The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) is located at the University of Calgary. They are a research hub for a variety of labs working across many different domains and scales of neuroscience.
Research Priorities¶
Healthy Brain Aging¶
Healthy Brain Aging research is focused on understanding the fundamental causes, and developing new and improved treatments, for neurological and mental health conditions affecting the aging brain.
The life expectancy of Canadians has risen significantly in the past century. The average Canadian now faces an increased risk of experiencing health issues associated with degenerating nervous and vascular systems. In an aging population, dementia has already become the most expensive medical condition in the Canadian health care system. Other brain conditions such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease, to name only two, are also a concern for our communities.
Researchers in the Healthy Brain Aging theme are working to better understand the interplay between aging and the increased risk of dysfunction in the nervous and vascular systems. They aim to identify new ways to detect and prevent diseases and conditions associated with the aging brain, as well as to improve treatments and outcomes for individuals already dealing with age-related brain health challenges.
Brain and Behavior¶
Understanding how the brain controls behaviour remains one the biggest fundamental challenges of neuroscience. How behaviours are controlled or modified, how thoughts are turned into actions and how memories are gained or lost will be understood by studying the synaptic circuitry of the brain. Neurological and mental health conditions that range from epilepsy to the mental health disorders of depression and anxiety also have their basis in structural and/or functional alterations in the circuitry of the brain. A key trigger for many brain disorders is stress. The functional circuitry of stress remains to be fully understood. Frequently affecting adolescents and young adults, understanding the basis of neurological and mental health conditions is the focus of Brain & Behaviour. One out of every three Canadians will be affected by a brain or mental health disorder in their life and early detection and treatment is often critical to a swift recovery.
Researchers in the Brain & Behaviour theme are applying collaborative approaches and cutting-edge technology to advance our understanding of the cellular communication in the brain and how it influences behaviour. This research is guiding new treatments for existing conditions as well as developing important early-stage interventions to prevent the progression of disease, particularly in young people.
Neural Injury and Repair¶
Neurons and glia are the building blocks of the nervous system. Injuries to neuronal and glial cells are devastating and often lead to lifelong disability. Nervous system injuries can be a consequence of accident or illness and therefore they are difficult to predict or prevent.
Injuries can be initiated by immune mechanisms inside the body, as is the case for multiple sclerosis, changes in blood flow to the brain, as occurs after a stroke, or through trauma or accidents, as is the case for concussion and spinal cord injuries. A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of neural injury, developing approaches to speed recovery and rehabilitate those who have neural injuries is the focus of Neural Injury & Repair.
Researchers in the Neural Injury & Repair theme are searching for new ways to treat damaged neurons. Using advanced technologies such as sophisticated imaging, robotics and biomedical techniques, our research teams are translating their findings into effective therapies to improve the lives of nerve-injured patients.
Open Science Priority¶
The University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) is the first to partner with McGill University’s Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI) and The Neuro in a commitment to adopting Open Science approaches across its research and innovation efforts. This major endeavour is supported by a $2M commitment from the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute and the Larry & Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation.
The HBI defines the 5 Principals of open science as:
The Public Release of Research Data¶
The HBI and its members will release positive and negative research findings, including observations, models used, data sources, reagents, algorithms, software, and other scientific resources. This research data shall be made publicly available no later than the publication date of the first article that relies on these data or resources. The HBI recognizes and prioritizes the responsibility of its members to safeguard the dignity and privacy of research participants and respect the rights and duties owed to them through the informed consent process.
External Research Partnerships¶
All research data and scientific resources generated through investigator-initiated research partnerships that are supported by the HBI – whether with commercial, philanthropic, or public sector stakeholders – are to be released on the same basis as set out in Principle 1, unless a contractual agreement requires that the release of data from a given project be delayed. In such cases, the project data shall be made public as soon as all contractual obligations (such as review by the partner) are satisfied. Partners shall be informed and agree to the HBI’s Open Science Principles at the outset of joint investigator-initiated research ventures
Involvement with Teams and Platforms¶
The HBI leads knowledge creation and innovation through the support of its Brain and Mental Health Teams and NeuroTechnology Platforms. Open Science, as set out in these Principles, will be supported by these HBI Teams and Platforms in so far as their activities are supported by the HBI.
The Appropriate Management of Intellectual Property¶
The HBI and its members respect and support the need to translate research discoveries to improving human health. However, the institute will ensure intellectual property and patent concerns do not hinder the HBI Open Science Principles.
Valuing Research and Participant Autonomy¶
The HBI supports the autonomy of its stakeholders - including but not limited to: researchers, staff, trainees and participants - through recognizing their right to decline to participate in research and associated activities under an Open Science framework.
Data Sharing¶
Hotchkiss Real-World Evidence Platform¶
The Hotchkiss Real-World Evidence (RWE) platform is a new virtual data platform established to assist HBI scientists with accessing, integrating, and analysing routinely collected health data, data from clinical registries, and external sources of data including surveys and population-based datasets. We are a network of health care providers and other stakeholders from the University of Calgary that work together to optimize the care patients receive, with the aim to improve health-related outcomes.
The main goal of the RWE platform is to catalyse health system and population-based research across brain and mental health fields at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the University of Calgary.
The key functions of the RWE initiative are to facilitate the following:
Collaborations between investigators and stakeholders at HBI, UofC, Alberta and nationally
Access to routinely collected healthcare data
Linkage of investigator-collected data, or external data sources
Dataset creation and analysis
RWE Datasets¶
Alzheimer’s Disease in Alberta¶
The population of Alberta is aging and there are increasing numbers of Albertans who are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. At the present time little is known about the numbers of people affected by dementia in Alberta or how they interact with the health care system. Understanding the health care journeys of people with dementia is a critical step in understanding how to plan supports and services for people affected by Alzheimer’s disease and their families. Although there are medications currently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease in Canada, these medications only produce temporary benefits on dementia symptoms and do not change the underlying disease course. However, research on treatments that may impact on the underlying disease course of Alzheimer’s disease (disease modifying therapies) are nearing the phase where these treatments may be approved for use in Canada in the near future. These new treatments will require that physicians and health services are prepared to offer these medications and safely monitor their use Canada. Understanding how physicians and other health care providers currently assess and manage dementia is important to prepare our health system to be ready for when these new treatments once they are approved for use in Canada. Overall, our project will describe the current state of people impacted by Alzheimer’s disease in Alberta and identify strategies that may be used to help implement new dementia treatments that may be approved by Health Canada in the future.
Measuring and Improving the Quality of Community-Based Dementia Care¶
There are an increasing number of people living with dementia. Improving and maintaining quality of life is rated as the highest priority for people living with dementia and their caregivers. While many factors contribute to quality of life, high quality health care is an important component of optimizing quality of life for people living with dementia. The provision of high-quality dementia care is also important to health care providers, community service providers and society broadly. The first step towards improving quality of care for people living with dementia and their care partners is to measure the quality of care. Our project will incorporate the perspectives of people living with dementia, their family carers, and individuals representing health and social services involved in dementia care to identify key measures of health care quality for people living with dementia in community settings. We will then assess the current state of dementia care in Alberta, Canada and identify factors that are associated with higher or lower scores on measures of health care quality. This information will be shared with decision makers to inform future strategies to monitor and improve dementia care both in Alberta and throughout Canada. Overall, our project will provide critical information about dementia care in Canada and internationally and help identify ways to improve care for the growing population of people impacted by dementia.
PRECISE-MH: PREcision Care with Information, Science and Experience¶
Addictions and mental health (AMH) problems are among the most disabling, expensive and challenging health conditions in Canada. Population-based administrative healthcare databases provide an opportunity to study many of the factors associated with the development of AMH and outcomes associated with these disorders. Homelessness and involvement with police services are two important factors associated with AMH Understanding the prevalence of homelessness and police contact among individuals with AMH problems and the characteristics of these individuals is critical to ensuring there are adequate AMH services available to support individuals with AMH problems who experience homelessness or who are in contact with police services. Predicting which individuals with AMH problems are most likely to experience homelessness or involvement with police services is necessary in order to prevent potentially avoidable use of homeless shelter and police services among individuals with AMH problems. Our project first determine the characteristics of individuals with AMH who experience homelessness or involvement with police services. We will develop models to predict homelessness and contact with police among individuals with AMH problems. Overall, this project will help to better understand the factors associated with the homelessness and police involvement among people with AMH problems and inform the delivery of health, housing and police services to better meet the needs of this complex population.
FairShare¶
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