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Rotman Research Institute Annual Report 2015-2016
A number of RRI projects were profiled in a variety of public forums via print, online, or video
channels. These features gave our scientists and trainees the opportunity to translate and
communicate the relevance, importance, and impact of their work to a broader audience.
Research highlights from 2015-2016 include:
• The Washington Post, National Post, and
Iran Daily reported on research
demonstrating a positive effect of early
music training on late-life listening skills.
(Principal Investigator: Dr. Claude Alain)
• The Globe & Mail and NBC News reported
on a study describing the potential impact
of cannabis on brain development in male
adolescents who are genetically
predisposed to schizophrenia. (Principal
Investigator: Dr. Tomàš Paus)
• CTV News, CBC Radio, and Wired reported
on research investigating individuals
suffering from severely deficient
autobiographical memory (SDAM) using
brain imaging technology. (Principal
Investigator: Dr. Brian Levine)
• The Globe & Mail, CTV News, CBS News,
Newsweek, and the Toronto Star reported
on work studying the memories of
individuals who suffered a traumatic event
(e.g., crash landing of Air Transat 236)
years after the event using brain imaging
technology. (Principal Investigator: Dr.
Brian Levine)
• Tech Times reported on work showing
preliminary positive impact on memory
function with a prototype digital board
game. (Principal Investigator: Dr. Fergus
Craik)
• Science News reported on a study linking
a "neural fingerprint", obtained using
neuroimaging technology, to the ability to
remember memories. (Principal
Investigator: Dr. Bradley Buchsbaum)
• Medical News Today reported on research
examining how anxiety and stress impact
brain structures and their potential
relationship with neuropsychiatric disorders
such as dementia and depression.
(Principal Investigator: Dr. Linda Mah)
• The Ontario Hospital Association reported
on work detailing age-related changes in
brain wave activity when performing
memory tasks. (Principal Investigator: Dr.
Jennifer Ryan)
• The Washington Post, Fortune, The
Telegraph, and Healio News reported on
findings that educational attainment,
mental stimulation, and social engagement
can play a role in protecting an individual's
brain from cognitive decline, counteracting
some negative effects of an unhealthy diet.
(Principal Investigator: Dr. Carol
Greenwood)
• Inside Toronto, UPI, and Medical Xpress
reported on a study identifying the brain's
speech motor area as playing a role in
helping older adults interpret speech in a
noisy environment. (Principal Investigator:
Dr. Claude Alain)
• Reuters and Techvibes reported on a Nuit
Blanche crowdsourcing experiment, My
Virtual Dream. (Principal Investigator: Dr.
Randy McIntosh)
• NBC News Today reported on research on
episodic and semantic memory "styles"
using MRI. (Principal Investigator: Dr. Brian
Levine)
Rotman Research in the News…
