Exploring the Link Between Emotional Behaviours, Inflammation, and Endocanbinoid Signaling in a Mouse Model of Colitis
Students: Hailey Vecchiarelli
Type of project: Nutraceutical, Mind and Body, Basic, Translational
Grant Type: PhD
Year of Award: 2015
Supervisor: Dr. Mathew Hill
Institutions Affiliated: University of Calgary
Description: The endocanabinoid signaling system (what Cannabis has effects on) is involved in the generation and regulation of stress responses and emotional behaviours. New evidence has suggested that it might have a role in inflammation as well, making it a potential therapeutic target for conditions such as colitis. This project seeks to explore endocanabinoid signalling as a mediator of stress behaviours and inflammation and evaluate the possibility of using cananinoids (both endogenous and exogenous) to treat the dysfunctions of these processes in a mouse model of colitis.
Spot of Tea for Your Brain Injury?
THE SCIENCE
When you think about a cup of tea, you are probably not thinking about protocatechuic acid (PCA), an antioxidant found in it. Erik’s funded project examined the effects of PCA to improve the recovery of juvenile rats after they experience a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). As catchy as the title of this study is, Erik’s rats treated with PCA did not show any significant changes in terms of behaviour or cellular health.
However, like any well prepared scientist, Erik planned his experiments to test other important personalized medicine factors. This may come as a surprise, but men and women are biologically different, yet the sex of the animals are not often considered in neuroscience studies. Erik discovered that there is a different path of dysfunction between male and female rats who experience mild TBI in terms of their behavior and markers of cellular heath. In particular, the cellular powerhouses in the brains of female rats, the mitochondria, consumed oxygen at a faster rate but more inefficiently, possibly indicating cellular dysfunction. So, in addition to raising caution surrounding tea (or really any single molecule) as a treatment for TBI, Erik was able to publish this study in a peer-reviewed journal and help inform the world about the importance of considering sex as a factor in personalized medicine.
The Scientists
Dr. Erik Fraunberger, MD Student
Follow Erik on Twitter @efraunbea
Connect with Erik on LinkedIn
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Michael Esser
University of Calgary
Dr. Esser's WebsiteTHE IMPACT
After discovering this difference in how male and female brains respond to brain injury, Erik examined what these differences more closely. Since his research and Branch Out project examined pediatric as opposed to adult TBI, this project had a lot of added complexity of the brain still growing and developing interacting with the response to injury. Traditional methods in neuroscience don't work that well to understand such a complex problem, leading Erik to turn towards different scientific approaches that are designed to handle such complexity. In a peer-reviewed paper published by Erik, he proposed using Graph Theory network analysis as an approach to understanding the role of inflammation in the recovery from concussion. Erik published yet another Peer-Reviewed paper (#sciencerockstar) using this new complexity-based approach and found some differences between the sexes when you looked at the entire constellation of inflammation markers that would have been missed if you used the traditional approach of only looking at a few. Overall, Erik’s work advanced our understanding of sex differences in TBI and opened up the possibility of individualized TBI treatment plans in the future
WHAT'S NEXT?
Erik successfully defended his PhD in July 2020 and started his medical school journey at the University of Calgary the very same afternoon! A proud Echidna (Class of 2023), Erik continues to work with Branch Out on the SRP and hopes to continue research into neurological disorders during his future residency in a brain-related field.
Amount Funded: $40,000
Learn Even More!
TMS treatments for Tick disorders
Personalized Medicine Approaches for TMS
Additional NeuroCAM content coming soon!
Branch Out Bike Tour 2019 Keynote v20190822 on Vimeo
Erik won 1st place at the 2016 Neuron Night Knowledge Translation competition!
Effect of Vitamins on Brain Tumor Growth and the Use of MRI to Track this Change
Students: Runze Yang
Type of project: Basic, Translational, Nutraceutical
Grant Type: Masters
Year of Award: 2015
Supervisor: Dr. Jeff Dunn
Institutions Affiliated: University of Saskatchewan
Description: A certain vitamin is thought to have inflammatory effects on the brain, which might be beneficial to the outcome of some brain cancers. This study seeks to compare the vitamin with the current standard of care drug in its ability to restrict tumor growth. This project also intends to develop a novel MRI neuroimaging method using ferumoxytol to detect changes induced by the vitamin. This new brain scan, in addition to the potential demonstration of the vitamin as a neuro-cancer treatment are two deliverables that can be implemented in clinical care.
The Protective and Restorative Effects of Fatty Acids on Demyelination in MS
Students: Lauren Warrington, Alice Liu
Type of project: Basic, Translational, Nutraceutical
Grant Type: Undergraduate
Year of Award: 2015
Supervisor: Dr. Nazarali
Institutions Affiliated: University of Saskatchewan
Description: Fatty acids are an essential building block of myelin, the coating around nerve cells. This protective coating is targeted in autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis and is thought to contribute greatly to MS pathology. This project seeks to explore the role of fatty acids in demyelination in a rat model of MS, including their preventative and therapeutic potential. As fatty acids are part of our diet, this project has clear translatable results.
Use of Haptic Anchors to Improve Balance and Mobility in Aging Populations
THE SCIENCE
Walking is a surprisingly complex task. Just look at two-legged robots for proof. Unfortunately, this means that people with certain brain conditions can struggle with the complex task of walking and experience issues with mobility. This study examined a low-tech intervention that could have some big impact: haptic anchors (pictured on the right). This elegant device provides you brain with extra information to improve mobility. The results of this project were published in a peer-reviewed Journal.
The Scientists
IsabelHedayat, MD Student
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Allison Oates
University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Oates' WebsiteTHE IMPACT
The paper published was just a proof of principle that haptic anchors could be a more effective approach to increasing mobility. Since many different neurological disorders present challenges with mobility, the impact of haptic anchors could be quite large. While this simple intervention could help with conditions like Parkinson's Disease, it could be even be used to help regular people when old age presents challenges getting around.
WHAT'S NEXT?
This research helped kick-start a larger series of studies exploring the neuroscience of haptic anchors to better understand exactly how they work and what neurological populations could benefit from them. These kinds of studies are crucial if this intervention will make the leap from the laboratory bench to the bed side. Or perhaps a more accurate description would be for this intervention to restore freedom of movement back to our elders and those with neurological motor challenges.
Amount Funded: $14,000
Learn Even More!
TMS treatments for Tick disorders
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Additional NeuroCAM content coming soon!
Connecting Hippocampal Activity to Memory Processing
Students: Brandon Hauer
Type of project: Basic, Translational, Mind and Body
Grant Type: Undergraduate
Year of Award: 2015
Supervisor: Dr. Dickson
Institutions Affiliated: University of Alberta
Description: There is considerable evidence that sleep impacts memory consolidation for a number of skills and the retention of knowledge. There has been interest in using electrical stimulation on the head as a way to influence this consolidation process, despite an adequate understanding of how this impacts brain processes. This project seeks to address this concern by “testing” this intervention strategy in rats, as this will not only translate into a better understanding of transcranial stimulation, but illuminate how the brain consolidates memories under normal conditions, which go awry in disorders such as Alzheimer’s and depression.
Exploring the Cognitive and Electrophysiological Effects of Oxygen in Humans
THE SCIENCE
As anyone who flies to a high elevation destination is very aware of, there is an impact on the amount of Oxygen (O2) in the air and how our body functions. Most studies look at what happens when O2 level are too low, this study looked at what happens to the brain when the air has more O2 that usual. Published in Peer-Reviewed journal
Wes and his lab found that breathing in pure O2 air would increase alertness brain activity when awake, but sleep-related brain activity if they closed their eyes.The Scientists
Wesley Vuong, Undergraduate Student
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Clayton Dickson
University of Alberta
Dr. Dickson's WebsiteTHE IMPACT
People already manipulate O2 levels for a number of reasons. Athletes will train at high altitude, Oxygen Bars in Vegas are supposed to give you a competitive edge, and is an important part of anesthesia for some surgeries. This makes it important to understand how each of these conditions influence our brain and any important health consequences. It was surprising that the effects of high Oxygen air on brain activity depended on if your eyes were open or not, highlighting the complexity of the brain and the need for studies like this to test not only new treatments, but existing practices as well.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Once we were able to demonstrate that brain activity changes due to O2 administration were state-dependent (i.e., if you were awake or if you were in early stages of sleep), the next steps of the research was determining the impact of O2 on sleep. This was the premise of a follow-up BONF summer research project where we recruited post-secondary students and asked them to come into the lab to nap while we recorded their brain activity with O2 administration. Working on these projects helped to develop critical thinking and refine Wes's analytical skills as he pivoted from neuroscience researcher to working in public health. In this new role, Wes remained in the realm of mental health that he is very passionate about and able to apply newly refined critical lens and creative problem solving skills towards.
Amount Funded: $14,000
Learn Even More!
TMS treatments for Tick disorders
Personalized Medicine Approaches for TMS
Additional NeuroCAM content coming soon!
Effect of Keytones in mouse model of Autism
Students: Jenna Dobry, Jessica Naidu, Rejimol Perika
Type of project: Nutraceutical, Basic, Translational
Grant Type: Undergraduate
Year Awarded: 2015, 2016, 2017
Supervisor: Dr. Rho
Institutions Affiliated: University of Calgary
Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by poor social and communication skills, cognitive rigidity, and lack of emotional regulation. The Ketogenic Diet (KD) has been effective at treating a number of other neurological disorders, like epilepsy. This project explored aspect of the KD on autism, looking at different features of it to identify what is helpful about it in a mouse model of autism.
Impact: Autism is a pervasive disorder with very few treatments, most of which are not very effective. If the Ketogenic Diet can improve autism, it could help reduce the burden of what can be a very challenging condition.
Endocannabinoid Signalling in Multiple Sclerosis
Type of project: Basic/Translational, Nutraceutical/Mind and Body
Principal Investigator: Dr. Quentin Pittman
Institutions Affiliated: University of Calgary
Student: Keiko Chan (UGRAD)
Awards funded to project: 1
Background: Endocannabinoids are a group of chemicals in the brain that help regulate a number of processes, including mood, memory, appetite and immune functions. Cannabinoids may also be found outside the human body; for example, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient of marijuana, is a cannabinoid that exercises its effects on the human body by binding to the brain's endocannabinoid receptors. Anecdotally marijuana has been reported to alleviate Multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. This project explored the role of endocannabinoid signalling in an MS to evaluate if there is scientific validity to these claims.
Findings: The MS mice treated with enhanced levels of anandamide (an endocannabinoid) displayed improved sensorimotor functions (clinical score), and reduced cellular markers of inflammation in the nervous system and reduced immune activity, which are the classic hallmarks of MS.
Implications: Endocannabinoid signalling appears to help moderate the immune activity that contributes to the symptoms of MS, helping validate anecdotal claims. These findings support the therapeutic use of marijuana for MS patients, achieving these effects might be possible through the brain’s normal endocannabinoid system. Further research is required to explore this possibility.
Recognition
For their efforts and generous contributions to the Branch Out Neurological Foundation, this research project has been funded by and dedicated to the Mixed Bag for MS. This annual event helped raise more than $6,000 through an outpouring of support from local businesses, musicians, artists and community members.
The Effect of a Ketogenic Diet in Infantile Epilepsy
Type of project: Translational, Nutraceutical
Principal Investigator: Dr. Morris H. Scantlebury
Institutions Affiliated: University of Calgary
Student: Patricia Bacus (UGRAD)
Awards funded to project: 1
Background: Infantile epilepsy can be devastating for early development and produce life-long impairments. Current treatments are pharmacologically based and in themselves can be harmful to early development if they are even effective. Anecdotally a ketogenic diet ( high fat, low carbohydrate and normal protein) has aided in mitigating the effects of infantile epilepsy. This project seeks to explore these claims in a rat model of epilepsy and identify what aspect of a ketogenic diet is responsible for the improvements.
Findings: Awaiting final report
Implications: Awaiting final report