Jan 25, 2022

Physiology Faculty Awarded Grant from Bell Let's Talk and Brain Canada to Help Combat Depression

Headshots of Drs. Evelyn Lambe and Graham Collingridge
Drs. Evelyn Lambe and Graham Collingridge

Congratulations to the Department of Physiology's Drs. Graham Collingridge and Evelyn Lambe who, alongside Drs. Tarek Rajji and Sanjeev Sockalingam , both professors of psychiatry, have been awarded a $950,000 grant by Bell Let’s Talk and Brain Canada . The grant will fund the four professors' collaborative project that combines basic and clinical research on transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, a form of brain stimulation therapy used to treat depression.

As further detailed by Temerty Medicine News, Collingridge, studies a process called long-term potentiation, in which a brief period of intense neuronal activity leads to a long-lasting increase in the strength of connections between the nerve cells. Lambe is leading leading the work to optimize the stimulus parameters in the prefrontal cortex, the region targeted by TMS in patients.

"The goal is to optimize treatment to rebuild connections between neurons essential for mood regulation," said Lambe.

Read more about each scientist's role in this exciting collaborative project here and join us in wishing them much success with this groundbreaking work.