Mental Health and Behaviour

The purpose of this study is to learn about biomarkers (biological features such as proteins, genes, and brain images that indicate the state of a disease in a person), and how they can help predict treatment outcomes in patients with clinical depression. 

tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) is a brain stimulation technique that involves passing a very low current through the scalp to change the excitability of underlying brain regions. Moreover, yoga and meditation have recently gained popularity for their proposed health benefits. This study seeks to investigate whether there is a combined effect of yoga, meditation, and tDCS on cognition.

Recruitment Poster

The Wellness Monitoring for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) study is a prospective, longitudinal, observational study aimed at identifying biomarkers of relapse in MDD. Results may help refine clinical approach to relapse management, and may ultimately help MDD patients sustain wellness while on antidepressant medication.

Recruitment Poster

This study investigates the use of eye tracking technology as a diagnostic tool for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion. We are looking at the effect of additional working memory (short-term memory) load on the smoothness of eye movements in both concussed and healthy populations.

This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, parallel-group study to assess the cognitive effects of lurasidone in bipolar I and II patients (manic depression) who are in remission from an episode. Participants who show cognitive impairment at the screening visit will be enrolled into the study and randomized at the baseline visit to receive either lurasidone or placebo adjunctive therapy in a 1:1 ratio for 6 weeks.

Recruitment Poster

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive (does not enter the body) technique in improving depressive symptoms.

Recruitment Poster

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an emerging treatment for medically refractory major depressive disorder (MDD). rTMS involves direct stimulation of cortical neurons using externally applied, powerful, focused magnetic field pulses. Dozens of studies and several meta-analyses over the last 15 years have shown that rTMS of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) produces statistically significant improvements in MDD, even when medications have failed. However, other possible targets may also yield improvement in symptoms.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic (rTMS) is a safe, noninvasive treatment that involves placing a magnetic coil on a person’s head over an area of the brain called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). rTMS has been available as a treatment for depression in Canada since 2002, and although it has also been approved by Health Canada for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are only a limited number of studies that have looked at this.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disease that has effects on both movement and mental health. One of the most common mental health complications of PD is depression. Up to 30% of Parkinson's patients will experience depression at some point. We aim to investigate whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a type of electrical stimulation for the brain, can improve depression in PD as well as improve motor function in PD.

The purpose of this 9-day study is to determine if:

• Pantoprazole modifies the steady-state plasma concentrations of orally administered psychotropic medications including valproic acid, lithium, and second-generation antipsychotics (i.e., aripiprazole, asenapine, clozapine, lurasidone, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone, ziprasidone)
• Serum gastrin levels change within a week of starting or stopping pantoprazole

Patients with bipolar I disorder (BD) experience depression 3 times more frequently than mania, and antidepressants are prescribed as adjuncts to mood stabilizers in up to 70% of patients. However, no placebo-controlled trials have assessed the efficacy or safety of modern antidepressants in combination with mood stabilizers in the maintenance treatment of BD. The investigators propose a multicentre, randomized, double-blind clinical trial comparing mood stabilizer plus antidepressant (escitalopram or bupropion XL) to mood stabilizer plus placebo in the maintenance treatment of BD.

This study is a pilot to assess feasibility of the protocol in patients and controls across six participating sites. The goal is to identify biological markers (biomarkers)that can be measured at baseline or early in treatment to predict treatment outcome in individual patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Biomarkers of interest will be clinical (using interview and self-report measures), molecular (from blood samples) and neurobiological (using neuroimaging and EEG).