Newsroom

For media enquiries or more information about research at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, please contact Emily Wight, Communications Manager.

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Figure showing neurons with and without connection points.
Essential 'sugar' for brain communication: a new therapeutic path for autism, schizophrenia Aug 9, 2018

Pictured: wild-type and model neurons showing connection points. When the glycan associated with neurexin is absent fewer connection points exist, impairing communication within the brain. 

For twenty years, researchers thought they knew everything there was to know about the composition of neurexin, a protein that connects neurons and is essential for communication within the brain. Neurexin is a key building block of synapses, the specialized sites where neurons connect and signal via chemical messengers.  

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Sukriti Gupta with her poster at the NeuroFutures conference.
Member news: July 2018 Jul 26, 2018

Pictured: Sukriti Gupta, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Jeremy Seamans' lab, with her poster at NeuroFutures 2018 in Seattle. Image credit: Nate Powell.

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Dr. Shernaz Bamji, 2018 CIHR Foundation Grant recipient.
CIHR funding for brain health, neuroplasticity research Jul 19, 2018

For the brain to function, signals need to pass between neurons in order to control movement, speech, thought, and decision-making. Each individual neuron (there are billions within a single human brain) connects to a vast and complex network of neurons through thousands of synapses. Synapses mediate communication between neurons, affecting how we perceive and react to the world around us—essentially propelling us through life and making us who we are.

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Gene sequencing data, blue on black.
Genetic marker for drug risk in multiple sclerosis offers path toward precision medicine Jul 16, 2018

A team of researchers has uncovered a specific gene variant associated with an adverse drug reaction resulting in liver injury in a people with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is the first time researchers have been able to establish a validated genetic marker for a drug-induced harm in people with MS.

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Dr. Helen Tremlett, photo by Paul Joseph/UBC.
New findings suggest existence of multiple sclerosis prodrome Jul 15, 2018

Image credit: Paul Joseph/UBC.

During the five years before people develop the first clinically recognized signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), they are up to four times more likely to be treated for nervous system disorders such as pain or sleep problems, and are 50 per cent more likely to visit a psychiatrist, according to new research from Dr. Helen Tremlett and her team.

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Dr. Catharine Rankin delivers her talk C. elegans Automated Behavior Assays at NeuroFutures 2017
Around the world, worm researchers working together for the collective good Jul 13, 2018

Pictured: Dr. Catharine Rankin delivers her talk C. elegans Automated Behavior Assays at NeuroFutures 2017 at the University of British Columbia. Photo credit: Dr. Jason Snyder.

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Doctor discusses head injury with young child.
Updated Concussion E-Learning Course for Medical Professionals Jul 5, 2018

Medical professionals have a new tool to help them care for patients who have sustained a concussion.

The Concussion Awareness Training Tool for Medical Professionals (CATT MP) launched this June. The updated e-learning course is free-of-charge, available in both English and French, and is eligible for credits with the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

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Dr. Krebs (centre) with graduate student Parker Holman (left) and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Tamara Bodnar (right).
Untangling the brain’s "wires" in the virtual space Jul 4, 2018

Pictured: Dr. Krebs (centre) with graduate student Parker Holman (left) and postdoctoral fellow Dr. Tamara Bodnar (right). Image source: Kerry Blackadar/UBC Faculty of Medicine.

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MSFHR funding offers opportunity to expand scope of MRI potential Jun 27, 2018

Dr. Kolind recently received a second MSFHR award, this time to fund her work in developing and applying unconventional neuroimaging methods for quantitative assessment of brain tissue health. The award will support her inquiry into the biological mechanism of MRI-visible changes in the brain in multiple sclerosis (MS).

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Rebecca Ko celebrates thesis defense with MacVicar lab.
Member news: June 2018 Jun 26, 2018

Pictured: the MacVicar lab celebrates Dr. Rebcca Ko (front row, second from right) as she successfully completes her thesis defense on June 15, 2018. 

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