Download 2015 CPSR Trainee Award Winners

2015 CPSR Trainee Award Winners
DR. GINETTE HUPE (Supervisor: Dr. Paul Albert), Ottawa Hospital Research
Institute and University of Ottawa
Project Title: In vivo optogenetics to examine the role of serotonin modulation in
the mediation of recovery from post-stroke depression
Project Description: Patients recovering from stroke often experience a prolonged
period of post-stroke depression (PSD) which is associated with poorer recovery and an
increased risk of second stroke, suicide and death. Depression is associated with
dysfunction in the serotonin system and is commonly treated with antidepressant
medications (e.g., SSRIs) but many stroke patients with PSD do not show a significant
improvement following antidepressant treatment. A better understanding of the
underlying mechanisms of the serotonin system is needed to better develop more
precise targeted therapies. Our research involves using optogenetics (which uses light
to regulate brain activity) on post-stroke mice to examine how serotonin affects
behavioural and cognitive symptoms, what brain areas are involved and could be
therapeutic targets, and whether directly stimulating serotonin neurons will mediate a
rapid improvement in anxiety or depression.
DR. TIMAL KANNANGARA (Supervisors: Drs. Diane Lagace & Jean-Claude
Béïque), University of Ottawa
Project Title: Does altering intrinsic excitability modulate precursor-cells (PCs)
during stroke recovery
Project Description: After a stroke, there is an increase in the number of new cells that
form in the brain and these cells often try to migrate to the brain area injured by the
stroke; however, the majority of migrating cells do not survive. The goal of my project is
to assess whether changing new cell activity is a viable therapeutic strategy to enhance
stroke recovery. Using well-established mouse models for stroke and a variety of
different methods to visualize and measure their function during recovery, I will increase
the electrical activity of the new cells in the adult brain and assess if this increases the
survival of the new cells and alters their ability to participate during recovery. I will also
decrease the activity of the new cells, which researchers believe will decrease the
survival of new cells during stroke recovery. Thus overall this project will identify how
altering the activity level of the new cells changes their ability to survive and function
during stroke recovery.
LIAM KELLY (Supervisor: Dr. Michelle Ploughman), Memorial University of
Newfoundland
Project Title: The effects of aerobic exercise training compared to functional
exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness and resting substrate metabolism in
chronic stroke
Project Description: Low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness are characteristic of
individuals who have a stroke. At Memorial University, Dr. Ploughman is examining the
effects of aerobic exercise training (AET) or functional exercise training (FET) combined
with cognitive training to enhance cognitive performance. The purpose of my project is
to compare the effects of AET and FET on measurements of energy metabolism and
cardiovascular function among chronic stroke patients and to describe the metabolic
demands of FET. The hypothesis is that FET will lead to greater improvements in
resting energy metabolism (i.e., increased resting metabolic rate and improved lipid
metabolism) and functional recovery. By adding measurements of energy metabolism
and cardiovascular function both at rest and during exercise, researchers can obtain
valuable information that can be used to develop more efficient and feasible exercise
interventions to promote functional recovery and decrease metabolic risk
SÉBASTIEN MAILLÉ (Supervisor: Jean-Claude Béïque), University of Ottawa
Project Title: Functional dissection of circuits involved in post-stroke depression
Project Description: Post-stroke depression (PSD) impacts numerous facets of stroke
recovery. Although antidepressant therapy provides some benefit, its efficacy is far from
optimal. This is partly due to limited understanding of the etiology underlying PSD, as
well as a limited therapeutic armamentarium to effectively treat it. For example, it is
currently unknown how a cortical stroke alters information flow through distant moodrelated circuits and how that may be intimately involved in the genesis of PSD. Our
multidisciplinary team will employ a vast repertoire of tools and techniques (e.g., wholecell electrophysiology, two-photon imaging and optogenetics) in a rat stroke model that
will allow us to fully characterize the changes occurring in these affective networks
following a stroke, both at the cellular and network levels. The goal is to functionally and
mechanistically characterize the changes to affective networks induced by cortical
strokes with the hope that it will open up new avenues for rational therapeutic
strategies.
MARIE-FRANCE PARÉ (Supervisor: Dr. Bernard Jasmin), University of Ottawa
Project Title: Impact of "Exercise Mimetics" that Modulate Skeletal Muscle
Phenotype on Brain Repair and Recovery Following Focal Ischemic Stroke
Project Description: Exercise is known to decrease the likelihood of stroke, reduce the
disability caused by stroke, and improve stroke recovery. Many people with stroke
display significant reductions in mobility, which may prevent them from participating in
exercise programs. Therefore, an attractive alternative to exercise for persons
recovering from a stroke consists in the administration of drugs/small molecules
collectively referred to as “exercise mimetics” (EM, so-called because they induce
adaptations in skeletal muscle that mimic those seen following endurance exercise). In
my doctoral work, I am investigating the therapeutic potential of EMs in the recovery of
cognitive and motor function following a stroke, examining in particular the role of the
muscle secretome in this process. The hypothesis is that neurologically active
molecules will be secreted by skeletal muscle following treatment with EMs, as they are
in response to exercise, thereby offering important benefits effects to the brain during
stroke recovery.
DR. ALISON SCHINKEL-IVY (Supervisor: Dr. Avril Mansfield), Toronto
Rehabilitation Institute – University Health Network
Project Title: Changes in post-perturbation reactive balance control in individuals
with stroke following a six-week perturbation-based training program
Project Description: The risk of falling is very high post-stroke and falls and fear of
falling are significant barriers to independent mobility, leading to functional decline and
reduced quality of life. Falls occur due to a failure to recover from a loss of balance. No
exercise intervention effectively prevents falls among individuals with stroke. However,
pilot studies suggest that perturbation-based balance training (PBT) may improve the
effectiveness of balance reactions post-stroke. Therefore, the aim of the current study is
to quantify changes in features of reactive balance control that occur with a 6-week PBT
program. As the PBT program consists primarily of standing perturbations, this trial will
determine if the training translates to improved recovery from slips. The hypothesis is
that the PBT group will demonstrate greater improvements in reactive balance control
than a traditional balance training group.
DR. LISA SHEEHY (Supervisors: Drs. Heidi Sveistrup, Hillel Finestone, and Martin
Bilodeau), Bruyère Research Institute, University of Ottawa
Project Title: To determine whether sitting exercises, administered via virtual
reality training (VRT) as an adjunct stroke rehabilitation therapy, can improve
sitting balance
Project Description: Sitting balance is often affected by stroke, resulting in functional
impairment (e.g. reaching) and reduced mobility (e.g. getting out of bed). Improvements
in balance and motor function can be obtained by task-specific training but the patient
must be motivated to perform a task or exercise repeatedly to obtain the most
benefit. Virtual Reality Training (VRT) allows patients to do specific exercises while
interacting with a video game interface. It is reported to be enjoyable and may
encourage repetition of therapeutic exercises. The focus of this study is to determine
whether sitting exercises, administered via VRT (using Jintronix system), as an adjunct
stroke rehabilitation therapy, can improve sitting balance. Showing that the addition of
VRT improves sitting ability and function more than standard inpatient rehabilitation will
provide evidence to support its implementation in inpatient and subsequently outpatient
rehabilitation programmes and potentially increase the quality of life of stroke survivors.
TIJANA SIMIC (Supervisor: Dr. Elizabeth Rochon), Toronto Rehabilitation Institute
– University Health Network
Project Title: Aphasia therapy: Are executive control processes predictive of
treatment gains and generalization?
Project Description: Aphasia, the inability to produce or understand language, is a
common consequence of stroke. A frustrating type of aphasia, anomia, involves
difficulty naming people, places and actions. Executive control (EC) – loosely
conceptualized as a supervisory system for higher-level cognitive functions – may be a
critical factor. According to The Unity and Diversity Model, there are three distinct EC
processes and one common unifying factor. This project will examine which EC
processes influence treatment outcomes and generalization in post-stroke aphasia.
Participants will undergo a sound-based anomia treatment that requires patients to
name a picture stimulus and to study five phonological components associated with that
stimulus (e.g., rhyme word, first and last sound, number of syllables). The hypothesis is
that naming will improve after treatment and those with higher performance in the EC
processes will show larger treatment effects.
FARANAK VAHID-ANSARI (Supervisor: Dr. Paul Albert), Ottawa Hospital
Research Institute and University of Ottawa
Project Title: A new preclinical model of post-stroke depression using endothelin1-induced focal ischemia in the mouse mPFC
Project Description: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is common following stroke and
linked with poorer outcomes. Current treatments such as antidepressants (e.g., SSRIs)
take weeks to work and are only 50% effective. There is very little preclinical work
published on PSD relative to recovery of motor function, due in part to lack of a good,
reliable preclinical PSD model. A better model would provide the opportunity to better
understand underlying mechanisms of PSD and ways to treat it. Using a novel
endothelin-1 mouse model of PSD developed in Dr. Albert’s lab, it was possible to
assess the effects of two clinically-relevant interventions, exercise and/or
antidepressant SSRIs. Initial experiments showed that chronic SSRI-use alone or in
combination with exercise (running wheel) was greatest for reversing the anxiety
symptoms common with PSD. Future experiments will test ways to amplify or augment
this SSRI/exercise-induced behavioural recovery from PSD.