Updates on groundbreaking research projects

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Homegrown innovation in mobile health monitoring

The Royal is part of an innovative platform that promises to bring mobile mental health and wellness to a new level. 

It taps into a popular social media platform that is used by tens of millions of people in North America: Twitter. 

TryCycle Data Systems, an Ottawa-based company, designed a smartphone-based platform that augments traditional therapy by facilitating a strong digital connection between therapists and their clients. 
 

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Clinical Biomarker Discoveries in Dopamine and Noradrenaline: Impact on Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s Disease

In 2019, Dr. Clifford Cassidy, a scientist at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), and his research team, made a ground-breaking discovery – a brain-based biomarker that uses neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI) to measure dopamine in the brain, which can help identify psychosis in people living with schizophrenia.   

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A woman wearing a Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).

Hope for People Living with Treatment-Resistant Major Depressive Disorder

Dr. Sara Tremblay, a scientist at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), has been tirelessly working for the past two years to bring an rTMS clinical-research platform to The Royal, in an effort to help people living with treatment resistant depression – those who have failed to respond to one or more different antidepressant medications. 
 

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Dr. Jennifer Phillips (center), Associate Scientist in the Mood Disorders Research Unit at The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), along with her research team, Patricia Burhunduli (left) and Katie Vandeloo (right)

From Suicide Ideation to Suicide Attempt: Understanding the Progression of Treatment-Resistant Depression through Neuroimaging

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults in Canada. Every year, 4000 people die by suicide in Canada alone. Suicidal ideation – thinking about, considering, or planning suicide – is a common symptom in patients with major depression. 

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Dr. Pierre Blier
Research shows ketamine can be a life-saver in the fight against depression

The World Health Organization estimates that by the year 2030, depression will have the largest global burden of disease. One in six Canadians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives and up to one third of them will not respond to existing treatments. Depression that does not respond to at least two different antidepressant strategies is considered treatment-resistant. 

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Dr. Georg Northoff

Using A.I. to gain a better understanding of our brains

Dr. Zach Kaminsky

Homegrown innovation in mobile health monitoring

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Clients and families at the centre of new research grants