That means Rosie the BRC’s RP-7Remote Presence robot, which relies on the Internet foractivation in Nain, located in northern Newfoundland andLabrador, would have a hard time operating in somethird world communities. The proposed hand-held de-vice, however, would encounter no such constraints.

The uses for this highly portable device are potentiallygame-changing for the delivery of modern medicine,even in first world communities.

Dr. Mendez says, “You can imagine going to a house.Someone has collapsed. You could connect a peripheraldevice capable of obtaining an electrocardiogram of theperson. The cardiologist could see it in real time. Youwould be able, for example, to pinprick a finger, insert aprobe to analyze the chemistry of the blood and send itto hospital where the specialists can view the bloodchemistry.”

Dr. Mendez says that the clinical application of this newdevelopment is based on the Brain Repair Centreexperience with Remote Presence devices. It started in2002 with the first remote mentoring program. FromHalifax he helped a surgeon in Saint John operate on abrain tumor. The BRC then became involved with the RP-7 Remote Presence Robotic System and now has fourRemote Presence robots. They are stationed at theHalifax Infirmary site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre,and in the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. In both instancesthey are attached to the neurological wards. Anotherrobot, is located in the Cape Breton Regional Hospitalemergency room and a fourth is in Nain’s CommunityHealth Clinic in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Now the BRC has introduced RP-Vantage, a surgicaltelementoring system. Through his computer, Dr. Mendezcan now offer instruction to other surgeons around the world in real time. The system allows for remote collaboration in operating and procedure rooms.

The system is brand new but it has already had a goodworkout in Halfax in the Halifax Infirmary site of theQueen Elizabeth II Science Centre. Fifty surgeries havealready been performed using the system, making thesite the world’s most experienced lab with thetechnology.

“For example on Monday,” says Dr. Mendez, “theMexican neurosurgeons are connected to our operatingroom and we’re teaching them how to do a surgicalprocedure. The only thing they need on the other side isa laptop. They can connect to us and they can seeeverything that we’re doing in real time.”

His association with InTouch Health has been highlyrewarding. “To me, it’s very important to help the de-veloping world, so in collaboration with them, we areexploring clinical applications in primary care, such asprenatal ultrasound assessments. This application couldhave profound implications for decreasing maternalmortality in the developing world where 1,000 mothersdie from preventable causes at the time of childbirth.”


Looking to the future

An ongoing strategic planning process is helping theBrain Repair Centre identify areas of growth andstrength for the future.

The consultative process led by Jim Neale, a DalhousieUniversity facilitator, and Dr. Gail Eskes, the BRC’sdirector of research and education, has found the natureof the BRC has evolved and changed with its growingmembership. There are more and varied researchinterests now, but they all connect to a common goal ofunderstanding and repairing brain function as a way ofimproving health.

“While the BRC’s initial research foci of neuro-transplantation, neuroimaging, neuroprotection and drug development are still at our core, the strategicplanning process has also revealed that our members’interests and subsequent areas of research are taking – and should take – the BRC in new directions,” says Dr. Eskes.

“BRC members are using more multi-disciplinaryapproaches, including cognitive neuroscience, neuro-rehabilitation and teletherapy, to understand and treatbrain disorders and diseases,” she adds. “We are alsousing innovative technologies to further our under-standing and development of novel approaches to treatneurological conditions. Among the BRC’s currentstrengths is also its members’ recognition that treatmentmechanisms and the science behind them often extendbeyond a single disease or disorder.”

The consultative process, among its many findings todate, has identified a need to strengthen involvement oftrainees in the BRC, to provide opportunities for researchtrainees to learn from senior researchers.

“Our next steps, to be completed within a few months,are to take the reports that Jim has prepared, whichdetail an environmental scan of internal and externalstakeholders and a strategic planning session withmembers, and draft five-year strategic and action plansfor review and revision by the BRC membership,” notesDr. Eskes.

Strategic Planning

The BRC initiated the consultative strategic planningprocess following an external review of its researchoperations and growth, which revealed a need for a newstrategic plan that would leverage that growth and theBRC’s new space, strategically located within the LifeSciences Research Institute.

• Engaged Jim Neale, Dalhousie University facilitator,to lead the strategic planning efforts

• Conducted an environmental scan of internal and external stakeholders

• Circulated a report of initial findings to the BRC membership for review

• Conducted a strategic planning session with BRC members


Speed Networking A HugeSuccess

It works like this: attendees divide into pairs and eachperson has two minutes to tell the other person abouttheir background. Then a bell rings and everyone shiftsseats. The new pairs begin the process again. It’s a lotlike speed dating, but with a twist.

“The BRC acts as a catalyst for research among theresearch and industry communities across AtlanticCanada,” says Dr. Gail Eskes, BRC director of researchand education. “Networking events create a place wheremembers of the BRC can get a chance to speak withtheir colleagues in the BRC and with other members ofthe research, industry and government communities.”

The first speed networking event attracted 50 peopleincluding BRC members, researchers and trainees fromseveral faculties at Dalhousie, Capital Health and theIWK, research funding agencies, the National ResearchCouncil of Canada, the Atlantic Canada OpportunitiesAgency, Innovacorp, BioNova, students and some ven-ture capitalists, interested in investing in researchstartup companies.

The lead organizer, BRC member Dr. Shaun Boe,says researchers have a tendency to be somewhatinsulated. “The plan for the BRC event was to bringpeople together. Translational research is multi-disciplinary; it takes a number of specialists to dothis type of research.”

Dr. Boe says it’s often difficult to approach potentialcollaborators. “It’s easier when you have a two-minutepitch,” he says. “Networking is often key to jumpstartingcollaborations.”

Evaluations showed that all respondents felt the eventmet their expectations and would attend again. Eighty-seven per cent noted they had made a connection thatcould lead to new research and 97 per cent said theevent increased their knowledge about neuroscience re-

search in the BRC, at Dalhousie and other organizations.Attendees at the event were eligible for prizes to supportresearch activities. Dr. Gordon Gubitz, neurologistand director of the CDHA Neurovascular Clinic, won a $6,000 summer studentship, which allowed him to hirea student to work on a research project. PhD StudentFlorentin Wilfart of the School of Biomedical Engineer-ing at Dalhousie won a $2,000 student travel award topresent a paper at a scientific meeting.

A second speed networking event, planned for late2011, will have a special focus on nearby tenants of thenew LSRI. It will be a “meet the neighbours” gathering sothat all the tenants of both towers of the LSRI can get toknow each other better and find out what type ofresearch is being done.

“The idea of fostering collaborative research is thereason the LSRI was built,” says Dr. Eskes, “and the BRCwants to be front and centre in making that happen.”

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 1128 Researcher Profiles

Dr. Ivar MendezChairman, BRC

Dr. Ivar Mendez is a clinician-scientistthat has focused his research efforts onbrain repair strategies for neurodegen-erative diseases. Dr. Mendez and histeam have made significant advances incell restoration research that have beentranslated into clinical trials.

The Cell Restoration Laboratory headedby Dr. Mendez is working on improvingsurvival and function of neuraltransplants to repair the injured anddiseased brain. Innovative approaches incell restoration techniques such asmultitarget grafting, the use of trophicfactor and the application of new stemcell technology in brain repair are majorendeavours of the laboratory.

The development of novel neurosurgicalprotocols and surgical instruments fordelivery of gene and cell therapy in thehuman brain are major areas ofresearch at the clinical level. Thecomputerized Halifax Injector for humanand animal neural transplantation is anexample of this work.

Dr. Mendez has pioneered the use ofrobotic technology for neurosurgicalapplications. This has led to theestablishment of an innovative networkof remote presence systems to provideclinical care at a distance. Dr. Mendez isactively working on using remotepresence technology to decrease thegap of inequality in health care deliveryat a global level.

902.473.3650 [email protected]

Dr. Gail EskesResearch and EducationDirector, BRC

Dr. Gail Eskes seeks new treatmentsto enhance everyday functioning andquality of life for patients who haveexperienced deficits in attention andmemory due to aging and aging relateddisorders, such as stroke and otherbrain diseases.

She is currently leading an AIF-fundedproject designed to produce effectivetechnologies for cognitive repair inindividuals with stroke and Parkinson’sdisease. Her current research alsoincludes studies on the underlyingmechanisms related to the cause andrecovery of an attention disordercaused by damage to the righthemisphere of the brain, called visuo-spatial neglect.

Other studies examine how to enhancecognitive functioning with exercise,group memory therapy or computertraining. Dr. Eskes’ training in basiccognitive neuroscience and herextensive clinical experience in therehabilitation of cognitive disorders inindividuals with brain damage gives afirm foundation for her goal oftranslating basic science to clinicalneeds.


Dr. Martin Alda

The focus of Dr. Martin Alda’s groupis on major psychiatric disorders andtheir genetics. Bipolar disorder,schizophrenia, and depression are allhighly heritable, affect young people,and can be more or less successfullytreated. His research focuses onmapping genes for these conditions,linking the genetic basis with treatmentresponse, and examining how thegenetic risk translates into behaviouraland clinical features of the illness. Dr.Alda uses clinical, molecular-genetic,biochemical, brain-imaging, andneuropsychological methods in studiesof patients and their family members.

He also co-founded an internationalconsortium to investigate the geneticbasis of lithium’s effect on bipolarpatients.

Recently his group completed a seriesof studies suggesting that subjects atgenetic risk for bipolar disorder andthose early in their illness show nostructural or functional brain changes.This contrasts with specific deficits inthose with prolonged illness.


Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 11 29Researcher Profiles

Dr. Steven Barnes

Dr. Steven Barnes’ research focuseson retinal neurobiology. In his research,Dr. Barnes uses state-of-the-artelectrophysiological, ion imaging,immunohistochemical and molecularbiological tools. His primary focus is onion channels in retinal neurons andglia. Ion channels are the sites wherepathological conditions can take theirtoll and sites that pharmacologicalagents can exploit in providing effectivetherapeutic interventions.

Through his work at the Brain RepairCentre, Dr. Barnes is undertaking thebasic research that will one day impactthe health of patients.


Dr. Shaun Boe

Dr. Shaun Boe seeks to optimizerecovery in individuals with disorders ofthe nervous system. His researchexamines adaptations that occur in theperipheral and central nervous systemdue to disorders of the motor systemand in response to their treatment(s).

To achieve this, Dr. Boe utilizes anumber of techniques, includingquantitative electromyography,neuroimaging andelectroencephalography.

The overall objectives of his researchprogram are twofold: 1) to expand ourfundamental understanding of how thenervous system adapts in health anddisease; and 2) to utilize thisunderstanding to guide the way wetreat individuals who experience motordeficits (eg. stroke).

Collectively, the goal of this research isto inform clinicians with regard to bothdiagnostic and rehabilitative applicationsin an effort to optimize the potential forrecovery.


Dr. David Clarke

In the laboratory, Dr. David Clarkefocuses on understanding the neuronalresponse to injury and looks for ways toencourage the survival and regenerationof injured neurons.

At a clinical level, Dr. Clarke isinterested in research related to brainimaging and function. He has led theteam which established clinicalfunctional MRI (fMRI) in Halifax.

Dr. Clarke continues to lead clinicalapplication of simulation techniques. Incollaboration with Dr. Ryan D’Arcy andthe NRC’s neurosurgical simulatordevelopment group, Dr. Clarke led aHalifax team that performed the world’sfirst virtual reality removal of a patient’sbrain tumor.



Dr. Dale Corbett

Dr. Dale Corbett, Canada ResearchChair in Stroke and Neuroplasticity atMemorial University, is interested indeveloping new treatments to promoterecovery of function following stroke.

His approach is to identify and optimallyenhance neuroplasticity/re-organiz-ational processes (e.g. growthpromoting factors) that are transientlyactivated by brain injury to achievegreater recovery of function. Hisresearch program incorporatesmolecular and behavioural approachesranging from stem cell therapy,exercise and rehabilitation of motor andcognitive function in animal strokemodels and stroke patients.

The primary goal of Dr. Corbett’sresearch is to develop new interventionsthat can be translated into moreeffective protocols for patientrehabilitation.

613.562.5800 ext. [email protected]

Dr. Ryan D’Arcy

Dr. Ryan D’Arcy uses non-invasiveimaging techniques for basic andclinical neuroscience. He is GroupLeader and Senior Research Officer atthe NRC’s Institute for Biodiagnostics(Atlantic), and Associate Professor ofRadiology, Psychology and Neuroscience,and Anatomy and Neurobiology atDalhousie University.

The Institute for Biodiagnostics(Atlantic) operates the NeuroimagingResearch Laboratory at the QEII HealthSciences Centre (equipped with a 4-Tesla MRI, 64 and 128 channel EEG,and rapid transcranial magneticstimulation). At the IWK Health Centre,they operate the Biomedical MRIResearch Laboratory (equipped with a3-Tesla MRI and a small animalPET/CT) and the Laboratory forMagnetoencephalography (a 306channel MEG and 64-channel EEGsystem).

The Institute has led the world’s firstvirtual reality removal of a patient’sbrain tumor, the development of theHalifax Consciousness Scanner, and thediscovery of functional activation in thebrain's white matter.

902.473.1850 ryan.d’[email protected]

Dr. Nicholas Delva

Dr. Nicholas Delva received hismedical degree and did his residencyin psychiatry at Queen’s University,Kingston, Ontario, where his training inresearch was supervised by the late Dr.Felix Letemendia. His clinical work isfocused on the care of patients withmood disorders or schizophrenia.

As a researcher, he has focused onbiological psychiatry; his interestsinclude psychopharmacology, clinicaltrials, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT),and polydipsia/water intoxication. Dr.Delva received the Investigator’s Awardfrom the Association for ConvulsiveTherapy and is currently the Chair ofthe Canadian ECT Survey, which is inthe process of evaluating where andhow ECT is delivered, the number andcharacteristics of the patients receivingECT, and what barriers may exist to itsavailability.

Dr. Delva welcomes collaboration withothers on novel approaches to thetreatment of severe mood disordersand other psychiatric conditions.


Researcher Profiles


Dr. John Downie

Spinal cord injury disrupts the controlof the urinary bladder as well as otherorgans.

Dr. John Downie brings extensiveexperience in the study of bladderfunction to the problem of how toexplain and control this disorderedbladder function. His work, incollaboration with other members of theBrain Repair Centre, focuses on theroles of neuronal sprouting andsynaptic strengthening on theemergence of abnormal bladder andsphincter activity after spinal cordinjury.

An understanding of the fundamentalprocesses that underlie neuralcircuit reorganization will lead tostrategies aimed at modifyingdetrimental nerve plasticity in the spinalcord thus controlling neurogenicbladder dysfunction after spinal cordinjury.


Dr. Anne Duffy

Over the past 15 years, Dr. AnneDuffy has researched the early clinicalcourse of bipolar disorder in geneticallyat-risk offspring. Her emphasis hasbeen in three main areas: 1) mappingthe origins and early evolution of theclinical course in children at risk forbipolar disorder, 2) studying associatedneurobiological correlates 3) treatmentissues in mood disordered children andadolescents.

More recently, she joined Dalhousie’sDepartment of Psychiatry to develop anintegrated Clinical and Researchprogram for youth at risk for MoodDisorders (unipolar and bipolardisorder). The program provides experttimely clinical consultation for childrenand adolescents at genetic risk forbipolar disorder. The program willexpand to include young adults asspace and infrastructure becomeavailable to link with the adult MoodDisorders clinical and researchprogram.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Michael Esser

Dr. Michael Esser is a pediatricneurologist and neuroscientist with aninterest in the links between neuro-plasticity, neurodevelopment andpediatric epilepsy. His focus is onunderstanding the relationship betweenfactors that affect the way the braindevelops and how this relates toepilepsy. His research incorporatesbasic science bench work and clinicalresearch.

In the laboratory, he is investigating amodel of epileptogenesis that alsodisplays features of other neuro-developmental and neuropsychiatricdisorders. This shows, in animalmodels, behavioral features andmolecular changes that occur in thebrains of newborns as a result ofmaternal prenatal stress and immunechallenge.

Clinically, Dr. Esser has appliedfunctional MRI, and more recently,magnetoencephalography, to advanceour understanding of neurodevelopmentand pediatric epilepsy. This aspect ofthe research program will offer theadvantage of a more immediate effecton the care of children with epilepsy.



Dr. Jim Fawcett

Dr. James Fawcett, Canada ResearchChair in Brain Repair at DalhousieUniversity, is interested in developmentalneurobiology with an emphasis onintracellular signaling mechanismsunderlying axon guidance and repair.

His lab studies molecules and signalingmechanisms that underlie thedevelopment of a neuron – thefundamental unit of the nervoussystem. In particular, Dr. Fawcett istrying to determine how a neuron formsan axon (the long process of a nervefiber that conducts impulses away fromthe body of the nerve cell) anddendrites (the extensions of a neuronthat conduct impulses from adjacentcells toward the cell body).

Understanding these basic developmentalprocesses is important if we are tounderstand mechanisms of brain andspinal cord repair following damage tothe central nervous system.


Dr. Kim Good

Dr. Kimberley Good is currently anAssociate Professor in the Departmentof Psychiatry, and cross-appointed inthe Department of Psychology atDalhousie University. Dr. Good is ascientific member of the Nova ScotiaEarly Psychosis Program and the co-director of the Nova Scotia PsychosisResearch Unit.

Dr. Good’s research focuses on theneurobiology of psychotic andneurodegenerative disorders. She isparticularly interested in the olfactorysystem as a predictor of outcome inthese disorders, and its dysfunction asa biomarker for early diagnosis.

Dr. Good is also involved ininvestigations examining in the neuralmechanisms underlying addictivebehaviours in patients with psychoticdisorders and in healthy subjects.


Dr. Gord Gubitz

Dr. Gord Gubitz is Assistant Professorof Medicine (neurology) at DalhousieUniversity. He obtained his MD atMcMaster University in Hamilton, andcompleted his neurology training atDalhousie, before spending two yearsas the Cochrane Stroke Fellow at theDepartment of Clinical Neurosciencesin Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of hisfellowship training was clinical trialmethodology and meta-analysis.

Dr. Gubitz works as an attendingphysician on the acute stroke unit atthe QEIi Health Sciences Centre, and isthe Director of the Outpatient Neuro-vascular Clinic. Apart from clinical care,which focuses almost exclusively oncerebrovascular diseases, he isinvolved in stroke-related educationand research.

Dr. Gubitz is a member of theDalhousie University Research EthicsBoard, and is co-chair of the CapitalHealth Research Fund. He is vice-chairof the Heart and Stroke Foundation ofNova Scotia Board of Directors, andworks on their Stroke AdvisoryCommittee. Dr. Gubitz is in demand asa speaker having won several awardsfor his informative, effective andentertaining presentations.


Researcher Profiles


Dr. Shannon Johnson

Dr. Shannon Johnson appliescognitive and neuropsychologicaltechniques to characterize coredifferences in cognitive and socialfunctioning in individuals with anAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Morerecently, her lab has moved forwardwith the development of treatmentstrategies for individuals with an ASD.This currently involves designing andtesting a novel intervention foradolescents, with a focus on self-perception, self-advocacy, andmetacognition.

She has also initiated and continuedwork on a number of collaborativeprojects, such as investigations intoattentional differences in individualswith and without an ASD, the effects ofnature exposure on attention inchildren, and categorization andpreference development in order tobetter understand the learningprocesses of those with ASD. Additionalstudies are focused on illnessbehaviour, face and emotionprocessing, and autonomic nervoussystem activity in ASD and typicaldevelopment.

Taken together, Shannon’s work willcontinue to elucidate the mechanismsunderlying ASD and work towardsdeveloping effective interventions forthis clinical population.


Dr. Angelo Iulianella

The Iulianella lab concerns itself with acentral question in biology: whatcontrols the differentiation of progenitorcells in the embryo and the adult intospecific neuronal cell types. Answeringthis question will have direct applicationsin regenerative therapies for neuro-degenerative diseases and braininjuries.

We study the genetic regulation ofneurogenesis (neuronal birth) and theacquisition of distinct cell type identitiesduring the formation and maintenanceof the central nervous system. Thisinvolves examining the roles of certaintranscription (or regulatory) factors inactivating cell-type specific geneexpression programs in neuralprogenitor populations. We also studythe signaling pathways that activatetranscription factors during neuraldevelopment and in adult neuralprogenitors.

The goal is to use this information togenetically program the formation ofspecific neuronal cell types in the Petridish for the use in cell replacementtherapies for neurodegenerativediseases and injuries to the centralnervous system.

Dr Iulianella is also a member of theAtlantic Mobility Action Project.


Dr. Tomas Hajek

Tomas Hajek received his MD andPhD in neuroscience from CharlesUniversity, Prague, Czech Republic. In2003 he was awarded a clinicalresearch fellowship in mood disorderswith Dr. Martin Alda at DalhousieUniversity and soon after joined theDalhousie Department of Psychiatry asan assistant professor. In 2009 hebecame associate professor. He worksat the QEII Mood Disorders Clinic.

Dr. Hajek’s main research interest isneuroanatomical and neurochemicalabnormalities as biological markers ofvulnerability to mood disorders. To thisgoal, he performs MRI studies inaffected and unaffected relatives ofbipolar probands. He is also responsiblefor the neuroimaging part of aninternational, multicentre projectinvestigating the neuroprotective effectsof lithium.

Dr. Hajek is a recipient of the DalhousieClinical Research Scholarship and hasreceived grants from the CanadianInstitutes of Health Research, NationalAlliance for Research on Schizophreniaand Depression (USA), Nova ScotiaHealth Research Foundation, and theMinistry of Health of the CzechRepublic.


Researcher Profiles


Dr. Stan Kutcher

Dr. Stan Kutcher is an internationally-renowned expert in the area ofadolescent mental health and a nationaland international leader in mentalhealth research, advocacy, training,policy, and services innovation workingat the IWK and Dalhousie University.

He currently holds the Sun LifeFinancial Chair in Adolescent MentalHealth where he applies knowledgetranslation techniques to advanceadolescent mental health promotion,education, research and training. Hecurrently directs the World HealthOrganization Collaborating Center inMental Health at Dalhousie and recentlyran as the federal Liberal candidate forHalifax. He has served as DepartmentHead of Psychiatry and Associate Deanfor International Health at DalhousieUniversity.

Dr. Kutcher has received numerousawards and honors for his work. He isthe author of more than 200 scientificpapers and the author/co-author ofnumerous medical textbooks. Locallyhe contributes to the work of LaingHouse and the Metropolitan ImmigrantServices Association. One of his recentprojects was leading the developmentof a national child and youth mentalhealth framework for Canada:Evergreen. Currently his focus is onknowledge translation pertaining toyouth mental health as it is applied inschools and primary care.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Lee Kirby

Dr. R. Lee Kirby is a professor in theDivision of Physical Medicine andRehabilitation in the Department ofMedicine at Dalhousie University inHalifax with cross-appointments inKinesiology and BiomedicalEngineering.

His clinical work and laboratory are inthe Nova Scotia Rehabilitation CentreSite of the Queen Elizabeth II HealthSciences Centre. His primary researchinterests relate to the safety andperformance of wheelchairs. He headsa team that has developed theWheelchair Skills Program(www.wheelchairskillsprogram. ca), alow-tech, high-impact training program.

He has held research grants from anumber of national and internationalfunding bodies and has published 125papers in peer-reviewed journals.


Dr. Ray Klein

Dr. Raymond M. Klein is a cognitiveneuroscientist whose basic research onhuman attention and performance hasgenerated over 200 publications. Yet,since his first sabbatical at BellTelephone Laboratories, he has had aninterest in applying the methods ofexperimental psychology to help solvereal-world problems.

His research has dealt with problemsas diverse as graphic user interfacedesign; on whether art studentsbecome more expert-like with training;on problem gambling; on whether usinga hands-free phone while driving isdangerous; and on how to optimize theperformance of off-shore oil and gasworkers in emergencies. He has alsoadvised the Bank of Canada on thedetection and perception of counterfeitcurrency.

His long-time collaboration with Dr.Gail Eskes has led to a successfulgrant from ACOA to develop acomputerized training battery forindividuals suffering from cognitiveproblems due to stroke and Parkinson’sdisease.



Dr. Aaron Newman

How is it that deaf people learnlanguage without ever hearing asound? Why are young children somuch better than adults at learning asecond language? How can we helppeople speak again after a stroke hasrobbed them of this ability? CanadaResearch Chair Dr. Aaron Newman islooking for answers.

Dr. Newman specializes in theintegration of multiple brain imagingtechniques, to shed new light on howlanguage is implemented in the brain,and how the organization of language isaffected and altered by experiencesover a lifetime.

Dr. Newman studies adults who havelearned a second language at differentages, in order to determine whychildren generally learn a secondlanguage better than adults. Otherresearch includes the study of newtreatment for the rehabilitation oflanguage following stroke, and studieshow brains can be “rewired” due todeafness, and how such rewiringaffects patients’ abilities to adapt totreatments such as cochlear implants.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Daniel Marsh

Traumatic spinal cord injury is oftenassociated with secondary injuryprocesses that expand the extent ofthe initial injury and results in agreater negative impact onneurological outcomes. Dr DanielMarsh’s research is focused on tryingto limit the infiltration and activation ofinflammatory cells into the spinal cordafter injury. Strategies that promoteneuroprotection, tissue sparing anddecreased secondary damage areimportant because a relatively fewdescending bulbospinal axonal tractsare sufficient to provide regulatoryinputs and improve control of bloodpressure and bladder function –greatly enhancing quality of life.

Dr. Marsh is currently employingexperiments using mild, moderate andsevere degrees of spinal cord injury tostudy the relationships among bloodpressure, bladder function, autonomicdysreflexia, and sparing of serotonergicbulbospinal axons. This research hasthe potential to improve the lives ofthose who suffer spinal cord injury.

[email protected]

Dr. Ronald Leslie

Dr. Ron Leslie uses brain imagingtechnologies (for example differentforms of functional magnetic resonanceimaging – MRI) to study diseasemechanisms and help develop moresensitive and selective diagnosticprocedures for neurological andpsychiatric disorders with a currentfocus on Parkinson’s disease andschizophrenia.

He is also working with colleagues inthe Faculty of Medicine to study theeffects of the stress response on thebrain to investigate brain developmentalaspects involving interactions betweenthe endocrine and nervous systems.

With a background in both theindustrial and academic sectors Dr.Leslie brings his research experience tobear on the Brain Repair Centre’s goalof taking the breakthroughs of medicalscience from the laboratory bench tothe bedside of patients.



Dr. Bernd Pohlmann-Eden

Dr. Bernd Pohlmann-Eden is aclinical neurologist and researcher ofepilepsy and other disturbances ofconsciousness. He is focused onmechanisms of disease modification,strategic health care development andknowledge transfer. He is striving tounderstand how a disease such asepilepsy becomes chronic bysystematically looking at patients with afirst seizure presentation, and new-onset epilepsy, and how cognitivedisturbances and psychiatric co-morbidities evolve over time in patientswith epilepsy or present a precedingneurobiological condition with lowerseizure threshold.

Dr. Pohlmann-Eden’s approachincorporates findings from functional(EEG) and structural (MRI) studies,psychiatric co-morbidities, cognitiveassessment, social markers, and basicscience such as pharmacogenomics.His research interests also include thetransition from adolescence to adult,epilepsy in the elderly, mechanisms ofpharmacoresistance and refractorystatus epilepticus.

He has been developing award-winningnew clinic concepts for Eastern Canadasuch as the First Seizure Clinic and theComorbidity Clinic, and is a writer ofeducational books for children andadults that translate his knowledge intoeasy to understand literature.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Tanya Packer

Dr. Tanya Packer investigates thestrategies people use to self-managethe impact of a chronic condition ontheir everyday lives; this includes howthey manage the condition, the impacton daily activities and the emotionalaspects of life with a chronic condition.Interventions that 1) equip peoplethemselves to self-manage 2) betterequip health providers to supportpeople with chronic conditions and 3)alter health policies are then developedand tested producing evidence ofeffectiveness including randomizedcontrol trials.

Together with Dr. Joan Versnel, she isleading the LINC study, a large multi-level project to understand the impactof living with a neurological conditionin Canada. This project will shed lighton the outcomes of a neurologicalcondition on health status; participationin work, school and family life; and thehealth and community resourcesrequired to support people to engagein their everyday roles. Part of the first-ever National Population Health Studyof Neurological Conditions, this study isexpected to inform practice and policyin Canada.


Dr. Stephen Phillips

Dr. Stephen Phillips is a strokeneurologist based in the HalifaxInfirmary site of the Capital DistrictHealth Authority.

The Capital Health Stroke Programaims to provide optimal care for strokepatients and their families using aninterdisciplinary approach toassessment, clinical management,education, and research that is focusedon treatment, outcomes, servicedelivery, and knowledge translation.

Recent research projects haveexamined the effectiveness ofthrombolytic therapy, caregiver burdenafter stroke, gender differences instroke care, post stroke ‘neglect’syndromes, and cognitive outcomes. Dr. Phillips is an active member of theCanadian Stroke Network, the CanadianStroke Strategy, the Canadian StrokeConsortium, and the InternationalStroke Trialists’ Collaboration. As well,he is a clinical advisor forCardiovascular Health Nova Scotia.



Dr. Harold Robertson

Dr. Harold Robertson’s research isfocused on the diagnosis and treatmentof Parkinson’s disease. He is acollaborator in a clinical trial tovalidate dopamine cell transplantationin Parkinson’s patients and is PrincipalInvestigator on a project studyingolfactory testing and MRI for earlydetection of Parkinson’s disease. Heand his colleagues showed thatolfactory testing and MRI might beuseful in the diagnosis of Parkinson’sdisease. In 2010, he was made aFellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Robertson is also working with abiotech firm, Neurodyn Inc, to useginseng to halt the progression ofParkinson’s disease and to use aneurotrophic enhancer to improvetransplantation efficacy. He is alsoinvestigating endogenous stem cellsand has discovered that sonichedgehog and its agonists improvegraft survival in Parkinsonian animals.

Dr. Robertson has published over 170papers on neurotransmission, geneexpression in the brain, dopamine anddopaminergic drugs and Parkinson’sdisease, and molecular neurobiology ofHuntington’s disease. He is a co-founder of the Brain Repair Centre, andis currently Past President of theCanadian College of Neuropsycho-pharmacology.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Victor Rafuse

In his studies on neural development,Dr. Vic Rafuse is seeking to adaptwhat we know about the developingnervous system to help treatneurodegenerative diseases andconditions such as spinal cord injury,ALS, and Parkinson’s disease.

Using molecular biology,electrophysiology and standardanatomical immunohistochemistry (aswell as in vitro and in vivo techniques),Dr. Rafuse is working towardsunderstanding how motor axons growand form stable synapses duringdevelopment and following nerve injury.

As the Brain Repair Centre’s onlydevelopmental neurobiologist, Dr. Rafuse’s expertise and uniqueperspective are instrumental in bringingthe Brain Repair Centre’s research fromthe laboratory to the bedside ofpatients.


Dr. George Robertson

Dr. George S. Robertson investigatesthe cause of cell death in neuro-degenerative diseases such asParkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosisand stroke, and how to keep graftedbrain cells alive. Dr. Robertson takes asystems biology approach in his studyof the mechanisms of cell death andsurvival in the central nervous systemusing a variety of experimental modelsfor neurodegenerative and psychiatricdisorders. Dr. Robertson’s industrial andacademic expertise in translationalneuroscience and drug discovery aremajor assets in the Brain RepairCentre’s search for treatments forneurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Robertson’s primary researchinterests are the development ofsurrogate blood markers andtreatments for psychiatric andneurodegenerative disorders. He hasco-authored 98 peer reviewedpublications of which 20 have beencited over 100 times. His research hasbeen supported by grants and trainingawards from numerous agencies thatinclude the Atlantic Canada InnovationFund, Canadian Institutes for HealthResearch, Canadian Stroke Network,Genome Canada, Heart and StrokeFoundation (Ontario and Nova Scotia),Medical Research Council of Canada,Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada,Nova Scotia Health ResearchFoundation and Ontario Mental HealthFoundation.



Dr. Michael Schmidt

Dr. Michael Schmidt is ananaesthesiologist, emergency doctorand intensive care specialist.Furthermore, he is a researcher in thefield of innovative procedures inanaesthesia. His research focuses onthe field of post-operative neuro-cognitive decline (POCD) and thedevelopment of organ-protectivestrategies. This also includes thedesign and evaluation of new devicesfor effective and safe anestheticdelivery.

Neurologic injury is a major concern ofpatients, especially the elderly,undergoing anesthesia of any kind,particularly in cardiac surgery &neurosurgery. Elderly patients havereduced neuronal plasticity andtherefore are at the greatest risk. Theunderlying mechanisms of neuronalinjury post-operatively and theirprevention remain largely unknown andunpredictable. Dr. Schmidt is one ofonly a small number of researchersworldwide having expertise in the useof new anesthetic procedures, such asXenon inhalation, in addition toexpertise in multimodal neuro-monitoring to conduct experiments inneuro- and organ protection.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Ben Rusak

Dr. Ben Rusak’s research focuses onsleep wake cycles and other circadian(daily) rhythms that regulate the timingof our physiology and behaviour. Hisresearch includes studies of how sleeploss affects neural plasticity andpsychiatric illness.

Dr. Rusak employs a variety ofapproaches in his research includingbehavioural, neurophysiological,anatomical, and brain imaging studiesto investigate both basic and appliedaspects of the regulation of biologicalrhythms and sleep. Through researchranging from cellular mechanisms toclinical studies, Dr. Rusak integratesacross the brain sciences, makingvaluable contributions to the researchof the Brain Repair Centre.

In 2011, Dr Rusak was awarded theDistinguished Scientist Award by theCanadian Sleep Society.


Dr. Matthias Schmidt

Dr. Matthias Schmidt is aneuroradiologist and a pediatricradiologist whose expertise in medicalimaging helps brain repair researchersprobe the living human brain.

His research interests fall into threebroad categories: 1) neuroimaging inepilepsy – Dr. Schmidt is co-investigator in a prospective trial ofmagnetic resonance spectroscopy forthe prediction of pharmacoresistance inepilepsy; 2) innovative imaging – Dr.Schmidt collaborates with engineersand computer scientists in thedevelopment and testing of automatedimage analysis tools for conditionsranging from periventricularleukomalacia to hydrocephalus; 3)neuroethics – Dr. Schmidt works withethicists and legal scholars to ensurethe safety and well-being of childparticipants in neuroimaging research.



Dr. Phil Tibbo

Dr. Phil Tibbo completed his residencyin psychiatry at the University of Albertathen joined the staff at the University ofAlberta Hospital. He was instrumentalin developing and co-directing theBebensee Schizophrenia Research Unitand the Edmonton Early PsychosisIntervention Clinic.

In 2008, Dr. Tibbo was named the firstDr. Paul Janssen Chair in PsychoticDisorders at Dalhousie University wherehe now leads an internationallyrecognized program of research intothe causes and treatments of psychoticdisorders. He is a professor in theDalhousie Department of Psychiatry. Heis also director of the Nova Scotia EarlyPsychosis Program and co-director of theNova Scotia Psychosis Research Unit.

Dr. Tibbo’s current research foci includeindividuals at the early phase of, andindividuals at risk for, a psychoticillness. He primarily examines the roleof the glutamatergic system as anendophenotypic marker in thedevelopment of schizophrenia by usingin vivo brain proton magneticresonance spectroscopy (MRS) imagingin conjunction with the measurement ofclinical variables and cognitiveoutcome. Other areas of interestinclude associated syndromes inschizophrenia, addictions andpsychosis, stigma and burden,pathways to care, and education.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Christine Short

Dr. Christine Short is a specialist inPhysical Medicine and Rehabilitation.She is currently the Chief of theDivision and Co-Leader for theRehabilitation Program for CapitalDistrict Health Authority.

As a clinical researcher, her researchfocus is on improving function inpersons with neurologic disease,especially in the areas of pain,spasticity and walking. She currentlyhas a grant from the Rick HansenInstitute and is studying ways ofpossibly preventing neuropathic painfrom developing after spinal cord injury.She is also involved in research in themultiple sclerosis (MS) population; andis researching the effect a drug calledfampridine on MS symptoms includingwalking difficulty and bladder andbowel control. “Through exercisetherapy, adaptive aids, medications andforward thinking we can remove manyof the barriers to independent living inpeople who suffer from neurologicdisease. Research from basic scienceto clinical trials is one of our greatesttools to determine how to best do this.”


Dr. Andy Tasker

Dr. Andrew Tasker is trying to unravelthe processes responsible for pro-gressive neurodegeneration and to findnew ways of restoring normal functionfollowing brain injury. He has a longhistory of developing, patenting andresearching new clinically-relevantanimal models of human disease, andis currently the Principal Investigator onan AIF project to create, characterizeand commercialize models of epilepsy,schizophrenia and stroke.

Dr. Tasker is also the founding Directorof the Atlantic Centre for ComparativeBiomedical Research at the AtlanticVeterinary College, UPEI. His currentresearch programs are focused alongtwo main themes, namely, (1) using aneurodevelopmental rat model ofepilepsy and organotypic hippocampalcell cultures to understand theprocesses responsible for abnormalcircuit formation in the brain prior tothe appearance of seizure states inepilepsy, and (2) investigating newways to promote recovery of bothmotor and cognitive function followingstroke.

He works closely with a number ofbasic and clinical science researchersat the BRC and is a member of theBRC Research and Educationcommittee.



Dr. Joan Versnel

Dr. Joan Versnel is an AssistantProfessor in the School of OccupationalTherapy. She is cross-appointed to theDepartment of Pediatrics, Faculty ofMedicine and the School of Nursing atDalhousie University. She has a PhD inCognitive Studies/EducationalPsychology from Queen’s University.

Her research has explored the theme ofshared decision-making and negotiatedgoal setting with youth in educationaland health care settings. Chronicdisease self-management has been anelement in several research initiativesincluding self-advocacy for adolescents,negotiation of accommodations in theworkplace for individuals with chronicillness and disability, as well asenhancing interprofessionalcollaboration in pre-licensure healthprofessional education programs.

She is a member of a newly formedresearch team focusing on chronicdisease self-management at DalhousieUniversity. This research group hasparticular interest in chronic diseaseself-management with individuals of allages who live with life-long conditionsnot typically addressed in chronicdisease self-management programs.


Researcher Profiles

Dr. Rudolf Uher

Rudolf Uher is a clinical lecturer inaffective disorders at King’s CollegeLondon, UK, and Member of the BrainRepair Centre. He focuses ontranslational research exploring theimplications of genetic andneuroscience research for thetreatment of mental illness. His primaryresearch interests are the treatment ofdepression and the use of clinicalassessment and genomics topersonalize and optimize treatment andthe interplay of genes and environmentin the causation of mental illness.Jointly with Professor Peter McGuffin,Dr Uher is responsible for the conductof pharmacogenetic studies of theEuropean Union funded NEWMEDS andGENDEP consortia. In 2012, he plans tomove to Halifax to join the faculty ofDalhousie University.

Rudolf Uher graduated in generalmedicine at the Charles University inPrague in 1999. As part of his PhD(2004), he explored the neurobiology ofeating disorders at the CharlesUniversity and King’s College London.From 2004 to 2010, he trained inpsychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital,London. Since 2007, he works asclinical lecturer at King’s CollegeLondon and a psychiatrist at theNational Affective Disorders Unit inLondon, UK. In 2010, Dr Uher joinedthe Brain Repair Centre at theDalhousie University, Halifax, NovaScotia, Canada. Rudolf Uher is anauthor of over 80 scientific articles andhas been an invited speaker at NovartisFoundation and Annenberg Foundationsymposia.

+44(0)207.848.0891 [email protected]

Dr. Jackalina Van Kampen

Dr. Jackalina Van Kampen iscurrently senior research scientist atNeurodyn Inc. She was previously withthe Mayo Clinic College of Medicinewhere she held the position ofassistant professor of molecularneuroscience.

Parkinson’s disease has been the mainthrust of her career, beginning withgraduate training under the supervisionof Dr. Jon Stoessl, Director of thePacific Parkinson’s Research Centreand National Parkinson FoundationCentre of Excellence, and continuingthrough postdoctoral training with Dr.Harold Robertson, Research Directorand co-founder of the Brain RepairCentre.

She has established a researchprogram focused, primarily, onneuroprotection and neuronal recoveryin models of Parkinson’s disease andmore recently Alzheimer’s disease,integrating cellular, systemic andbehavioural approaches.



Dr. Ying Zhang

The fundamental goal of Dr. YingZhang’s laboratory research is tounderstand the organization of neuralcircuits that control locomotion andidentify mechanisms underlyinglocomotor behaviors.

The current focus in her lab is tocomprehend the functional roles thatdifferent subpopulations of spinalinterneurons play in the locomotorcircuits.

To achieve her goals, she and hercolleagues use various geneticallymodified mice and combine thetechniques of electrophysiology,molecular biology and immuno-histochemistry.

They will also extend their research tothe study of spinal cord injuries andspinal diseases, such as ALS, with thehope of helping to find new therapiesand treatments for these conditions.


Dr. David Westwood

Dr. David Westwood seeks tounderstand how the nervous systemcontrols skilled body movements, withthe aim of guiding the development oftreatments for the movement disordersthat are associated with stroke,Parkinson’s disease, and various visualdiseases. Ongoing studies use a varietyof behavioural and neuroimagingtechniques to explore the interactionsbetween visual attention, eyemovements, and upper-limbmovements.

One recent study used functionalmagnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) toreveal the existence of movementdirection encoding in several parts ofthe brain. This neuroimaging approachwill help us to understand the nature ofmotor recovery after stroke. Otherrecent studies have highlightedimportant differences in the controlmechanisms underlying eye movementsand arm movements. This discoverywill have implications for the continueddevelopment of neural prostheticdevices that translate neural codes formovement plans into actual movementsof a robotic limb.


Researcher Profiles


Ms. Lynn McKennaAdministrative CoordinatorBrain Repair Centre

Lynn McKenna joined the BrainRepair Centre in November 2007 asthe administrative assistant to theBRC.

She brings 20 years administrativeexperience in health care, provincialgovernment, and the private sector.She has worked previously atorganizations such as NS Departmentof Health Promotion & Protection andSt. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.Her organizational skills anddedication “behind the scenes” keepsthe Centre running smoothly.

Mr. Lorne Ferguson Executive DirectorBrain Repair Centre

Lorne Ferguson brings over 38years of experience in academic,government and private sectorbusiness environments. He wasappointed as the Brain RepairCentre’s Executive Director inFebruary 2007.

He began his career in the federalgovernment. In 1981 he moved toDalhousie University where his rolesincluded University administrativeoperations, the President’s Office,and Senior Administrative Officer forthe Faculty of Medicine. His previousappointments include Director ofAnalysis and Planning for the NovaScotia Government Policy Board aswell as InNOVAcorp, the Province’stechnology commercialization crowncorporation, where he was ExecutiveDirector, Corporate Planning andEvaluation. Lorne has also worked asan independent managementconsultant, specializing in lifescience, environmental andinformation technology businessdevelopment for internationalmarkets.

As a volunteer in the community, hehas served on the Board of Directorsof the Atlantic Film FestivalAssociation, and is a mentor to newsmall businesses.

Mr. Bruce BrownAIF III Project ManagerBrain Repair Centre

Bruce Brown joined the Brain RepairCentre in 2007 as the AIF III ProjectManager.

Bruce began his involvement withDalhousie in the Department ofPhysics, culminating with a M.Sc.degree in Physics. Following a stint inthe Department of Physiology andBiophysics, in 1982 he joined a newlyfounded Research and DevelopmentCentre of Excellence. This evolvedinto AMIRIX Systems Inc, a leadingembedded electronics design firm.

Mr. Brown returned to Dalhousie in2003 as Project Coordinator of thePan-Atlantic Petroleum SystemsConsortium group of ACOA fundedresearch projects.

In January 2007, he joinedDalhousie’s Office of ResearchServices as Manager, InstitutionalResearch Programs, to manage anddevelop Dalhousie research programsfunded by ACOA’s Atlantic InnovationFund.

Administration

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 11 43Funding Support

Funding SupportAtlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, AIF Round III$ 3,000,000

Mendez I (principal investigator), Clarke D, Downie J, Fawcett J, Marsh D, Rafuse V, Robertson G, Robertson H, et al.Project: Brian Repair Centre: research and commercialization capacity project. 2006-2011

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, AIF Round VI $1,650,000

Tasker A, et al. Project: Biomed Atlantic: innovative solutions for new drug development. 2008-2012

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, AIF Round VII $1,778,000

D’Arcy R (co-principal investigators), Clarke D, Newman A, et al. Project: The development of a translational imaging cluster in Halifax. 2010-2012

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, AIF Round VII $1,829,631

Eskes G (principal investigator), Klein R, Westwood D, Mendez I. Project: Developing innovative brain repair services and technologies. 2010-2015

Capital District Health Authority$895,049

Good K, Tibbo P, et al. Project: A 1-year randomized, controlled, open-label study of the impact of flexible doses of niacin (niaspan) as an adjunct to antipsychotic medication in the treatment of first episode psychosis. 2010-2015

Canada-EU Program for Cooperation in Higher Education,Training, and Youth$365,210

Newman A, et al.Project: TANTEN: Trans-atlantic neuroscience teaching network.2009-2012

Canada Foundation for Innovation$381,141

Boe S.Project: Leaders opportunity fund: Infrastructure to examine basic and applied neurophysiology and rehabilitation post-stroke2011

Canada Foundation for Innovation $1,400,000

Corbett D.Project: Renewal of tier I Canada research chair in stroke and neuroplasticity. 2010-2017

Canada Foundation for Innovation$ 5,577,471

Fawcett J, Rafuse V, Mendez I, Robertson G, Robertson H, et al.Project: Brain Repair Centre: an integrative approach for functional restoration. 2006-2011

Canada Foundation for Innovation$307,080

Johnson S.Project: Leaders opportunity fund: Establishment of the clinical and cognitive neuropsychology laboratory for studies of autism spectrum disorders. 2010-2015

Canada Foundation for Innovation – Nova Scotia Researchand Innovation Trust$ 313,000

Iulianella A.Project: Leaders opportunity fund: Examining the mechanisms regulating neurogenesis and patterning of the nervous system.2010-2011

Canadian Institutes of Health Research$343,929

Alda M, Hajek T (co-principal investigators), Duffy A, et al.Project: Anatomical, functional connectivity and gray matter development as risk factors for bipolar disorders – longitudinal MRI study in offspring of bipolar parents. 2010-2013

Canadian Institutes of Health Research $733,760

Corbett D, et al. Project: Recovery of function following stroke. 2010-2015

Canadian Institutes of Health Research$1,100,000

Duffy A (principal investigator), Alda M, Hajek T, et al.Project: From genetic risk to illness onset: early course of bipolar disorder. 2010-2015

Canadian Institutes for Health Research $650,170

Eskes G, et al. Project: Effects of regular exercise on cerebrovascular reserve inolder adults. 2009-2014


Eskes G (principal investigator), Klein R, Philips S.Project: Mechanisms of rehabilitation and recovery in Visuo-spatial neglect. 2008-2011


Good K (principal investigator), Leslie R, Tibbo P, et al.Project: Understanding motivation and expectancy in early phasepsychosis smokers: A neuroimaging and genetic approach2010-2013


Iulianella A.Project: Regulation of neurogenesis by Cux factors and their interacting proteins. 2011-2015

Canadian Institutes of Health Research $1,485,447

Kirby R, et al. Project: Emerging team grant: Alliances in mobility in aging.2009-2015

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 1144 Funding Support

Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Nova ScotiaRegional Partnership Program $ 357,033

Zhang Y. Project: Functional analyses of molecularly-defined spinal interneurons in regulating motor activity. 2010-2012

Canadian Stroke Network$279,346

Corbett D (principal investigator), Eskes G, et al.Project: An animal model of vascular cognitive impairment.2009-2011

Dalhousie University Fleeting Opportunities Program$106,724

Duffy A.Project: Neurobiological underpinnings of bipolar disorder.2010-2013

Genome Quebec1,757,699

Alda M, et al.Project: Next-generation sequencing approach to identify bipolar disorder genes. 2010-2013

Heart and Stroke Foundation $600,000

Eskes G, et al. Project: Rehabilitative exercise and education to avert vascular events after non-disabling stroke. 2009-2012

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada$240,000

Robertson G.Project: Modulation of apoptosis signaling in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 2009-2011

National Research Council of Canada. $ 4,980,000

Clarke D, et al Project: Patient-specific virtual reality systems for surgical oncology. 2008-2011

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council $330,000

Rusak B.Project: Physiological and behavioural studies of temporal organization. 2005-2011

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council$150,000

Clarke D.Project: NCAM influences RGC numbers: Mechanisms and implications for vision. 2011-2016


Clarke D.Project: Influence of cell adhesion molecules on neuron survivaland plasticity in the adult central nervous system. 2006-2011


Rusak B, et al.Project: Impact of poor sleep on children's emotional, attentionaland behavioural functioning. 2011-2016

Canadian Institutes of Health Research $1,998,965

Rusak B, et al.Project: Better nights/better days: Improving psychosocial health outcomes in children with behavioural insomnia.2011-2015


Tibbo P, et al. Project: NPAS3 variants in schizophrenia and other psychoses.2009-2012


Tibbo P (principal investigator), Good K, et al.Project: Quantitative proton spectroscopy of white matter at 4 Tesla in first episode psychosis, part II: a clinical study.2010-2013


Versnel J, et al.Project: Emerging team grant: Brighter futures for kids with disabilities. Developing health, education, and parent partnerships to promote social Inclusion of children with developmental disabilities. 2009-2012


Westwood D (principal investigator).Project: New investigator award: the effect of altered stereoacuity on the control of upper limb movements.2007-2012

Canadian Institutes for Health Research - Natural Sciencesand Engineering Research Council$450,000

Klein R, Eskes G, Westwood D, et al.Project: Collaborative health research program: Novel technologies for cognitive repair. 2011-2014

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Nova Scotia HealthResearch Foundation$402,329

Leslie R, et al. Project: Understanding reward motivation and expectancy in early phase psychosis smokers: A neuroimaging and genetic approach. 2010-2013

Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Nova ScotiaRegional Partnership Program $264,660

Barnes S. Project: Calcium channel function in retinal ganglion cells following injury. 2009-2012

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 11 45Funding Support

Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation$150,000

Johnson S (principal investigator), et al. Project: Characterizing learning processes in autism spectrum disorders. 2011-2014


Alda M, Hajek T (co-principal investigators), Duffy A, et al.Project: Gray matter development and white matter microstructure in offspring of bipolar parents – longitudinal MRI high-risk study. 2010-2013

Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation $150,000

Newman A, et al.Project: Tactile transducers for sound localization in unilateral cochlear implant and BAHA patients. 2009-2011

Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation $145,129

Pohlmann-Eden B, Schmidt M, (co-principal investigators), et al.Project: Neuroimaging predictors of treatment failure in adult new-onset epilepsy (NOE). 2010-2013

Public Health Agency of Canada – Neurological HealthCharities of Canada $813,434

Versnel J, Packer T (co-principal investigators), et al.Project: National population health study of neurological conditions: The everyday experience of living with and managinga neurological condition. 2010-2013

Public Health Agency of Canada – Neurological HealthCharities of Canada $471,242

Versnel J, et al.Project: National population health study of neurological conditions: Use and gaps in health and community-based services for neurological populations. 2011-2013

Spanish Ministry of Science and Education.$182,000 (approx.)

Tasker A, et al.Project: Physiological, toxicological and biochemical evaluation of the effects in the central nervous system of seafood-related algal toxins by using in vitro experimental systems based on primary and organotypic cultures. 2012-2015


Corbett D (principal investigator), et al.Project: Exercise and cognitive function. 2009-2013


D’Arcy R. Project: Multimodal imaging of distributed neural systems in cognition. 2009-2014

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council $1,607,980

Kirby R, et al. Project: An integrated training program in biomedical device innovation. 2009-2015


Klein R. Project: Mechanisms of human perception, attention and action.2006-2011

Natural Science and Engineering Research Council$155,000

Barnes S.Project: The formation of receptive fields in the retina: Dual inhibitory output pathways from horizontal cells. 2011-2016


Klein R.Project: Attention: Selection in the domains of space, time and

task. 2011-2016

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council$1,650,000

Newman A (principal investigator), Eskes G, Klein R, D'Arcy R, Johnson S, et al. Project: RADIANT: Rehabilitative and diagnostic innovations in advanced neurotechnologies. 2011-2017


Westwood D.Project: Action and perception in human vision. 2008-2015


Boe S (principal investigator), Eskes G, D’Arcy R, Newman A, et al.Project: The role of neural networks in motor recovery: Paving the road to post-stroke rehabilitation. 2011-2014


Iulianella A. Project: Role of Cux2 in regulating neurogenesis in normal and injured brains. 2011-2013

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 1146 Publications

deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis after stroke. A randomized trial.Ann Intern Med., 2010; 153: 553-62. (2010)

Cruceanu C, Alda M, Rouleau G, Turecki G. Response to treatment inbipolar disorder. Opinion in Psychiatry, 24: 24 - 28. (2011)

Cowper-Smith C, Lau E, Helmick C, Eskes G, Westwood D. Neuralcoding of movement direction in the healthy human brain. PLoS ONE,5(10), e13330. (2010)

D’Arcy R, Gawryluk J, Beyea S, Ghosh-Hajra S, Feindel K, Clarke,D.Tracking cognitive changes in new-onset epilepsy: Functional imagingchallenges. Epilepsia, 52(s5), 43-46. (2011)

D’Arcy R, Ghosh-Hajra S, Liu C, Sculthorpe L, Weaver D. Towards brainfirst-aid: A diagnostic device for conscious awareness. IEEE Transactionson Biomedical Engineering, 58(3), 750-754. (2011)

Dean C, Klein R. In search of the font effect: The effect of conflict uponreading and naming typefaces serially. Design Principles and Practices:An International Journal, (4)6, 401–420. (2011)

DeLuca C, Hutchinson N, deLugt J, Beyer W, Thornton A, Versnel J,Chin, Munby H. Learning in the workplace: Fostering resilience in disengaged youth. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment &Rehabilitation, 36(3), 305-319. (2010)

Deurveilher S, Rusak B, Semba K. Female reproductive hormones altersleep architecture in ovariectomized rats. Sleep, 34:519-530. (2011)

Duffy A. From predisposition to illness: genetically sensitive inter-mediate pathways to mood disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 197,341-2. (2010)

Duffy A, Alda M, Hajek T, Sherry S, Grof P. Early stages in thedevelopment of bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord., 121, 127-35. (2010)

Duffy A, Doucette S, Lewitzka U, Alda M, Hajek T, Grof P. Findings from bipolar offspring studies: Methodology matters. Early IntervPsychiatry, 2011 Aug; 5 (3) 181-91. (2011)

Duffy A, Grof P, Hajek T, Alda M. Resolving the discrepancy inchildhood bipolar high-risk study findings. American Journal ofPsychiatry, 167(6), 716. (2010)

Eskes G, Longman S, Brown A, McMorris C, Langdon K, Hogan D, PoulinM. Contribution of physical fitness, cerebrovascular reserve andcognitive stimulation to cognitive function in postmenopausal women.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2, 1-7. (2010)

Farrell S, Raymond I, Foote M, Brecha N, Barnes S. Modulation ofvoltage-gated ion channels in mammalian retinal ganglion cellsmediated by somatostatin receptor subtype 4. Journal of Neurophy-siology, 104(3):1347-54. (2010)

Ghahari S, Packer T. Effectiveness of online and face-to-face fatigueself-management programmes for adults with neurological conditions.Disability and Rehabilitation, DOI 10.3109/09638288. 2011. 613518.(2011)

Good K, Tibbo P, Milliken H, Whitehorn D, Alexiadis M, Robertson N,Kopala L. An investigation of a possible relationship between olfactoryidentification deficits at first episode and four-year outcomes in patientswith psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 124(1-3): 60-65 (2010)

Gordon K, Dooley J, Sheppard K, MacSween J, Esser M. The impact ofbisphosphonates on survival for patients with Duchenne MuscularDystrophy treated with steroid. Pediatrics, 127(2):e353-8. (2010)

PublicationsAgu R, MacDonald C, Cowley E, Shao D, Renton K, Clarke D, MassoudE. Differential expression of organic cation transporters in normal andpolyps human nasal epithelium: Implications for in vitro drug deliverystudies. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 406: 49–54. (2011)

Barrett S, Campbell M, Temporale K, Good K. The acute effect ofswedish snus on cigarette craving and self-administration in male andfemale smokers. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experi-mental, 26(1), 58–62. (2011)

Baghbaderani BA, Mukhida K, Hong M, Mendez I and Behie L. Newbioengineering insights into human neural precursor cell expansion inculture. Biotechnology Progress, 27(3):776-87. (2011)

Baghbaderani BA, Mukhida K, Hong M, Mendez I and Behie L. A reviewof bioreactor protocols for human neural precursor cell expansion inpreparation for clinical trials. Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy,6(3):229-54. (2011)

Baghbaderani BA, Mukhida K, Sen A, Kallos M, Hong M, Mendez I andBehie, L. Bioreactor expansion of human neural precursor cells in serum-free media retains neurogenic potential. Biotechnology and Bio-engineering, 105(4): 823-33. (2010)

Bolster R, D’Arcy R, Song X, Runke D, Ryner L. Detection vs. locationjudgments in a hidden pattern task: Behavioural and fMRI correlates.Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 7, 1-11. (2011)

Bauer M, Glenn T, Rasgon N, Marsh W, Sagduyu K, Grof P, Alda M,Murray G, Munoz R, Quiroz D, Bauer R, Jabs B, Whybrow P. Decreasingthe minimum length criterion for an episode of hypomania: Evaluationusing self-reported data from patients with bipolar disorder. EuropeanArchives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 261:341-347. (2011)

Brown C, Packer T, Passmore A. Adequacy of the regular earlyeducation classroom environment for students with vision Impairment.The Journal of Special Education, DOI: 10.1177/002246691039 7374.(2011)

Brandt C, Schoendienst M, Trentowska M, May T, Pohlmann-Eden B,Tuschen-Caffier B, Schrecke M, Fueratsch N, Witte-Boelt, Ebner A.Prevalence of anxiety disorders in patients with refractory focal epilepsy– a prospective clinic based survey. Epilepsy Behav., 17: 259-263. (2010)

Carlozzi N, Stout J, Mills J, Duff K, Beglinger L, Aylward E, Whitlock K, Soloman A, Queller S, Langbehn D, Johnson S, Paulsen J, thePREDICT-HD investigators of the Huntington Study Group. Estimatingpremorbid IQ in the prodromal phase of a neuro-degenerative disease.The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 25(5), 757-777.(2011)

Crocker C, Khan S, Cameron M, Robertson H, Robertson G, LograssoP. JNK inhibition protects dopamine neurons and provides behavioralimprovement in a rat 6-hydroxydopamine model of Parkinson's Disease.ACS Chem Neurosci., 2(4):207-212. (2011)

Chiu D, Peterson L, Elkind M, Rosand J, Gerber L, Silverstein M. GlycineAntagonist in Neuroprotection (GAIN) Americas Trial Investigators(including Phillips S). Comparison of outcomes after intracerebral hemor-rhage and ischemic stroke. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis., 19(3): 225-9. (2010)

Chung E, Packer T, Yau M. A Framework for evaluating community-based rehabilitation programs in Chinese communities. Disability andRehabilitation, DOI:10.3109/09638288.2010.541545. (2010)

The CLOTS (Clots in Legs or Stockings after Stroke) Trial Collaboration(including Phillips S). Thigh-length versus below-knee stockings for

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 11 47Publications

Kutcher S, Horner B, Cash C, Lopez M, Pascual M. Building psychiatricclinical research capacity in low and middle income countries: TheCanadian-Cuban partnership. The Innovation Journal, 15(1), Article 9.(2010)

Lau E, Eskes G, Morrison D, Rajda M, Spurr K. Executive function inpatients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with continuous positiveairway pressure. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society,16(6), 1077-1088. (2010)

Lichlyter B, Purdon S, Tibbo P. Predictors of psychosis severity inindividuals with primary stimulant addictions. Addictive Behaviors, 36 (1-2), 137-139. (2010)

Luo F, Evans J, Linney N, Schmidt M, Gregson, P. Wavelet-based imageregistration and segmentation framework for the quantitative evaluationof hydrocephalus. International Journal of Biomedical Imaging, Volume2010, Article ID 248393

Macintyre G, Alford T, Xiong L, Rouleau G, Tibbo P, Cox D. Associationof NPAS3 exonic variation with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research,120:143-149. (2010)

MacLeod J, Klein R, Lawrence M, Shore D, Eskes G, McConnell M.Appraising the ANT: Psychometric and theoretical considerations of theAttention Network Test. Neuropsychology, 24(5), 637-651. (2010)

McAllindon D, Wilman A, Purdon S, Tibbo P. Functional MRI of choicereaction time in chronic schizophrenia and first-degree relatives. Schizo-phrenia Research, 120:232-233. (2010)

Mountain A, Kirby R, Eskes G, Smith C, Duncan H, MacLeod D,Thompson K. Ability of people with stroke to learn powered wheelchairskills: A pilot study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation,91(4), 596-601. (2010)

Mullane J, Corkum P, Klein R, McLaughlin E, Lawrence M. Alerting,orienting, and executive attention in children with ADHD. Journal ofAttention Disorders, 15, 310-320. . (2011)

Nanni V, Uher R, Danese A. Childhood maltreatment predicts unfavorablecourse of illness and treatment outcome in depression: A meta-analysis.American Journal of Psychiatry, published on-line. (2011)

Nickerson P, McLeod M, Myers T, Clarke D. The effects of epidermalgrowth factor and erythropoietin on muller glial activation and phenotypicplasticity in the adult mammalian retina. Journal of NeuroscienceResearch, 89:1018–1030. (2011)

Nickerson P, Myers T, Clarke D, Chow R. Changes in Musashi-1subcellular localization correlate with cell cycle exit during postnatalretinal development. Experimental Eye Research, 92:344-352. (2011)

O’Reilly A, Currie R, Clarke D. HspB1 (Hsp 27) Expression and neuro-protection in the retina. Molecular Neurobiology, 42:124–132. (2010)

Ortiz A, Bradler K, Slaney C, Garnham J, Ruzickova M, O'Donovan C,Hajek T, Alda M. An admixture analysis of the age at index episodes inbipolar disorder. Psychiatry Research, 188(1):34-9. (2011)

Ortiz A, Cervantes P, van de Velde C, Zlotnik G, Ruzickova M, Slaney C,Garnham J, O’Donovan C, Alda M. Cross-prevalence of migraine andbipolar disorder. Bipolar Disorders, 12: 397 – 403. (2010)

Packer T, Boldy D, Ghahari S, Melling L, Parsons R, Osborne R. Self-management programs conducted within a practice setting: who par-ticipates, who benefits and what can be learned? Patient Education andCounseling, DOI:10.1016/j.pec.2011.09.007. (2011)

Hajek T, Novak T, Kopecek M, Gunde E, Alda M, Höschl C. Subgenualcingulate volumes in offspring of bipolar parents and in sporadic bipolarpatients. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuro-science,260(4): 297-304. (2010)

Harker K, Klein R, Dick B, Verrier M, Rashiq S. Exploring attentionaldisruption in fibromyalgia using the attentional blink. Psychology andHealth, Psychol Health, Jan 1, 2011:1-15. (2011)

Hawken E, Delva N, Reynolds J, Beninger R. Increased schedule-induced polydipsia in the rat following subchronic treatment with MK-801. Schizophrenia Research, 125: 93-98. (2011)

Hebb A, Bhan V, Wishart A, Moore C, Robertson G. Human kallikrein 6cerebrospinal levels are elevated in multiple sclerosis. Current DrugDiscovery Technologies, 7: 137-140. (2010)

Hebb A, Moore C, Bhan V, Robertson G. Effects of IFN-B on TRAIL andDecoy Receptor expression in different immune cell populations from MSpatients with distinct disease subtypes. Autoimmune Dis., 2010 Dec28;2011:485752. (2011)

Hilchey M, Klein R. Are there bilingual advantages on non-linguisticinterference tasks? Implications for plasticity of executive control pro-cesses. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 18, 625-658. (2011)

Hutchinson N, Versnel J, Poth C, Berg D, de Lugt J, Chin P Munby H. They want to come to school: Work-based education programs designedto prevent the social exclusion of two groups of vulnerable youth. WORK:A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, & Rehabilitation, 40(2), 226-235.(2011)

Ishigami Y, Klein R. Repeated measurement of the components ofattention using two versions of the Attention Network Test (ANT):Stability, isolability, robustness, and reliability. Journal of Neuro-scienceMethods, 190, 117-128. (2010)

Johnson S, Blaha L, Houpt J, Townsend J. Systems factorial tech-nologyprovides new insights on global-local information processing in autismspectrum disorders. Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 54, 53-72.(2010)

Joshi N, Leslie R, Perrot T. The effects of repeated stress in adolescenceon sensorimotor gating, affect, and memory in male and female rats.Soc. Neurosci. Abstracts, Washington, D.C. (2011)

Junek A, Rusak B, Semba K. Short-term sleep deprivation alters the dynamics of hippocampal cell proliferation in adult rats. Neuro-science, 170:1140-1152. (2010)

Kirby R, Crawford K, Smith C, Thompson K, Sargeant J. A wheelchairworkshop for medical students improves knowledge and skills – arandomized controlled trial. Am J Phys Med Rehabil., 90:197-206. (2011)

Kjaer S, Hougaard K, Tasker R, MacDonald D, Rosenberg R, Elfving B,Wegener G. Influence of diurnal phase on startle response in adult ratsexposed to dexamethasone in utero. Physiol. Behav., 102: 444-452 (2011)

Klein R, Ivanoff J. The components of visual attention and the ubiquitousSimon effect. Acta Psychologica, 136, 225–234 (2011)

Kutcher S. Facing the challenge of care for child and youth mentalhealth in canada: a critical commentary, five suggestions for change anda call to action. Healthcare Quarterly, Vol 14, pp 15-21. (2011)

Kutcher S, Hampton, M. Child and adolescent mental health policy andplans in Canada: An analytical review. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry55(2):100-7. (2010)

Brain Repair CentreA N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 10 - 2 0 1148 Publications

Stout J, Paulsen J, Queller S, Solomon A, Whitlock J, Campbell J, CarlozziN, Duff K, Beglinger L, Langbehn D, Johnson S, Biglan K, Aylward E.Neurocognitive signs in pre-diagnosis Huntington’s Disease. Neuro-psychology, 25, 1-14. (2011)

Szumilas M, Kutcher S. Post-suicide intervention programs: A systematicreview. Canadian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 102, No.1. (2011)

Szumilas M, Kutcher S, LeBlanc JC, Langille DB. Use of school-basedhealth centers for mental health support in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(5):319-328 (2010).

Tasker R, Adams-Marriott A, Shaw C. New animal models of pro-gressive neurodegeneration: Tools for identifying targets in predictivediagnostics and presymptomatic treatment. EPMA J., 1:217-28 (2010)

Tiedje K, Stevens K, Barnes S, Weaver D. Alanine as a small moleculeneurotransmitter. Neurochemistry International, 57:177-188. (2010)

Tian Y, Klein R, Satel J, Xu P, Yao D. Electrophysiological explorations ofthe cause and effect of inhibition of return in a cue-target paradigm: Aspatio-temporal theory. Brain Topography, 24, 164-182. (2011)

Uher R. Genes, environments and individual differences in response totreatment. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 19:109–124. (2011)

Uher R, Caspi A, Houts R, Sugden K, Williams B, Poulton R, Moffitt TE.Serotonin transporter gene moderates childhood maltreatment's effectson persistent but not single-episode depression: Replications andimplications for resolving inconsistent results. Journal of AffectiveDisorders, published on-line, 135:56-65. (2011)

Uher R, Perlis R, Henigsberg N, Zobel A, Rietschel M, Mors O, Hauser J,Dernovsek M, Souery D, Bajs M, Maier W, Aitchison KJ, Farmer A,McGuffin P. Depression symptom dimensions as predictors of anti-depressant treatment outcome: Replicable evidence for interest-activitysymptoms. Psychological Medicine, published on-line. (2011)

Versnel J, De Luca C, Hill A, Hutchinson N, Chin, P. International andnational factors affecting school-to-work transition for at-risk youth in Canada: An integrative review. Canadian Journal of Career Dev-elopment, 10(1), 14-24. (2011)

Versteeg V, Marchand Y, Mazerolle E, D’Arcy R. Profiling brain function:spatiotemporal characterization of normal and abnormal visual evokedpotential. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 190(1), 95-105. (2010)

Wang S, Short C, Walker J. Barriers to health maintenance andpromotion in women with Multiple Sclerosis in Nova Scotia, Canada: Aquestionnaire study (AB). J Rehabilitation Med., 42:1001 (2010)

Warford J, Robertson G. New methods for multiple sclerosis drugdiscovery. Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 6(7):689-699. (2011)

Warner G, Lyons R, Parker V, Phillips S. Advancing coordinated care infour provincial healthcare systems: Evaluating a knowledge-exchangeintervention. Healthcare Policy, 7(1): 80-94. (2011)

Wei Y, Kutcher S, Szumilas M. Effectiveness on mental health ofpsychological debriefing for crisis intervention in school settings.Educational Psychology Review, Volume 22, Issue 3, Page 339. (2010)

Westwood D, Goodale M. Converging evidence for diverging path-ways:Neuropsychology and psychophysics tell the same story. VisionResearch, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2010.10.014 (2011)

Fatehi-Hassanabad Z, Tasker A. Peroxisome proliferator-activated re-ceptor (PPARactivation) confers functional neuroprotection in global ischemia.Neurotoxicity Research, DOI:10.1007/s12640-010-9201-3 (2010)

Pfennig A, Schlattmann P, Alda M, Grof P, Glenn T, Müller-OerlinghausenB, Suwalska A, Rybakowski J, Willich SN, Bauer M, Berghöfer A. Analysisof the prophylactic effectiveness of long-term lithium treatment in bipolarpatients using extended Cox regression modelling. Bipolar Disorders, 12:390 - 396. (2010)

Phelan H, Filliter J, Johnson S. Memory performance on the CaliforniaVerbal Learning Test – Children’s Version in autism spectrum disorder.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 518-523. (2011)

Pohlmann-Eden B. Conceptual relevance of new-onset epilepsy.Epilepsia, 52 Suppl 4:1-6. (2011)

Reid J, Gubitz G, Dai D, Kydd D, Eskes G, Reidy Y, Christian C, CounsellC, Dennis M, Phillips S. Predicting functional outcome after stroke bymodeling baseline clinical and CT variables. Age and Ageing, 39(3), 30-366. (2010)

Remboustsika E, Elkouris M, Iulianella A, Andoniadou C, Poulou P,Lovell-Badge. Flexibility of neural stem cells. Front. Physio., 2:16. doi:10.3389/fphys.2011.00016. (2011)

Reynolds L, Short C, Westwood D, Cheung S. Head and neck precool-ing improves symptoms of female, heat-sensitive Multiple Sclerosispatients. Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 38, 106-111. (2011)

Rolheiser T, Fulton H, Good K, Leslie R, Fisk J, McKelvey J, Scherfler C,Khan N, Robertson H. Olfactory testing and diffusion tensor imaging ofolfactory tract and substantia nigra in Parkinson’s Disease. J. Neurology,258(7):1254-60. (2011)

Rushton P, Miller W, Kirby R, Eng J, Yip J. Development and contentvalidation of the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale: A mixed-methodsstudy. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 6:57-66. (2011)

Sandell L, Iulianella A, Melton K, Lynn M, Walker M, Inman K, Bhatt S,Leroux-Berger M, Crawford M, Jones N, Dennis J, and Trainor P. Pheno-type driven ENU mutagenesis screen identifies novel alleles withfunctional roles in early mouse craniofacial development. Genesis, 49(4):342-59. Feb. 8. DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20727. (2011)

Satel J, Wang Z, Klein R, Trappenberg T. Modeling inhibition of return(IOR) as short-term depression of early sensory input to the superiorcolliculus. Vision Research, 51, 987-996. (2011)

Schmidt M, Marshall J, Downie J, Hadskis M. Pediatric magneticresonance research and the minimal risk standard (Feature Article). IRB:Ethics & Human Research, 33(5):1-6. (2011)

Schmidt M and Pohlmann-Eden B. Neuroimaging in epilepsy: Thestate of the art. Epilepsia, 52(suppl.4):49-51. (2011)

Short C, Askari S. Can Botulinum Toxin improve gait in persons withMultiple Sclerosis? AB: A case series AB. Multiple Sclerosis, 16(8): 1020.(2010)

Skorpil M, Rolheiser TM, Robertson H, Sundin A, Svenningsson P.Diffusion tensor fiber tractography of the olfactory track. MagneticResonance Imaging, doi:10.1016/j.mri.2010.07.004 (2010)

Smith C, Kirby R. Manual wheelchair skills capacity and safety ofresidents of a long-term-care facility. Arch Phys Med Rehabil., 92:663-9. (2011)

Smith GN, MacEwan G, Kopala L, Ehmann T, Good K, Thornton A, NeilsonH, Lang D, Barr A, Honer W. Prenatal tobacco exposure predicts obstet-rical, developmental and substance use problems in patients with first-episode psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 119(1-3):271-2. (2010)

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