Research Highlights

Recent Posts

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Machine learning helps to predict the treatment outcomes of schizophrenia

U of A research building better tools for diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.

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NPAS3 exonic SNP genotype is linked to working memory performance in healthy young adults.

Cognitive deficits can be functionally debilitating and are common features of many neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Associations between Depressive Symptomatology and Neurocognitive Impairment in HIV/AIDS.

Mood disorders and neurocognitive impairments are debilitating conditions among patients with HIV/AIDS.

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Neurocognitive Graphs of First-Episode Schizophrenia and Major Depression Based on Cognitive Features.

Neurocognitive deficits are frequently observed in patients with schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD).

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The screen for cognitive impairment in psychiatry (SCIP) is associated with disease severity and cognitive complaints in major depression.

To assess the relationship between the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) score and illness severity, subjective cognition and functioning in a cohort of major depressive disorder (MDD) patients

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Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness

Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian decoction with psychoactive properties, is made from bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (contains beta-carboline alkaloids) and leaves of the Psychotria viridis bush (supply the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)). Originally used by indigenous shamans for the purposes of spirit communication, magical experiences, healing, and religious rituals, across several South American countries ayahuasca has been incorporated into folk medicine and spiritual healing, and several Brazilian churches use it routinely to foster spiritual experience.

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Implications of Cannabis Legalization on Youth and Young Adults.

The Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) is the national leading authority on psychiatric matters in Canada with a stated vision of a strong profession for a healthy population.

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The Standardization of Diagnostic Criteria for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): Implications for Research, Clinical Practice and Population Health.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a preventable disorder caused by maternal alcohol consumption and marked by a range of physical and mental disabilities. Although recognized by the scientific and medical community as a clinical disorder, no internationally standardized diagnostic tool yet exists for FASD

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Stable and predictive brain networks of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is associated with disrupted brain activity and altered connections between the brain regions that control our thoughts and emotions. Recent advances in neuroimaging allow us to identify the "functional connectivity" of the brain, and thereby identify patterns of altered activity that may allow us to better predict or diagnose mental illness including schizophrenia. Serdar Dursun and collaborators are using machine learning approaches to develop a predictive model based on functional network feature patterns based on whole-brain functional imaging.

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Role of extracellular matrix in schizophrenia

Recent work from the Winship lab (in collaboration with the Howland lab at the University of Saskatchewan) has identified a loss of specialized structures in the "extracellular matrix" that surrounds brain cells. This loss was detected in animal models, and occurs at a time matching the onset of symptoms in humans diagnosed with schizophrenia. These changes may be a key contributor to the cognitive impairments observed in individuals with schizophrenia.

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The Dursun and Baker labs have contributed to pioneering work identifying a novel treatment for schizophrenia.

The Dursun and Baker labs have contributed to pioneering work identifying a novel treatment for schizophrenia. Adminstration of sodium nitroprusside (a drug initially develop to treat acute hypertension) provides dramatic improvements in symptoms of schizophrenia that take effect within hours and last for weeks.

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The Fujiwara lab has recently identified some of the key factors in risk-taking behaviours in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

The Fujiwara lab has recently identified some of the key factors in risk-taking behaviours in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.

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The side effects of antipsychotic medications often prevent patients from adherence to necessary pharmacological treatments

The side effects of antipsychotic medications often prevent patients from adherence to necessary pharmacological treatments. Notably, antipsychotics have been linked with osteoporosis and fractures. The Aitchison lab recently identified a treatment protocol that improves bone health in patients on antipsychotic medications

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