Studies related to neurodegenerative conditions

Human Harmonized Touchscreen Tasks

Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB)/Social Science Centre (SSC)

Many disorders - like Alzheimer's disease or ADHD - can affect mental abilities like memory and attention. To explore how these effects could be related to changes in the brain, or to test new drug treatments, scientists often use mice or rats to model these disorders. However, tests of mental abilities can look very different for mice compared to people, and sometimes the results of these tests do not match. To address this issue, we have adapted several mouse touchscreen tests for use with people and are looking for a group of healthy volunteers to try them out. Our goal is to confirm that the tests are working as expected, to compare results to our existing mouse tests, and to collect data for developing future studies.

Claustrum

Robarts Research Institute (RRI)

The claustrum is a small, thin and elongated brain area. It has been found to respond to pain, which is a salient perceptual experience (i.e., a feeling that is very noticeable) and requires attention. It remains unclear how the claustrum controls brain networks during attention tasks and or pain. In the current study, we will use high magnetic field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which is a neuroimaging method that measures the activation of the brain with high detail, to evaluate claustrum function in various conditions.