Perioperative Brain Health Centre Research

Pre-clinical research

Pre-clinical research is performed in the laboratory for mechanisms of anesthesia located in the department of physiology, University of Toronto. The team  is led by Dr. Beverley Orser, scientist & professor in the department of anesthesia and physiology, and chair of the department of anesthesia, University of Toronto.

The discovery of general anesthesia is one of the greatest advances in the history of medicine. However, the molecular mechanisms of how anesthetics work have eluded scientists for centuries. This lack of understanding has stalled drug development and contributes to an inability to treat anesthesia-related disorders. The main goal of the laboratory  is to understand the molecular mechanisms of general anesthetics and discover new therapeutic drugs to improve patient care.

Clinical research

Dr. Stephen Choi
Clinical Research Officer

Dr. George N. Djaiani
TGHRI

Dr. Nathan Herrmann
Dept of psychiatry

Dr. Philip Jones
LHSC University Hospital

Dr. Alex Kiss
Dept of health policy, management and evaluation

Cogstate
We thank Cogstate for generous in-kind donation of online cognitive assessment tool

Senior Friendly

Dr. Krista Lanctôt
Depts of psychiatry and pharmacology & toxicology

Dr. David Mazer
Dept of anesthesia (SMH)

Dr. Tarit Saha
KGH Research Institute

Dr. Summer Syed
Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University

Dr. Angela Jerath
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto

Dr. Lilia Kaustov
Director of operations
Research manager

Eily Shaw
Research coordinator

Dr. Ignacio Erbetta
Research coordinator

Daniel Martinho
Research coordinator

Shahin Khodaei
Clinical Research coordinator

Dr. Connor Brenna
Research fellow

Hannah Rose Rosales
Graduate Student

Hana Hadley
Research assistant

Madlene Abramian
Research coordinator

Annie Su
Co-op student

Select Publications from our Centre

Current Projects

Current projects are listed on our Research Page

Graduate Student Program and Training Opportunities

The program is designed to develop the better diagnostics and treatments in Brain and Mental Health – an area, which represents a huge social and economic burden worldwide.

MSc candidates are welcome to write to Dr. Stephen Choi  at any time, and should apply through the Institute of Medical Sciences .
As a ‘bilingual scientist’ and a physician who sees patients and can bring understanding of disease, Dr. Choi has a strong interest to bridge a pre-clinical and clinical research to enable knowledge transfer of perioperative brain health discoveries into the clinic.

Postdoctoral & graduate candidates are welcome to write to Dr. Beverley A. Orser  at any time. Graduate students should apply through the Department of Physiology, University of Toronto .

Qualified candidates should have a background in one or more of the following areas: translational neuroscience, neurological and anesthesia-related disorders, neurotransmitter receptors, extrasynaptic GABAA receptors, physiology.

Experience and skills in one or more following techniques is essential: electrophysiology (in vitro or in vivo), whole-cell patch clamp recording in brain slices, biochemistry, cell biology, optogenetics, imaging, and animal behavioral assays.

Educational Observerships

Professional Development and Continuing Education oversees our Educational Observerships

Perioperative Brain Health Centre Summer Student program

We are offering matching summer studentships through the Sunnybrook Research Institute.

Anesthesia Grand Rounds

Knowledge translational rounds take place quaternary to network and foster collaboration between preclinical and clinical research arms.

  • June 7th 2024:
    • “Discoveries that shaped the journey: The story behind a classic papers revisited” presented by Dr. Beverley A. Orser, MD, PhD, FRCPC
    • “Life’s a wave… Catch it! A VExUS analysis”  presented by Dr. Mario Merin, MD, Anesthesia Fellow

To enroll:

Please contact Dr. Lilia Kaustov (study coordinator) .

We are looking for study participants who are:

60 years of age or older and undergoing open heart surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
or 
50 years of age older and undergoing a hip or knee replacement at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Details

Perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction, including delirium and other cognitive disorders, are common adverse events following surgery. These can affect memory, thought processes and awareness either transiently or for periods of months to years, and can lead to longer hospital stays, decline in functional independence and permanent disorders such as dementia.

There are no proven treatments to prevent these disorders, but you can make a difference. We are seeking volunteers undergoing heart, hip or knee surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for two studies: CODEX, studying the effect of a widely used medication, dexmedetomidine, on perioperative cognition in cardiac surgical patients; and COGNIGRAM, assessing the cognitive status in patients undergoing major joint surgery using a standardized cognitive test.

Enroll today to help us gain a better understanding of how perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction can be prevented. Please note that out of pocket expenses will be covered.

This study may involve

Completing a few questionnaires, as well as a brief, 20-minute computerized cognitive test before your operation and again during your hospital stay and at 3, 6, and 12 months later via phone.

Principal investigator

Dr. Stephen Choi

For more information

Learn more about the Perioperative Brain Health Centre.