Baycrest

Baycrest scientists present new notion that lots of brain activity is a sign of a healthy brain. Researchers demonstrate that people with more severe traumatic brain injuries lose more brain tissue, which explains why some patients never fully recover. A Baycrest study finds that older adults with type 2 diabetes can take antioxidant vitamins to minimize memory slumps after unhealthy, high-fat meals. Researchers discover that older dementia patients using antipsychotic medication face a higher risk of hospitalization or death. 2001 Rotman scientists discover link between high-fat diets and poorer brain health. ROTMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE: HISTORY AT A GLANCE 1989Baycrest establishes the Rotman Research Institute. 1999 A Rotman study shows for the first time that younger and older adults use different parts of the brain to complete the same task. 2000 The Baycrest-Kaplan Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (B-KANS), a comprehensive screening test for cognitive impairment associated with dementia, is developed and adopted around the world. 2004 Researchers discover that different depression treatments show different changes in the brain. Baycrest scientists discover that damage to a person's cognition lingers after drinking alcohol, even after they sober up and recover their motor performance. Baycrest launches landmark study exploring the effectiveness of a health information technology system, a computerized physician order entry system (CPOE), in reducing adverse drug events in long-term care. 2005 Dr. Endul Tulving receives a 2005 Gairdner International Award, one of the world's highest scientific honours, in recognition of his landmark research to distinguish different types of human memory. The Rotman leads the first study to surgically implant electrodes into the brains of severely depressed patients who had not responded to other treatments. Results show a "striking and sustained remission of depression." 2006 Baycrest leads an international project to develop the world's first functional, "Virtual Brain" that will allow physicians to test potential treatments in a virtual simulation. The Virtual Brain is an integrated computer model of a fully functioning human brain. It simulates how the brain is functioning under various normal conditions, how it changes with the aging process and how it responds to damage from trauma or disease. In the future, the Virtual Brain model can be used to test experimental brain therapies on a computer before being tested on humans. Researchers demonstrate that chemobrain (cognitive impairment that occurs after cancer treatment) is caused by drugs used during chemotherapy. 2007 Groundbreaking Rotman study shows bilingualism has a protective effect in delaying the onset of dementia. 2008 2

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