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The MSFHR Research Unit in Parkinson’s disease and monoaminergic function in the Central Nervous System brings together clinical and basic neuroscientists, epidemiologists, imaging scientists and chemists, all focused on a better understanding of Parkinson’s disease, its complications, and related disorders such as depression and addictive behaviours.
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The Centre for Human Islet Transplant and Beta-Cell Regeneration (CHITBR) supports scientists and clinicians from nine different disciplines—from bench to bedside—to conduct research addressing the main limitations of beta-cell transplant.
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The challenge of priority setting in cancer has never been so great. Over the past 20 years, over 2.3 million Canadians developed cancer, of which 1.1 million died prematurely. Over the next 20 years, these levels will rise by approximately 56% and 48% respectively. Cancer control and care in BC faces many other challenges: the rising costs of innovation and technology, allocating resources across the spectrum of interventions, a lack of incremental funding growth despite growth in incidence and prevalence, growth in all cancer control programs, need for new programs required with no defined funding, and rising community expectations and demand. A systematic organization of the limited resources in cancer control and care is urgently needed to respond to the potential impacts of cancer.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common autoimmune disease worldwide and affects ~1% of Canadians. Its chronic inflammation causes pain and joint failure, eventually leading to disfiguration and disability. The cartilage and bone destruction of RA is thought to be caused by a certain family of enzymes, MMPs, that are capable of breaking down all joint components, causing severe damage and pain. Recently, 14-3-3 proteins were discovered to be critical communication proteins between skin cells during the healing process. 14-3-3 proteins also stimulate production of MMPs. Thus, the abnormally high amounts of 14-3-3 found in RA joints might be responsible for excess MMPs production, which leads to joint destruction. Jennifer is studying how 14-3-3 proteins may stimulate production of MMPs and lead to the joint destruction in RA. Ultimately, her work will contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to diagnose and treat RA and other arthritic diseases.
Spinal cord injury can be characterized into two broad pathological events known as the primary injury, typically a blunt force trauma, and the secondary injury, an ensuing degradation of both neurons and glial cells. The secondary injury is characterized by vascular alterations, poor blood flow, production of free radicals, oxidative stress, ionic imbalance, inflammation and excitotoxicity, which has a very large impact of the survival of oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for myelination in central nervous system. These event occur days to weeks following the injury making them suitable for pharmacological intervention. Recent work has implicated p53 and p63 as pro-apoptotic (programed cell death) and p73 as antiapoptotic for neurons. Using animals which are absent of these factors specifically in oligodendrocytes, I wish to examine their affect on the survival and apoptosis of oligodendrocyte following a spinal cord injury. I also wish to correlate this difference in oligodendrocyte survival and apoptosis to the behavioural outcome of these animals. This will enable the validation of p53, p63, and p73 as targets to promote survival of oligodedrocytes following spinal cord injury. lf that is the case, it would suggest the need to develop novel treatments that target these proteins for potenetial future clinical application.
Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability in Canada. This type of arthritis causes deterioration in the joints, leading to swelling, pain and stiffness. It often results in lost work time and places limits on an individual’s normal function and recreational activity. Both the increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis in the province’s aging population, and the lengthy surgical wait times for replacing osteoarthritic joints are high profile health care issues in British Columbia. Physical activity can offer almost universal improvements in health, which includes decreasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and cancer. Health Canada recommends all adults participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days. But some types or too much physical activity, such as competitive sports or heavy physical work, can cause excessive wear and tear in the joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis. In addition, some people may be more vulnerable to the type or amount of physical activity because of the way their legs are aligned (e.g. bow-legged) and/or because of increased flexibility (hypermobility). Chuck Ratzlaff is comparing data on lifetime physical activity and these joint factors in people with knee and hip osteoarthritis to those who don’t have the condition, as part of a national arthritis study. The results can be used to recommend appropriate amounts and types of physical activities that may decrease the risk of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD have a high rate of disciplinary problems in school, experience social and academic difficulties, and encompass 30 to 40 per cent of referrals to child guidance clinics. Given the frequent occurrence of ADHD and the issues associated with it, effective and appropriate treatment has become a critical issue. With the desire to provide a healthy and effective solution in treating the symptoms of ADHD, Nicole Smith’s study is exploring the effects that repeated physical activity may have on the symptoms of ADHD in a practical setting. Using a standardized ADHD questionnaire, parents and teachers will indicate the degree of influence a long-term, province-wide, school-based physical activity initiative has on the behavioural symptoms of children with ADHD while in their classroom and home environments. The primary goal of Nicole’s research is to evaluate the effect of school-based physical activity intervention on ADHD symptoms and classroom disruption among children ages 9 to 12 with ADHD. Since little research exists on the impact of exercise on the behavioural symptoms of ADHD in children, there is potential for this research to make a significant contribution in the areas of child mental health, ADHD health promotion and intervention.
Women who consume large quantities of alcohol during their pregnancy can deliver babies with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND). Adults with FAS/ARND can exhibit a range of motor, behavioural and neurodevelopmental deficits. They also have higher rates of addiction and depression compared to the normal population. However, the relationship between prenatal exposure to alcohol and these psychiatric conditions is not known. One consequence of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is re-programming of the neural system involved in stress, known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Activation of the HPA axis during stressful situations is, in the short term, an adaptive response. But prolonged activation or an inability to “shut off” this system can have drastic consequences on brain function and behaviour. HPA dysfunction is implicated in the cause of depression, and activation of this system through stress can influence the initiation and maintenance of, as well as relapse to, drug addiction. Kim Hellemans is exploring how changes in the neural wiring of the HPA through PAE influences behaviours and neuroendocrine function associated with addiction and depression. Early targeting and prevention of psychiatric conditions is a critical goal of health research; the aim of Kim’s research is to determine whether normalizing HPA dysfunction in children with FAS/ARND can prevent their vulnerability to depression and addiction in adulthood.
Headache disorders are a prevalent health issue affecting between 10 to 35 per cent of the Canadian population. Headache disorders—which range from migraines to tension headaches—are associated with significant emotional, social and economic costs, including lost work days, decreased productivity and increased health care costs. There is increasing interest in understanding the role of psychosocial influences, such as personality traits, interpersonal interactions, coping and stress, in the onset, frequency and severity of headaches among sufferers. Perfectionism is a personality trait that has been identified as a potential risk factor for headache disorders. Perfectionists tend to experience greater stress due to their high expectations, self-critical tendencies and interpersonal conflict. Dayna Lee-Baggley is examining how perfectionism may generate and magnify risk factors (e.g., stress) for headache episodes. Her study is the first to monitor perfectionists’ experience of headaches on a daily basis. By identifying the risk factors associated with headache disorders, Dayna’s research will allow researchers to identify targets for intervention that could prevent or minimize the occurrence and impact of headaches for a substantial group of people.
Large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids are essential to support fetal and infant brain development. Omega-3 fatty acids accumulate in the central nervous system in the developing infant brain during and after pregnancy, although the brain appears to be particularly sensitive to dietary deficiencies of important essential fatty acids during intrauterine development. Before birth, essential fatty acids (those fatty acids which humans cannot form and which must be obtained from the diet) are transferred through the placenta, and after birth, through breast milk. The intake of omega-3 fatty acids in western diets is low with research demonstrating that many women following typical western diets likely have lower intakes than what is required by the developing infant before birth. Current guidelines for intake of Omega-3 fatty acids are directed at reducing the risk of chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, and do not consider the needs of pregnant and lactating women, or the important role of omega-3 fatty acids in brain development and function. Dr. Orly Lipka is investigating whether an increase in omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy reduced the risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcome in infants. Her research involves the use of sensitive tests of early language and problem solving ability to assess subtle delays in development secondary to nutritional deficiency during prenatal development. An important part of this work is also following up to assess the later effects in early childhood. The findings should lead to better understanding of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids with respect to cognitive and behavioral development.