Baycrest Research Cover REVISED

BAYCREST2000 RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT The Rotman Research Institute Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit BAYCREST IS AN ACADEMIC CENTRE AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Contents REPORT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH . 3 THE ROTMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE • Report of the Director . 6 • 10th Annual Rotman Conference . 8 • Scientists . 9 • Postdoctoral Fellows . 18 KUNIN-LUNENFELD APPLIED RESEARCH UNIT • Report of the Director . 22 • Scientists . 25 • Postdoctoral Fellows . 29 WHO WE ARE • Research Advisory Committee of the Board of Directors . 32 • Scientific Advisory Committees . 33 • Office of the Vice President, Research . 34 • The Rotman Research Institute . 35 • Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit . 38 GRANTS, AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS • Rotman Grants . 40 • Rotman Awards and Scholarships . 44 • KLARU Grants . 45 • KLARU Awards and Scholarships . 46 PUBLICATIONS • Peer Reviewed Articles . 48 • Books & Chapters . 56 PRESENTATIONS . 58 1 2 Report of the Vice President, Research IN MY REPORT FOR 1999, I made the hopeful comment that “in next year’s report we can celebrate the move into our new expanded research space.” Whoops – we are still in our cramped quarters. Like any home renovations, matters haven’t proceeded according to the original schedule. What’s more, on the basis of our expanded space expectations, recruitment continued, but we then found we had no space to put people. David Streiner and I are even more grateful for the patience of our staff and researchers. Next year, we can celebrate the move … Space problems notwithstanding, there is plenty to report on and celebrate. Since As always, my report as Vice President focuses on global achievements within the Research Division, I would point the reader to the individual reports of the Directors of The I sincerely thank all Rotman Research Institute and the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit to see the our wonderful successes and the impact of our research efforts. donors, from those One of the major initiatives of the past year has been the move to develop an inte- who contribute grated research program in Stroke and Cognition. This program is starting with an modest amounts to expansion of the close relationship between Sunnybrook & Women’s College Health Sciences Centre and Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care. Next year, I will have more those who are able to to report on the development of this integrated research initiative. respond on a larger A major impetus for this program was the extremely generous gift of the Posluns scale to the vision of family to establish the Posluns Centre for Stroke and Cognition in the new Apotex what research can do Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged. Our very special thanks go to Wilf Posluns and for Baycrest, our his family, who recognized how stroke can devastate lives and, more importantly, the need to increase our knowledge about this condition and to devise appropriate care clients, and for the for stroke victims. elderly throughout As always, I sincerely thank all our wonderful donors, from those who con- the world. tribute modest amounts to those who are able to respond on a larger scale to the vision of what research can do for Baycrest, our clients, and for the elderly throughout the world. In difficult financial times, research can sometimes take second place. However, the level of quality of future care depends on the research done today. Our donors truly understand this need. Our particular thanks this year go to Reva James Leeds for her generous endowment of the Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience and Research Leadership at The Rotman Research Institute. The gift was made in honour of her daughter Natalie Sessa, and her late parents Charles and Molly James. I was also greatly honoured to be selected as the first recipient of this Chair. This year two special people who recognized the importance of research passed away. Ben and Hilda Katz were among the most significant donors to research at Baycrest, and indeed to Baycrest as a whole. They gave because they understood the value of research, and they received great pleasure from their casual and informal meetings with the scientists and young researchers who benefited from their generosity. Above and beyond donations to general research operations, the following programs in research were directly attributable to their vision: in The Rotman Research Institute, the Katz Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the Katz Visiting Scientist Program; in the Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit, the Katz Centre for Gerontological Social Work and the Katz Chair in Gerontological Nursing. Ben and Hilda were true visionary champions of research. I will miss them both. ➤ 3 Report of the Vice President, Research Continued I want to highlight one of the most important achievements of research at Baycrest – the development and functioning of our Research Ethics and Scientific Review Committee. Research involving the elderly, particularly those who may be cognitively impaired such as those who have Alzheimer’s disease or stroke, demands the highest ethical standards. Even more than this, there can be no appear- ance of ethical compromise. Even more importantly, the clients at Baycrest are a specific population in that their cultural, religious and historical background, including events such as the Holocaust, require extra sensitivity. From the very beginning of research development at Baycrest, we decided to develop our own Research Ethics Committee, and to look for the best person possible to chair this committee. Professor Bernard Dickens was clearly our choice. But would he accept this responsibility amidst all his university, national and international tasks? Moreover, when I was getting advice about the best person to ask, I had been told that Bernard Dickens was one person I should not approach, since his standards were so high that no research would ever be allowed at Baycrest. Perfect. Now, some 12 years later and with Bernard still enthusiastically at the helm, the functioning of this committee is one of our greatest sources of pride. In addition, Bernard now also sits on the Research Advisory Committee, where we benefit from his sage advice about research development. One of the reasons Professor Dickens has continued to guide our research ethics committee is, I believe, the exceptional way in which the deputy chair of the committee, Sylvia Teaves, oversees the review of research projects. This has been just one of Sylvia’s major roles over the past 12 years, and ensures the smooth functioning of the research approval process. I thank the two of them for all their hard work and high standards. I also am grateful to the various members of the committee who over the years have given so much of their time, expertise, and diligence. As always, I want to take a moment to recognize the ongoing support and hard work of our great staff in the Research Division. Once I would have mentioned them all individually but, alas, there are now just too many to list here (you will, however, find them all in the section on Who We Are). Next year, I hope to be writing this report from our new research space … ! Donald T. Stuss, Ph.D. Vice President, Research Reva James Leeds Chair in Neuroscience & Research Leadership 4 The Rotman Research Institute Dr. Shitij Kapur prepares a volunteer subject for a PET scan. 5 Report of the Director The Rotman Research Institute THE YEAR 2000 saw many exciting events at The Rotman Research Institute. In spite of our continued need to survive in cramped quarters during the Baycrest construction program, the scientific out- put continued unabated. Rotman scientists published well over 100 articles and chapters during the year (see separate section) and were invited to present their findings in 15 countries around the world. The year was enlivened by the arrival of no less than 4 babies, one of which was truly a double celebration with both proud parents hailing from the Rotman. Congratulations to Kathy O’Craven, Brian Levine, Heather Palmer and their respective partners, and to Lori Bernstein and Claude Alain. 10TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE The Rotman Research Institute celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1999. In celebration of this milestone, our 10th annual international conference was planned as a major “happening”. We selected the topic of “The Frontal Lobes,” to revisit the theme of our first highly successful conference held in 1990. The response from the scientific community was overwhelming, making this our most successful conference ever (see separate account). RESEARCH Our research continued to develop in five broad thematic areas: Alzheimer’s and other Dementias; Stroke and Focal Lesion; Traumatic Brain Injury; Disorders of Mood and Emotion; and the Effects of Aging on the Brain. This work is based on networks of collaborations, both locally within the University of Toronto, and with colleagues overseas. As such, we are able to combine the expertise of scientists in an extremely wide variety of disciplines, including: Behavioural Neurology, Cognitive Psychology, Genetics, Neuroimaging, Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, and Neurorehabilitation. The approaches used in our research include a comprehensive range of technologies and method- ologies, including: psychological assessment, genetic testing, neural network analysis, and the most complete range of neuroimaging techniques of any neuroscience research institute in Canada. These include electroencephalography(EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and – as of 2001 – magnetoencephalography (MEG). FOCUS ON NEUROIMAGING Last year, I reported on the successful establishment of the University of Toronto Functional Imaging Research Network (FIRN) with over $21 million of matched funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovations Trust. The Baycrest portion of this grant was over $3 million, earmarked for magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) equipment. We expect to take delivery of this equipment in the next few weeks, when we move into our new quarters.

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