Brain Network Recovery Group :: News

Faulty Memory

Everyone has had the embarrassing experience of telling a story or a joke to someone who has already heard it from them before. A study by Drs. Nigel Gopie, Fergus Craik, and Lynn Hasher at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute indicate that older people suffer more from these memory slips – referred to as destination amnesia – than younger adults. Their research characterizing destination amnesia in older adults has been covered by national and international media outlets and is in press at Psychology and Aging. See the full stories:

The marriage of the brain and the body

The Globe & Mail reports on the launch of a massive population-based study led by Baycrest that will examine the environmental and genetic factors that influence our brain and body health from childhood to old age. Dr. Tomas Paus, a neuroscientist and pioneer in the emerging field of "population neuroscience", recently joined Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute and will lead the study with his scientific partner Dr. Zdenka Pausova, who is based at Sick Kids.

Building a virtual brain

In a chilly room that once housed patients at Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute in Toronto, Randy McIntosh and his colleagues are trying to build a brain.

New research suggests older brains have a hard time tuning out distractions when concentrating on a single task

In a study that has received international media attention, Dale Stevens, Cheryl Grady, Lynn Hasher and Kimberly Chiew have provided further evidence that the aging brain has difficulty filtering out irrelevant information in the environment when compared to younger brains. The study reported in the Toronto Star is the first to look at what is going on in the brain (using fMRI) when people try to form a memory and fail.

Rotman study investigates why patients with traumatic brain injury complain of "mental fatigue," even when they make good recoveries

Former Rotman graduate student Dr. Gary Turner, with Rotman senior scientist Dr. Brian Levine, discovered that patients recovered from significant traumatic brain injuries show altered neural responses during the performance of complex tasks. Even though the patients were free of large brain lesions and and could perform the tasks at a level similar to non-injured adults, they showed increased brain activation in the frontal regions, suggesting that their brains work harder to achieve the same results.

Brain noise is a good thing: Canadian study overturns notion that brain noise quiets down with maturity in adulthood

Dr. Randy McIntosh discusses a study suggesting that increased brain signal variability or "noise" may actually be indicative of healthy brain function.

Professor Fergus Craik named a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of London

Professor Fergus Craik is recognized for his significant contribution to the understanding of human memory processes. Dr. Craik joins his colleague, Professor Endel Tulving, who is also a member.

Alzheimer's screening raises ethical quandary

National Post - Toronto,Ontario,Canada Many Canadians may be walking around with a "head full of amyloid" and not know it, said one presenter at the conference, organized by the*Baycrest* research *...*

Brain trauma can lead to widespread tissue loss

In a large-scale study conducted at the Rotman Research Institute in collaboration with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Brian Levine and colleagues found that brain tissue loss corresponds to the severity of traumatic brain injury sustained one year earlier. Using computerized analysis of brain scans, the researchers found widespread brain tissue loss even in patients without obvious areas of brain damage.

Cooking up a map of the mind

In the Globe and Mail special feature on top medical minds in Toronto, Dr. Randy McIntosh discusses the dynamism of the brain and draws parallels to his other passion, cooking.

Understanding others' mental states is preserved in patients with autobiographical amnesia

In a study published in the November 22nd edition of Science Magazine, a team from the Rotman Research Institute, led by Adjunct Scientist Shayna Rosenbaum, demonstrated that patients with severe amnesia for personal autobiographical events are able to understand the mental states of others, a capacity known as "Theory of Mind," suggesting that autobiographical event memory is not required for social processes such as sympathy.

Rotman Scientist Morris Moscovitch receives the APS William James Fellow Award

The Association for Psychological Science, a leading international organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific psychology, has selected Rotman Scientist Morris Moscovitch as a 2007-2008 recipient of the William James Fellow Award in recognition of his lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology.

Antidepressant as effective as antipsychotic in treating behavior problems in dementia, but with fewer side effects

A team of researchers at the Rotman Research Institute and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, led by Dr. Bruce Pollock, the Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Neuropsychiatry, discovered that the antidepressant citalopram is as effective as the antispsychotic resperidone in the treatment of psychotic behavior in patients with dementia. This finding has significant implications for patients as antipsychotics such as resperidone are often used to treat psychotic behavior in dementia, but can have severe side effects.

Rotman scientists create intervention for age-related cognitive and behavioral changes

Rotman scientists recently published the positive results of an innovative, 12 week intervention for changes that occur in normal aging in the areas of memory, strategic behavior, and psychosocial functioning. This research received media coverage on CTV and MacLean's Magazine.

Rotman Scientist Endel Tulving inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Download or view media release information

Dr. Gordon Winocur is the recipient of the 2006 Donald T. Stuss Award

Dr. Gordon Winocur is the recipient of the 2006 Donald T. Stuss Award for Research Excellence. The award honours research excellence in the preceding calendar year that is published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The award, which was presented to Dr. Winocur at Baycrest's Annual General Meeting, was for the paper:

Dr. Endel Tulving was elected Member of the Order of Canada

Dr. Endel Tulving was elected Member of the Order of Canada, which is one of Canada's most prestigious honours that recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

Researchers find first evidence that musical training affects brain development in young children over the course of a year

Researchers have found the first evidence that young children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year compared to children who do not receive musical training.

Dr. Fergus Craik was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bordeaux 2

On September 22, Dr. Fergus Craik was awarded the degree entitled 'Docteur Honoris Causa' in recognition of his research in the areas of memory and cognitive aging. The University of Bordeaux 2 is the part of the University of Bordeaux that deals with Medicine and Human Sciences, the nomination came from the Psychology Department in that university. Preceding the ceremony, the Department organized a scientific meeting on memory and aging, attended by researchers from various universities in France. Why Bordeaux? Dr. Craik speculates that one factor may have been his staunch support of local industries over the years!

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