On May 8, the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, announced that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is providing a total of $573,378 to support two researchers at Trent University.

The recipients are Drs. Carlyle Smith and Gordon Winocur, who will independently undertake two important new studies that look at different issues related to cognitive function.  “The Government of Canada is committed to investing in knowledge, science and innovation,” said Minister Clement. “In Budget 2008, we increased CIHR’s budget by $34 million and we made a number of other strategic investments designed to further strengthen Canada’s research capacity. The research being supported with the funding announced today will help us address important health issues affecting Canadians, such as cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS.” 

Renowned for his expertise in understanding the neural mechanisms of sleep, psychology professor Dr. Smith will receive $380,515 to advance his research on the relationship between sleep quality and memory formation.  His study will examine the changes in fine sleep brain wave microarchitecture in both young and old individuals to better understand the nature of age-related cognitive decline as it relates to sleep states.  Through this work in collaboration with Trent psychology professor Dr. Kevin Peters, Dr. Smith hopes that it may be possible to detect early declines in cognitive functioning (such as early Alzheimer disease) by examining sleep behaviour and develop medical interventions.

The second study, conducted by lead researcher and Professor Emeritus Dr. Gordon Winocur, will receive $192,863 to investigate the side-effects of chemotherapy on cognitive function.  In previous studies, Dr. Winocur successfully determined that cognitive loss experienced by chemotherapy patients was the result of dysfunction in hippocampal and frontal lobe regions of the brain, and not caused by the cancer itself.  Thanks to this new funding from CIHR, Dr. Winocur will now be able to extend this work in order to identify the neurobiological mechanisms whereby chemotherapy disrupts brain function, and contribute to the development of intervention programs for reducing cognitive impairment associated with chemotherapy.  Dr. Winocur’s research will be conducted in association with the Toronto-based Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre with his co-investigators Dr. Ian Tannock of Princess Margaret Hospital, Dr. Mark Henkelman of the Hospital for Sick Children, and Dr. Martin Wojtowicz of the Department of Physiology from the University of Toronto.

“Today’s funding announcement reflects the important contributions being made in the health sciences here at Trent at the national level,” said Dr. Jim Parker, associate vice president of research at Trent University.  “We greatly appreciate CIHR’s support toward these two researchers whose work will directly make a difference in the lives of others.”

For further information about research opportunities at Trent University, please visit www.trentu.ca/research .