Saskatchewan Research

Photo: courtesy of the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

Research to find the causes and a cure for Alzheimer disease continues to be a high priority for the Society. In 2010 - 2011, we contributed $209,177 to support several initiatives.

Saskatchewan Research Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia

In April 2010, University of Saskatchewan researcher Dr. Darrell Mousseau was awarded the Saskatchewan Research Chair worth $1 million over the next five years to study a link between Alzheimer’s disease and depression. The Chair is a partnership among the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and the University of Saskatchewan. The two funding partners each provide $100,000 per year for five years, while the University of Saskatchewan provides the necessary infrastructure and support for the Chair.

Dr. Mousseau is a professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan, and the former vice-president of the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan board. He and his team have found that an enzyme that plays an important role in depression can severely weaken brain cells and perhaps trigger the neurodegenerative processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease. The team is also looking at the role of anti-depressants in this process.

Over the next five years, Dr. Mousseau and his team hope to come closer to discovering earlier diagnostic
measures and prevent Alzheimer’s disease in a significant portion of the population.

Alzheimer Society Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Research Awards

Two Saskatchewan researchers have received 2011 - 2012 Doctoral research awards in the Quality of Life stream:

Rachel Burton, University of Saskatchewan, received $61,590 for her doctoral research on “Delivering cognitive rehabilitation by telehealth to people with dementia in rural areas” under the supervision of Dr. Megan O’Connell (Rural & Remote Dementia Clinic).

Heather Eritz, University of Regina, received $61,590 for her doctoral investigations on “Life history, nurse empathy and aggressive behaviours in individuals with dementia” under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Hadjistavropoulos (Centre on Aging and Health).

Ongoing Awards

In 2010 - 2011, Sébastien Hébert, who studies at the Université Laval in Quebec City was awarded a $180,000 Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan Young Investigator grant. His project is entitled “The Importance of microRNA target site polymorphisms in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Also in 2010 - 2011, another Université Laval researcher, Carl Julien, received a $90,000 Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan Post-Doctoral Fellowship Award to study the “Effect of type 2 diabetes on the in vivo pathogenesis of tau.”