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Annual Report

2008-09

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM

Director| Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS Collaborative Program in Neuroscience Director| David R. Hampson, PhD Operations & Planning| Alexander A. Velumian, PhD, DSc Program Coordinator| Frazer Howard, MEd Mission| To create an integrated neuroscience program which links and promotes the educational and research activities at the University of Toronto and its affiliated teaching hospitals and research institutes

University of Toronto Neuroscience Program www.neuroscience.utoronto.ca

Tel: +1 416 978 8761 Fax: +1 416 978 8511

P a g e | 2 University of Toronto Neuroscience Program | Annual Report 2008-09

Table of Contents Operating Structure ...................................................................................................................................... 3

Members’ Affiliations.................................................................................................................................... 4

Executive Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Advisory Council ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Faculty Membership ..................................................................................................................................... 8

Finances ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

Research ...................................................................................................................................................... 14

Distinguished Lectureship Series ................................................................................................................ 16

UTNP Distinguished Lectureship Selection Committee .......................................................................... 17

Collaborative Program in Neuroscience ..................................................................................................... 18

Program Committee ............................................................................................................................... 18

Participating Units in the Collaborative Program ................................................................................... 19

Neuroscience Poster Day ........................................................................................................................ 19

Current Students ..................................................................................................................................... 20

Enrollment .............................................................................................................................................. 21

Graduates ................................................................................................................................................ 22

Graduate Theses ..................................................................................................................................... 23

MSc ...................................................................................................................................................... 23

PhD ...................................................................................................................................................... 24

Community Outreach .................................................................................................................................. 26

Direct support for neuroscience conferences/workshops/rounds/student groups .............................. 26

Student Awards ....................................................................................................................................... 26

Receptions............................................................................................................................................... 27

Society for Neuroscience 2008 ........................................................................................................... 27

Metro Toronto Convention Centre ..................................................................................................... 28

Brain Bee 2009 ........................................................................................................................................ 29

International Outreach ............................................................................................................................... 30

Website ....................................................................................................................................................... 32


Operating Structure

Director | Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS, is Professor and Research Director for the Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery and a full member of the Institute of Medical Sciences School of Graduate Studies, Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program, Head of

the Spinal Program at the Toronto Western Hospital, Medical Director of the Krembil Neuroscience Program and Krembil Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration

Collaborative Program Director | David R. Hampson, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and a full member of the School of Graduate Studies


Members’ Affiliations

Institutions | Departments | Institutes | Centres | Programs


Executive OverviewThe Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto established the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program (UTNP) as a new academic program and appointed Professor Michael G. Fehlings as its first Director effective September 1, 2008. By creating the UTNP, the University of Toronto aspires to build a robust, integrated and collaborative academic program in neurosciences across our Departments and Faculties on campus and with its affiliated hospitals and their research institutes. The mandate of UTNP is to provide the leadership and administrative support for the development of new educational programs, the review and revision of existing undergraduate and graduate programs in the neurosciences in cooperation with the relevant departments. The ultimate goal of UTNP is to attain the highest level of interdisciplinary neuroscience education in the world. The program will also create opportunities for integrative inter-disciplinary research, enhance the visibility of the UofT neuroscience in all its aspects, and function as an instrument for increased private and government funding for research and teaching. The UTNP will help enhance the student experience at the University through various stipends, awards and student/research exchange opportunities. There will also be the ability to connect the University to the broader community in terms of public policy and outreach. The program is funded by the Academic Initiative Fund of the Faculty of Medicine of UofT. Advisory Council

• representatives from key divisions, departments and programs involved in Neuroscience at UT • provide high level advice and strategic direction • 24 members

Membership

• 302 faculty from 39 departments/divisions (June 2009)

Collaborative Graduate Program in Neuroscience • 15 participating departments and faculties • 35 graduates (22 Master’s/ 13 PhD) • 62 enrollees (44 Master’s/17 PhD) • 186 graduate students currently enrolled (June 2009)

o 75 Master’s o 111 PhD

• 142 Postdoctoral Fellows • 60 students presented at the Annual Poster Day

Research • CIHR Strategic Training Grant in Biotherapeutics • NeuroDevNet


UTNP Distinguished Lectureship Series • 10 lecturers including Raymond and Beverly Sackler Distinguished Neuroscientist Erwin Neher • Typically attended by 100-130 faculty and trainees

Direct support for neuroscience conferences/workshops/rounds/student research days

• Jerry Silver, 7th Tator-Turnbull Lectureship

• Institute of Medical Science Student Association

• Branko Kopjar, Krembil Neuroscience Centre Grand Rounds

• Canadian Association of Neuroscience, Meeting 2009

• Graduate Association of Students in Physiology, Frontiers in Physiology

• 4th Annual Conference in Neurons and Brain Disease • Workshop in adult neurogenesis, BRAIN Research Platform • Arnie Aberman Dinner

Student Awards

• BRAIN Research Day Platform Winner • 10x SfN 2008 Student Travel Award • 6x CAN 2009 Student Travel Award

Receptions for UT Neuroscience community

• Society for Neuroscience 2008, • Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Winter 2009

Toronto Brain Bee

• 9 high schools • 25 Students • Winner went on to win 2nd Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee • Winner placed 5th in International Brain Bee in Toronto August 7-9 2009

International Collaboration with University College London

• UCL visit to Toronto, October 31, 2008

• UT visit to London, December 2-4, 2009 Development of new website (www.neuroscience.utoronto.ca)

• Portal for UT neuroscience community • Facilitate collaborative opportunities • Augment educational activities


Advisory Council Michael G. Fehlings (Chair) Director UTNP Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery | Institute of Medical Science

Sandra E. Black Sunnybrook Research Institute

Vera Bril Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine

Malcolm Campbell Vice-Principal, Research, UTSC

Sabine Cordes Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute

Brian Corman UT School of Graduate Studies

Sidney Croul Neuropathology, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology

Karen Davis Toronto Western Research Institute | Institute of Medical Science

Jonathan Dostrovsky Department of Physiology| Past PIN Director

Avrum Gotlieb (Interim) Vice Dean of Research and International Relations, Faculty of Medicine

David Kaplan UT Department of Molecular Genetics | Institute of Medical Science

James Kennedy Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | Department of Psychiatry

David R. Hampson Director, Collaborative Program in Neuroscience Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy | Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine

Peter Lewis Associate Vice President, UT Research

Howard Mount Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Beverley Orser Department of Anesthesia

Randy McIntosh Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre | Department of Psychology

Ashley Monks Department of Psychology, UT Mississauga

Kieran Murphy Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging

James Rutka Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery

Michael Salter Centre for the Study of Pain

Martin Steinbach Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences

Carter Snead Hospital for Sick Children, Centre for Brain and Behaviour

Melanie Woodin Cell and Systems Biology


Faculty Membership By Primary Departmental Affiliation

302 Members, 39 Departments/Divisions

Anesthesiology Arsenio Avila Andrew Baker James Duffin Joseph A. Fisher Gregory Hare Wei-Yang Lu Beverley Orser

Biochemistry James Gurd David MacLennan William Trimble

Biomedical Communications Linda Wilson-Pauwels

Cell and Systems Biology Michelle M Aarts Rudy Boonstra Ian Brown Les Buck Belinda Chang James Fullard Angela Lange David Lovejoy Nicholas Mrosovsky Joanne Nash Ian Orchard John Peever Stephen Reid Betty Roots Marla Sokolowski Richard Stephenson Bryan Stewart Vincent Tropepe Melanie A Woodin

Computer Science Geoffrey E Hinton Richard Zemel

Dalla Lana School of Public Health Sharon M Abel

Dentistry Limor Avivi-Arber James Hu Ze'ev Seltzer Barry Sessle Xian-Min Yu

Family and Community Medicine Mary Tierney

Human Development and Applied Psychology Kang Lee Marc Lewis Hazel McBride

Institute of Biomaterial and Biomedical Engineering Berj Bardakjian Tom Chau Sasha John Mary K. Nagai Milos Popovic Molly Shoichet Willy Wong

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Isabelle Aubert Catherine Bergeron Joan Boggs


Miles Johnston Clifford Lingwood Don Mahuran JoAnne McLaurin Mario Moscarello Sukriti Nag Janice Robertson Gerold Schmitt-Ulms

Medical Biophysics Paul Fraser Simon Graham Mark Henkelman John Sled Greg Stanisz Bojana Stefanovic Stephen Strother Shun Wong

Medical Imaging Richard Aviv Douglas Cheyne Allan Fox David Mikulis Sandra Moses Sean P Symons

Medicine Nicholas Diamant Susan George

Medicine, Critical Care Anne-Marie Guerguerian

Medicine, Division of Cardiology John S Floras

Medicine, Division of Endocrinology Robert F Casper

Medicine, Division of Neurology Danielle Andrade Sandra E Black Dianne Broussard Peter L Carlen

Robert Chen Tiffany Chow Elizabeth Donner Sherali Esmail Susan Fox Richard Gladstone Allan Gordon Paul Hwang Anthony Lang Brian Levine Howard Mount Brian Murray Paul O’Connor James Perry Terence Picton Demetrios J Sahlas James Sharpe Frances Skinner Antonio Strafella Donald Stuss Anurag Tandon John Wherrett Catherine Zahn Liang Zhang

Medicine, Division of Rehabilitation Medicine Angela Mailis-Gagnon

Medicine, Division of Respiratory Medicine Richard Horner

Molecular Genetics Ben Blencowe Gabrielle Boulianne Sabine Cordes Joseph Culotti David Kaplan Freda Miller Lucy Osborne John Roder Derek van der Kooy Mei Zhen


Nursing Adam Dubrowski

Nutritional Sciences Carol Greenwood

Obstetrics and Gynecology Theodore Brown Clifford Librach Ian Rogers

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Angela Colantonio Deirdre Dawson Michelle Keightley Helene Polatajko

Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences Rod Bremner Herbert Goltz Rand Simpson Martin Steinbach Carol Westall Agnes Wong Yeni Yucel

Otolaryngology Karen A. Gordon Robert Harrison Jonathan C Irish

Paediatrics Brenda Banwell Susanne Benseler John Callahan Gabrielle deVeber Darcy Fehlings Elizabeth Lee Ford-Jones Maureen Lovett Donald Mabbott Irena Nulman Elizabeth Pang Jose Luis Perez-Velazquez Joanne Rovet

Carter Snead Uri Tabori Margot Taylor Hilary Whyte

Pharmacology and Toxicology McIntyre Burnham Larry Grupp Bernard Le Foll Jane Mitchell Cecil Pace-Asciak Philip Seeman Edward Sellers Rachel Tyndale Martin Zack

Pharmacy Usoa Busto David Hampson Jeffrey T Henderson Peter O'Brien Peter Pennefather Peter Wells James Wells

Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Cathy Craven Judith Hunter William McIlroy Nancy Salbach Molly Verrier Karl Zabjek

Physiology Harold Atwood Denise Belsham Milton Charlton Jonathan Dostrovsky Zhong-Ping Feng Paul Frankland Zheng-Ping Jia Sheena Josselyn Hon Kwan


Evelyn Lambe William MacKay Stephen G Matthews Linda Mills Philippe Monnier Kenneth Norwich Maire Percy Michael Salter Lyanne Schlichter Elise Stanley Shuzo Sugita Douglas Tweed Lu-Yang Wang Martin Wojtowicz Min Zhuo

Psychiatry Adam Anderson Paul Arnold Cathy Barr Anne Bassett James Cantor Eva Chow Bruce Christensen Jeff Daskalakis Kim Edelstein Paul Fletcher Cheryl Grady Robin Green Nathan Herrmann Allan S. Kaplan James Kennedy John Kennedy David Kreindler Krista Lanctτt Peter Li Fang Liu Harvey Moldofsky Jose Nobrega Mark Rapoport Arun Ravindran Neil Rector Peggy Richter Sean Rourke

Joel Sadavoy Paul Sandor Russell Schachar Chanth Seyone Colin Shapiro Kenneth Shulman Rosemary Tannock Rob van Reekum Nicolaas Verhoeff Jerry Warsh Albert H Wong

Psychology Nicole Anderson Gerald Cupchik Eve De Rosa Kevin Dunbar Gillian Einstein Suzanne Erb Susanne Ferber Alison Fleming Robert Gerlai David Haley Lynn Hasher Gwendolyn Ivy Sidney Kennedy Geoffrey MacDonald Mary Pat McAndrews Randy McIntosh William Milgram Ashley Monks Morris Moscovitch Matthias Niemeier Ted Petit Laura-Ann Petitto Jason Plaks Jay Pratt Martin Ralph David Regan Mark Schmuckler Sara Shettleworth Mary Lou Smith Kaori Takehara-Nishiuchi Endel Tulving


Franco Vaccarino John Yeomans

Radiation Oncology Cynthia Menard

Speech-Language Pathology Tim Bressmann Luc De Nil Carla Johnson Rosemary Martino Pascal van Lieshout Elizabeth Rochon Yana Yunusova

Surgery Karen Davis Maureen Dennis Mojgan Hodaie Brian Maki Jean Saint-Cyr

Surgery, Division of Anatomy Soheila Karimi Paulo D. Koeberle Cindi M Morshead

Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery Mark Bernstein Michael Cusimano James Eubanks Michael Fehlings Fred Gentili Abhijit Guha David Houlden William Hutchison Andres Lozano R. Loch MacDonald Eric Massicotte Paul Muller Richard Perrin James Rutka Charles Tator Michael Tymianski Alexander Velumian


Finances The UTNP is funded by the Academic Initiative Fund of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Toronto.

Expenditure Amount ($ CAD)

Web Development 1,600.00 Technology/Software 1,901.80 Office Expenses 2,722.44 Conference Support 8,750.00 Student Support 9,085.18 Lectureships 12,431.53 Community Outreach/Receptions 17,734.62 Salary/Benefits 82,023.30

Total Expenditures 136,248.87

Web Development1%

Technology/Software1%

Office Expenses

2%Conference Support

7%Student Support

7%

Lectureships9%

Community Outreach/Receptions

13%

Salary/Benefits60%

University of Toronto Neuroscience Program Expenditures July 2008 - June 2009


Research A significant component of the UTNP mission is the creation of opportunities for integrative inter-disciplinary research. Two programs which highlight the collaborative research fostered under the UNTP are the CIHR Training Grant in Biological Therapeutics and NeuroDevNET. While not an exhaustive index of the multi-disciplinary neuroscience research at the University of Toronto, these are exemplary of supported projects at the local and national level.

CIHR Training Grant in Biological Therapeutics www.utoronto.ca/biotherapeutics_training Principal Investigator | Dr. David R. Hampson, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy Co-Investigators | Dr. Christine J. Allen, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; Dr. Reina Bendayan, Associate Dean, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; Dr. Shelley R. Boyd, St. Michael’s Hospital, Dept of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, UT; Dr. Rod Bremner, Head, Division of Genetics Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI); Dr. Jean Gariépy, Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI); Dr. Tak Mak, Director, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital and OCI; Dr. J. Andrea McCart, Department of Surgery and Toronto General Research Institute (TGRI); Dr. Jeffrey A. Medin, OCI and Dept. of Medical Biophysics and the Institute of Medical Sciences, UT; Dr. Philippe Monnier, TWRI; Dr. K. Sandy Pang, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; Dr. Raymond M. Reilly, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy; Dr. Aaron Schimmer, Department of Hematology/Oncology at the Princess Margaret Hospital, OCI and Medicine and Medical Biophysics, UT and head of Experimental Hematology , UT; Dr. Derek van der Kooy, Department of Molecular Genetics, UT

• 1.79 million in funding over 6 years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

• Encompasses three major therapeutic areas of application: neuroscience/CNS drugs, cancer, and infection and immunity

• Focus on three key parameters: Design, Development and Delivery of biologically based medicine

• 14 researchers with laboratories based at the University of Toronto, Ontario Cancer Institute, MaRS, the Toronto Western Research Institute, and Toronto General and St. Michaels Hospitals

• Postdoctoral Fellows and graduate students will receive training in techniques in bioinformatics, the use of RNAi, new methods and formulations for the delivery of nucleic acids and proteins and the analysis of the metabolism and fate of these macromolecules (pharmacokinetics) in in vivo animal models

• Collaborative training environment o provides a deeper level of knowledge and substantially enhance the technical skills of

the students and PDFs o facilitate the ability of the trainees to work collaboratively together and promote team

oriented research with colleagues o greatly increase the exposure of each trainee to cross-disciplinary research in the fields

of neuroscience, cancer, immunology, and drug delivery


o through an industrial internship program, provide an opportunity to work temporarily in the private sector where they will acquire additional technical skills and potentially make connections for future job placements

NeuroDevNET www.neurodevnet.ca Scientific Director | Dr. Daniel Goldowitz, University of British Columbia, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Child & Family Research Institute UT Participation | Associate Scientific Director Dr. Michael G. Fehlings, Neurosurgery; Research Team| Dr. Darcy Fehlings, Department of Paediatrics and Bloorview Kids Rehab; Dr. Evelyn Lambe, Department of Physiology; Dr. Freda Miller, Department of Molecular Genetics and SickKids Hospital; Dr. Stephen Scherer, Department of Molecular Genetics and SickKids Hospital; Dr. Derek van der Kooy, Department of Molecular Genetics

• first trans-Canada initiative dedicated to studying children’s brain development from both basic and clinical perspectives.

• $19.6 million in funding over five years from the Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (NCE)

• Interdisciplinary network of researchers from across Canada, with expertise that ranges from child development to brain imaging, and genetics to developmental biology.

• 70 researchers from 12 institutions across Canada

• Vision: accelerate the pace of understanding the causes of neurological deficits, with an initial focus on autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy

• Train the next generation of researchers in pediatric brain development, and it will disseminate new knowledge into improved diagnosis, treatments and interventions to inform care delivery and policy decisions

• Explore how the normal brain develops, how to detect abnormalities, and how to repair the damaged brain


Distinguished Lectureship Series September 2008-June 2009

“Schizophrenia: From Genes To Brain" Daniel Weinberger Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute Of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD

"Serotonin Neurons, Breathing And Arousal: Implications For Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" George Richerson Department Of Neurology, Yale University, New Haven, CT

"Experience (And Genes) Shape Human Brain Development And Function" Helen Neville Department Of Psychology, University Of Oregon, Eugene, OR

"Synapse Evolution And The Emergence Of Plasticity And Behaviour" Seth Grant Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK

"Astrocytes Alive!" Maiken Nedergaard University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY

"Transcriptional And Epigenetic Mechanisms Of Addiction" Eric Nestler Mt. Sinai School Of Medicine, New York, NY

The Eighth Sackler Distinguished Neuroscientist "Ca++ Signals And Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity In The Central Nervous System" Erwin Neher Max Planck Institute, Göttingen Germany 1991 Nobel Prize Winner In Physiology And Medicine

"Mglur7, A Bidirectional Switch Controlling Plasticity In A Hippocampal Feedforward Inhibitory Circuit" Chris McBain National Institutes Of Health Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute Of Child Health And Human Development Program In Developmental Neuroscience, Bethesda, MD

"The Brain’s Mechanisms For Mapping And Remembering The Spatial Environment" May-Britt Moser Norwegian University Of Science And Technology, Trondheim, Norway

“Thinking Differently About Schizophrenia” Bita Moghaddam University Of Pittsburgh, PA


UTNP Distinguished Lectureship Selection Committee David R. Hampson (Chair) Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy| Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Michael G. Fehlings (Ex- officio) Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery| Institute of Medical Science| Toronto Western Research Institute

John Peever Department of Cell and Systems Biology| Centre for Sleep and Circadian Biology

Michelle Aarts UTSC, Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress| Cell and Systems Biology

Bojana Stefanovic Sunnybrook Health Science Centre| Department of Medical Biophysics

Taufik Valiante Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery

Gerold Schmitt-Ulms Center for Research of Neurodegenerative Diseases| Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Evelyn Lambe Department of Physiology

Dianne Broussard Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine| Institute of Medical Science| Toronto Western Research Institute

Paul Fletcher Centre for Addiction and Mental Health| Department of Psychology


Collaborative Program in Neuroscience

Program CommitteeDavid R. Hampson (Chair) Director Pharmaceutical Sciences

W.MacIntyre Burnham Pharmacology

Peter Carlen Institute of Medical Science

Luc F. De Nil Speech Language Pathology

Zheng-Ping Jia Physiology

Marc Lewis Human Development and Applied Psychology

Sukriti Nag Laboratory Medicine Pathobiology

John Peever Cell And Systems Biology

John Roder Molecular Genetics

Jonathan O. Dostrovsky Advisor Physiology

Barry J. Sessle Dentistry

Molly Shoichet Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

Bojana Stefanovic Medical Biophysics

William Trimble Biochemistry

James W. Wells Pharmacy

John S. Yeomans Psychology

Karl Zabjek Rehabilitation Science

This was the 22nd year of the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience. During this period the Program was brought into the newly formed UTNP. Dr. David R. Hampson took over directorship of the Collaborative Program from Dr. Jonathan Dostrovsky who continues to serve in an advisory capacity.

During the past academic year 62 new graduate students were accepted into the program and 35 students graduated. This brought the total number of students registered in the program to 186 at the end of the academic year.

We regretfully said goodbye to Pat Reed, who left the position of Program Coordinator for the Program in Neuroscience due the reorganizations related to creation of UTNP. Her hard work and dedication helped the program flourish and take the form it does today.


Participating Units in the Collaborative Program

Faculty of Arts and Science Department of Cell and Systems Biology Department of Psychology

Faculty of Dentistry Graduate Department of Dentistry

Faculty of Medicine Department of Biochemistry Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Department of Medical Biophysics Department of Molecular Genetics Department of Pharmacology Department of Physiology Department of Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Institute of Medical Science

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology

Faculty of Pharmacy Graduate Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Neuroscience Poster Day The Poster Day for CPIN students was held Thursday April 16 2009 in conjunction with Chris McBain’s Distinguished Lecture.

Prizes were awarded to the top 5 posters as judged by a set of volunteer faculty: • Alonso Martinez-Canabal

Title: Chronic over-expression of transforming growth-factor beta1 (tgf-b1) negatively impacts brain function and cognition

• A.J. Marsolais Title: The role of notch signaling in learning and memory

• R.H.C. Chen Title: Characterization of rab3a and α-synuclein interaction and consequences on α-synuclein compartmentalization

• Norman Farb Title: Letting go of sadness: mindful detachment in emotion regulation

• L. Zavalishina Title: Mbd2, another methyl-cpg-binding protein, contributes to autism-like behavioural phenotype in mice

Each won a $100 gift certificate to the UofT Bookstore. Thank you to all those who presented and attended and a very special thank you to the poster judges.


Current Students Total number of students: 186 (June 2009)

MSc/MA40%PhD

60%

Current students by degree

Female60%

Male40%

Current students by gender

Institute of Medical Science

29%

Physiology24%

Psychology18%

Cell & Systems Biology

5%

Pharmaceutical Sciences

5%

Rehabilitation Sciences

5%

Pharmacology4%

HDAP3%

Lab Med & Patho3%

Mol. Genetics2%

Speech-Language Pathology

2%

Medical Biophysics0%

Current students by collaborating department


Enrollment Total Number of new enrollments: 62 (July 08 – June 09)

Ma/MSc71%

PhD29%

New students by degree

Female53%Male

47%

New students by gender

Physiology27%


23%

Cell & Systems Biology

14%

Psychology15%


6%HDAP

5%

Lab. Med. & Patho.3%Pharmaceutical

Sciences3%


Pharmacology2%

New students by collaborating department


Graduates Total number of graduates: 35 (July 08 – June 09)

MSc63%PhD

37%

Graduates by degree

Female51%

Male49%

Graduates by gender

Physiology28%


23%


11%

Speech-Lang. Path.8%

Dentistry6%

Pharmacology6%Cell & Systems

Biology3%

HDAP3%

Inst. Biomat. & Biomed. Eng.

3%Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

3%


Psychology3%

Graduates by collaborating department

minmedian

max

21

3375

5069 117

Time to completion (months)Master'sPhD


Graduate Theses

MSc Institute of Medical Science James Doherty Supervisor: Cindi Morshead Thesis Title The Isolation and Identification of the Definitive Adult Neural Stem Cell Following Ablation of the Neurogenic GFAP Expressing Subependymal Cell

Allison Bethune Supervisor: Brenda Banwell Thesis Title A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Investigation of White Matter in Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Liam Kaufman Simpkins Supervisor: Sandra Black Thesis Title Antisaccades: A Probe Into The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Alzheimer's Disease Giannina Descalzi Supervisor: Robert Chen Thesis Title Cortical Representation of Lower Facial and Masticatory Muscles Hwa-Lin Hsiang Supervisor: Sheena Josselyn Thesis Title Acutely increasing alpha-CaMKII into Lateral Amygdala enhances fear conditioning Medical Biophysics Jessica Sturgess Supervisor: Derek van der Kooy Thesis Title Caffeine has dopamine D2 receptor-dependent aversive properties that are independent of the adenosine A2A receptor

Pharmacology Vladyslav Kushnir Supervisor: Usoa Busto Thesis Title Investigating Smoking Cue Salience in Individuals with Comorbid Nicotine Dependence and Major Depressive Disorder: An fMRI Study

Erin Rose Supervisor: David R. Hampson Thesis Title Modulation of Glutamate Transporter Activity by Na,K-Atpase Physiology Vishanthan Sivagnanam Supervisor: Lyanne Schlichter Thesis Title Immunomodulation Following Bacterial Interaction with Primary Rat Microglia Anthony Senzel Supervisor: Zhong-Ping Feng Thesis Title Long-Term Memory of Aversive Operant Conditioning Requires New Synapse Formation and a Putative Cation Channel

John Kim Supervisor: Howard Mount Thesis Title Distinct behavioural and neurochemical effects of wild type and mutant forms of human alpha-synuclein in mice

Ting-Chieh Chou Supervisor: Shuzo Sugita Thesis Title Roles of syntaxin isoforms in dense core vesicle fusion Veronique Kena-Cohen Supervisor: Lyanne Schlichter Thesis Title Defining a physiological model of classical activation in microglia Kristin Johnson Supervisor: Martin Wojtowicz Thesis Title The relationship between adult hippocampal neurogenesis and spatial learning and memory in natural populations of food-storing red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Rehabilitation Science Peter Glazer Supervisor: William McIlroy Thesis Title The Role of Attention Switching in Control of Balance in Healthy Young Adults Won Hyung A. Ryu Supervisor: Deirdre Dawson Thesis Title Early Identification of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury


Amanda Chisholm Supervisor: William McIlroy Thesis Title Characterization of the Centre of Pressure Trajectory during Gait in Stroke Patients Speech-Language Pathology Andrea Gauster Supervisor: Yana Yunusova Thesis Title The Effect of Speaking Rate on Velopharyngeal Function in Healthy Speakers Jean Hum Supervisor: Pascal van Lieshout Thesis Title The relationship between diet and the severity of stuttering in people who stutter

PhD Cell & Systems Biology Gina Trubiani Supervisor: David Lovejoy Thesis Title Elucidating the Neuroprotective Mechanism of Teneurin C-terminal Associated peptide Dentistry Limor Avivi-Arber Supervisor: Barry Sessle Thesis Title Face Motor Cortex Neuroplasticity Associated with Alterations in the Oral Environment of the Adult Rat

David Lam Supervisor: Hu, J. Sessle, B. Thesis Title Neural Mechanisms of Temporomandibular Joint and Masticatory Muscle Pain Human Development and Applied Psychology Rebecca Todd Supervisor: Marc Lewis Thesis Title Cortical patterns of social-emotional processing in early childhood: Electrophysiological responses to facial affect and familiarity in a go-nogo task

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering Scott Young Supervisor: Tom Chau Thesis Title Visual Discrimination of Speed-Accuracy Tradeoffs Elan l. Ohayon Supervisor: Kwan, H. Burnham, W.M. Thesis Title Architectures of Activity: Network Structure and Neural Dynamics from Epilepsy to Autonomous Action

Vasan Persad Supervisor: O.Carter Snead Thesis Title The Role of Sex Hormones on Atypical Absence Seizures Naama Levy Supervisor: Sandra Black Thesis Title Subcortical ischemic vasculopathy in Alzheimer's disease: Brain- behaviour Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology Kevin Da Silva Supervisor: JoAnne McLaurin Thesis Title Novel adjuvants for Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Physiology Luka Srejic Supervisor: William Hutchison Thesis Title Evaluation of anti-stroke and anti-epileptic pharmacology on the rat cortex using an 8- channel neurophysiological model of ischemia and epilepsy

Sabiha Gardezi Supervisor: Elise Stanley Thesis Title Analysis of the CAV2.2-PDLIM5-PKC Epsilon Protein Complex and the Role of PDLIM5 Protein at the Presynaptic Nerve Terminal

Jeffrey Dason Supervisor: Atwood, H. Charlton, M. Thesis Title Role of Frequenin1 and Frequenin2 in Regulating Neurotransmitter Release and Nerve Terminal Growth at the Drosophila Neuromuscular Junction

Natalya Shulyakova Supervisor: Linda Mills


Thesis Title Proteasome Inhibition and Mitochondrial Protein Import; Their Role in Mitochondrial Psychology Caroline Ko Supervisor: Martin Ralph Thesis Title Functional Organization of Central and Peripheral Circadian Oscillators in Mammals Rehabilitation Science Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo Supervisor: Verrier, M. Steinbach, M. Thesis Title Manipulation of Afferent Feedback from Extraocular Muscles via Jendrassik Maneuver in Binocularly Intact Observers and Deafferented Patients: Effects on Vergence, Version and Higher Order Perceptual Judgements

Speech-Language Pathology Aravind Namasivayam Supervisor: Pascal van Lieshout Thesis Title Speech Motor Skills in Persons Who Stutter


Community Outreach Direct support for neuroscience conferences/workshops/rounds/student groups

• 7th Annual Charles Tator-Barbara Turnbull Lectureship Series in Spinal Cord Injury Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jerry Silver, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio November 14, 2008, 89 Chestnut, University of Toronto

• Institute of Medical Science Student Association • Branko Kopjar, Krembil Neuroscience Centre Grand Rounds

Visiting Professorship March 1-3, 2009 • Canadian Association of Neuroscience, 3rd Annual Meeting

May 24-27, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia • Graduate Association of Students in Physiology, Frontiers in Physiology research symposium

1st place BRAIN poster winner: Wayne Huang (Jia Lab) 2nd place poster winners: Lidiya Zavalishina (Eubanks Lab) 2nd place poster: Eliane Proulx (Lambe Lab) BRAIN oral winner: Nasrin Nejatbakhsh (Feng Lab)

• 4th Annual Conference in Neurons and Brain Disease July 21-23, 2009 Medical Science Building, University of Toronto

• Workshop in adult neurogenesis, BRAIN Research Platform July 3, 2009, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto

• Arnie Aberman Tribute Dinner November 3, 2008 Sheraton Centre, Toronto

• The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Membership

Student Awards BRAIN Research Day Platform Winner Recipient:

Nathalie Goodfellow 6 x Student Travel Award, Canadian Association of Neuroscience, 3rd Annual Meeting, May 24-27, 2009 Vancouver, British Columbia Recipients:

Taryn Grieder (van der Kooy Lab) Eliane Proulx (Lambe Lab) Maria Hersht (Salter Lab)

Luka Srejić (Aarts Lab) Wen-Jia Zhang (Tymianski Lab) Nasrin Nejatbakhsh (Feng Lab)

10 x Student Travel Award, Society for Neuroscience, November 15-19 2008, Washington, DC Recipients: Slide Presenters:

Sherri Robins (Fehlings Lab) Moran Weinberger (Dostrovsky Lab)

Taylor W. Schmitz (Anderson Lab) Leigh Botley (De Rosa Lab)

Poster Presenters: Robert P. Bonin (Orser Lab)

Anne Wheeler (Frankland Lab) Anna Lomanowska (Kraemer Lab)

Keri Taylor (Davis Lab) Alexander Weber (Stanley Lab)

Shira Rosenzweig (Wojtowicz Lab)


Receptions

Society for Neuroscience 2008

The University of Toronto Neuroscience Program held a reception for University of Toronto attendees of the Society for Neuroscience Meeting 2008 in Washington, DC. The reception was an opportunity for faculty, past and present student, postdocs and research staff to meet in an informal setting.

Dr. Michael Fehlings, Director of the UTNP, presented certificates to the 10 UofT neuroscience graduate students who each received $500 travel support from the Program.


Metro Toronto Convention Centre The Metro Toronto Convention Centre supported a UTNP reception on January 7, 2009 to bring together the neuroscience faculty of the University. The new UTNP logo was introduced at the reception.


Brain Bee 2009

The University of Toronto Neuroscience Program hosted the 11th annual neuroscience competition for high school students on Friday, February 13, 2007. March 27, 2009. Twenty-six students from 10 different Toronto secondary schools took part in this oral competition modeled after a "spelling bee". The first place winner was Sean Amodeo from the York Memorial Collegiate Institute. Second place went to Jason Kwok, and third place to Josh Budman, both from University of Toronto Schools.

The winner of our local contest, Sean Amodeo, took top spot at the 2nd Annual CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee competition held at McMaster University in Hamilton on May 29-30, 2009 where the winners from other local University-sponsored competitions in Canada participated. Sean went on to compete in the 10th Annual International Brain Bee (IBB) held in association with the American Psychological Association's Convention in Toronto, Canada August 7th-9th, 2009. In the 10 year history of the IBB, three U of T brain bee winners also won first place in the IBB. Sean placed 5th out of 8 competitors at the IBB.

The U of T competition is organized by Professor Jonathan Dostrovsky, past-Director of CPIN with the help of UTNP faculty member Dr. Eve DeRosa. Many thanks go to CPIN graduate students Massieh Moayedi (IMS), Javeria Hashmi (IMS), Danielle Desouza (Rehabilitation Science), Beverly Francis (Physiology), Kuang Da Zhu (Psychology), Eric Tsang (IMS), Andree Cyr (Psychology), Kathleen Mak-Fan (Psychology), Vishanthan Sivagnanam (Physiology) and Leigh Botly (Psychology) for assisting with the Bee. Special thanks to Massieh Moayedi, Eric Tsang and Danielle DeSouza for giving presentations on their research.


International Outreach University College London (UCL) – University of Toronto Collaboration

UCL Neuroscience http://www.ucl.ac.uk/neuroscience

• >30% of UK neuroscientists

• ₤500 M in 5 years

• 33% of research income across UCL

• 2nd in the world for citations in neuroscience & behaviour (Thomson ISI Essential Science Indicators)

UCL visit to Toronto, October 31, 2008: Meeting on future collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine, UofT and the UCL School of Medicine, U.K: neuroscience is one of main fields of UCL interest. UCL: Ed Byrne, Executive Dean, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences & Vice-Provost Health (now Vice-Chancellor of Monash University, Australia).

UofT: Peter Lewis, Mingyao Liu (Director, International Relations), David Hampson (UTNP)

UofT visit to London, Dec 2-4, 2009 UofT: Peter Lewis (also representing cardiovascular program on behalf of Mansoor Husain), Jack Mandel (Global Health), Brian Wilson (Imaging), Alexander Velumian (UTNP, on behalf of Michael Fehlings); Peter St. George-Hyslop (Dec 2 only: came from Cambridge to join the Round Table Discussion)

Meetings in London:

UCL Introduction and Round Table Discussion (Dec 2): 14 key people from UCL. Among them:

UCL Neuroscience: Trevor Smart (Head of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology); Alan Thompson (Director of Institute of Neurology) Graham Cadwallader (UCL Neuroscience Strategic Co-ordinator)

UCL Leadership: Malcolm Grant (Provost and President of UCL); Chwen J. Lim (Pro-Provost for North America (Canada, Mexico & US)); Mike Spyer (Vice-Provost - Enterprise: academic/industry liaison; commercialization of research technology, capitalization of intellectual property; spin-out companies and clinical trial activities; Mary Phillips (Director of Research Planning, Office of the Vice-Provost (Research)).

UofT Neuroscience: Velumian (on behalf of Michael Fehlings, who was in Stockholm accepting a prestigious Olivecrona Award and Medal from Karolinska (the “Nobel in Neurosurgery”); Peter St. George-Hyslop (continued on strengths in neurodegenerative diseases)


Neuroscience- specific meetings (Dec. 3, A. Velumian)

UCL Neuroscience Executive Group (6 members; they don’t have an Advisory Council):

Jon Driver (Inst of Cognitive Neurosci, Inst of Neurology, Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Inst of Movement Neurosci; Vision@UCL); Michael Hausser (Wolfson Inst for Biomed Res); Trevor Smart (Head of Neurosci, Physiol & Pharmacol); Alan Thompson (Director of Inst of Neurology); Steve Wilson (Professor of Developmental Genetics); Graham Cadwallader (Strategic Coordinator of UCL Neuroscience)

Research Labs/Centers visits

Michael Hausser (Wolfson Inst for Biomed Research); Stuart Cull-Candy, Paola Pedarzani, Martin Stocker (Dept of Neurosci, Physiol and Pharmacol); Geraint Rees (Director of Inst of Cognitive Neurosci); Geoff Raisman, David Choi, Patrizia Ferretti (Inst of Neurology); David Attwell (Dept of Neurosci, Physiol and Pharmacol)

Joint Neuroscience and Global Health Meeting (Dec 3, A. Velumian and J. Mandel):

Sushrut Jadhav (Sr Lecturer in Cross-Cultural Psychiatry; links with CAMH); Michael King (Head, Department of Mental Health Sciences at Royal Free Hospital); Irwin Nazareth (mental health; specializes in Chile; links with CAMH & Baycrest); Jon Roiser (Deep brain stimulation; molecular genetics; NIMH post doctoral grants); Ms. Sarah Ball (coordinator, UCL Global Health); Graham Cadwallader

Wrap-up meeting (Dec. 4): UCL-UofT delegations, with participation from Canadian Embassy: Dr Caroline Martin, Manager, Science & Technology Programme, Canadian High Commission; Ms Clare Barnett, Counsellor (Commercial), Ontario International Marketing Centre.

Prospects for UT-UCL collaboration in neuroscience Potential areas: Neurodegeneration; Traumatic/ ischemic brain and spinal cord injury and stroke; Regenerative Medicine; Demyelinating diseases and conditions.

Next steps: UCL delegation visit to Toronto (early 2010); Joint symposia on selected topics? (funding sources in discussion: expecting support from Canadian High Commission; CIHR & Wellcome Trust matching?)


Website A significant component of the UTNP communications strategy was the redevelopment of the website to reflect the new structure of the Program: www.neuroscience.utoronto.ca.

The site will be a portal for UT neuroscience community offering profiles of the faculty members, information on the collaborative program, local, national and international neuroscience news, and upcoming seminars and conferences from all the participating units.

The site will facilitate collaborative opportunities amongst the diverse faculty and locations. Forums for technical advice and equipment are open to enhance communication between the labs and students.

The searchable faculty profiles highlight current research interests and offer links to labs, affiliated programs and an automatic Pubmed search for publications.

A Program facebook page was recently created to offer another way for students and faculty to interface with the Program and keep up to date with upcoming Program – sponsored lectures and events such as the Distinguished Lectureship Series.

www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Toronto-Neuroscience-Program/212564644049

http://www.neuroscience.utoronto.ca/�

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