By 2030 1.4 million Canadians will be living with cognitive impairment and this trend will continue to increase

Cognitive impairments, compounded with mobility challenges, will affect the capacity of these individuals to enjoy an independent life. In the Memory Lab we study the brain mechanisms responsible for the memory decline that very often occurs during aging.

In the Memory Lab, we study how the brain changes through these processes and how these changes, in turn, modify our capacity to acquire and store information. See our aging projects here and help us by participating in our experiments.

OUR RESEARCH ON AGING

The signature of cognitive decline

This project investigates associations between markers of cognitive decline and different aspects of functional performance…

Aging and memory interference

This project uses non-invasive brain stimulation to investigative whether aging increases the susceptibility to memory interference...

Aging, sleep and memory

This project investigates whether aging modifies the interactions between brain plasticity and sleep during memory consolidation...

THE MEMORY LAB is looking for research participants

Find out more

FUNDING SUPPORT

NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION

We use transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability and modulate the activity of different regions of the brain that are involved in various aspects of cognition.

NEURONAVIGATION

We use neuronavigation to visualize the brain in vivo and improve the accuracy and repeatability of our brain stimulation and neuroimaging protocols.

NEUROIMAGING

We use electroencephalography to assess changes in the activity of different areas of the brain at rest, during sleep and during different motor and cognitive tasks.

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS

We use exercise tests to assess the physiological response to exercise of our patients and participants. During these tests we measure cardiac activity, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, and biomarkers.

MOTOR BEHAVIOR

We use different motor learning paradigms, including serial reaction time, visuomotor-tracking and ballistic tasks involving both upper and lower limb, to study the capacity to learn and retain motor skills.

BLOOD BIOMARKERS

We measure the concentration of proteins such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which are related to brain plasticity processes required for motor recovery.

GENOTYPING

We use genotyping to explore how specific genes determine the recovery after brain injury or the response to different rehabilitation strategies such as cardiovascular exercise.