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Sunnybrook Research Institute
Senior Scientist
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Ave., Room FG 05
Toronto, ON
M4N 3M5
Administrative Assistant: Abby Li
Phone: 416-480-6100, ext. 3185
Email: abby.li@sunnybrook.ca
Education:
- PhD, 1998, Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Canada
Appointments and Affiliations:
- Senior scientist, evaluative clinical sciences, Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
- Professor, psychiatry and pharmacology/toxicology, University of Toronto
- Executive director, MORE® research group
Research Focus:
- Pharmacotherapy: neuropsychiatric symptoms secondary to CNS pathology
Research Summary:
Neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with illness include mood changes, apathy, aggression and cognitive changes. These are common sequelae of many central nervous system disorders such as dementia, traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular disease and stroke. Dr. Lanctôt's goal is to optimize the psychopharmacological management of these neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Her research addresses this goal by determining the underlying neurobiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms, examining predictors of treatment response, using novel pharmacological agents and carefully considering adverse drug events. Dr. Lanctôt's early focus was on the neurobiology of behavioural disorders associated with dementia. The goal of this research was to determine if behavioural subtypes can be linked to underlying neurochemical or neuropathologic dysfunction. A variety of tools including neuroimaging, pharmacogenetics and pharmacologic challenges are used in combination with pharmacotherapeutic trials.
This research will contribute to our understanding of the link between dysfunction in various neurotransmitters and neuropsychiatric symptoms. As such, it may allow Dr. Lanctôt's team to predict response to medications based on behavioral subtypes. At a broader level, it can provide the background for novel therapies.
A second focus of research evaluates the impact of pharmacologic treatments at a population level, which includes measuring relevant health outcomes, quality of life and modelling cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of pharmacotherapies.
Selected Publications:
See current publications list at PubMed.
Related News and Stories:
- A shining moment (June 7, 2012)
- Boom, baby, boom! (from Sunnybrook Research Institute magazine, 2011)
- Depression and heart disease: new link found (July 29, 2009)
- Spring Up: Eleven SRI researchers are recognized by a quartet of funding bodies (June 3, 2008)
- Caring enough: Two SRI neuroscientists investigate the link between Alzheimer’s disease and apathy (February 19, 2008)
- The skeptics - two SRI docs question new findings on a drug: A feature from Research Report 2004-2006
- A stroke of despair: A Sunnybrook scientist investigates the depths some older patients sink to after a stroke and their curious resistance to treatment (November 8, 2006)
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