Our Scientists

Dr. Sandra Black MD, FRCP(C)

Neuroscience Program Research Director
Sunnybrook Research Institute

Brill Chair in Neurology

Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

Senior Scientist
Rotman Research Institute

Associate Professor
Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto

Research Focus
Dr. Black is a clinician scientist that collaborates with leading cognitive neuropsychologists to address theoretical issues in brain-behaviour relationships. She studies the secondary cognitive issues related to stroke and stroke recovery, and differentiating and monitoring dementia using a combination of clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging measures.

She leads multidisciplinary teams in conducting large-group studies over time, which includes compiling fundamental complex databases of quantitative neuroimaging and clinical information. Analysis of this data has helped understand the underlying mechanisms of disease progression and/or recovery. In face, it is becoming increasingly evident that Alzheimer’s and Cerebrovascular Disease frequently co-occur in older individuals and have synergistic effects on the clinical expression of dementia and has become an area of major focus.

In addition to these clinical studies, she has used experimental approaches aimed primarily at understanding mechanisms which underlie deficits in praxis (translation of ideas into action), visual-spatial function, language, and attention in stroke and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Tiffany Chow, MD

Clinician-Scientist
The Rotman Research Institute

Assistant Professor of Neurology
Department of Medicine, Neurology Division
University of Toronto

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Department of Medicine, Geriatric Psychiatry Division
University of Toronto

Research Focus
Dr. Chow’s clinical research is dedicated to finding meaningful interventions for patients with behavioural disturbances due to Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Using various imaging techniques, including the PET scan, Dr. Chow is researching how the areas of the brain communicate with one another to form circuits. These findings might provide better rationales for the treatment of behaviourally disturbed patients with dementia.

Dr. Morris Freedman MD, FRCP(C)

Scientist
Rotman Research Institute

Head, Divsion of Neurology and Director, Behavioural Neurology Program
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

Professor
Faculty of Medicine (Neurology), University of Toronto

Director
Behavioural Neurology Section, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto

Research Focus
Dr. Freedman’s research is aimed at improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression in the elderly.

Dr. Freedman and his colleagues are carrying out research to determine whether there are distinct subgroups in Alzheimer's disease and to examine the relation between these subgroups and lesions in selective brain areas. They will also examine whether genetics is related to different clinical subgroups, and to different sites of brain involvement in Alzheimer’s disease.

This research will have implications for future studies in Alzheimer's disease related to determining the underlying causes, the development of refined diagnostic criteria, and treatment.

Dr. Freedman’s research interests also include drug treatment studies in Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. Carol Greenwood

Senior Scientist
Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit

Professor
Department of Nutritional Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto

Research Focus
Dr. Carol Greenwood represents the discipline of Nutrition at KLARU and brings her expertise in the relationship between diet and brain function, specifically cognitive function and appetite regulation.

Dr. Greenwood's research program carries two central themes - the first being diet as a risk factor for cognitive decline with aging and the second being the role of appetite disturbances as a contributor to malnutrition risk in institutionalized seniors with cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer Disease (AD).

The goal of her research relating to malnutrition risk is to understand how and why dietary intervention responses change with AD progression and to develop strategies, dependent upon stage of disease, which optimize nutrient intake in this vulnerable population.

Another area of investigation focuses on healthy seniors and the impact of lifelong dietary patterns on risk of cognitive decline with aging. Dr. Greenwood’s current focus is on the role of type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent) as a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.

These studies include an examination of the impact of meal, or food, consumption on cognitive function since many older adults with type 2 diabetes experience transient decreases in cognitive function following meal ingestion. This study aims to understand the biologic means whereby food ingestion interferes with cognitive function in those with diabetes and to identify food strategies which minimize this decline.

Dr. Elsa Marziali

Clinician Scientist/Director
Ben and Hilda Katz Centre for Gerontological Social Work
The Rotman Research Institute

Schipper Chair in Gerontological Social Work
Baycrest, University of Toronto

Professor
Faculty of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry
Faculty of Medicine
University of Toronto

Scientist
Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit

Research Focus
Dr. Marziali’s main focus of research has been on the development and evaluation of an Internet-based video conferencing, e-health intervention for caregivers of family members with long-term disabilities and degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other dementias, stroke and Parkinson’s. The aim is to compare outcomes between an online video conferencing support group and a comparison group receiving web-based information only.

In addition, Dr. Marziali is developing a tool for assessing the personal resources and vulnerabilities of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. In combination with functional autonomy ratings of the person with dementia, this caregiver assessment tool will provide the basis for prescribing home care services that address the health needs of the person with dementia as well as his or her caregiver.

Her other research includes evaluating the effects of showing multimedia family histories to persons with Alzheimer’s, and the effects of six educational videos on caregiver capacity for managing caregiving tasks.

Dr. Paul Verhoeff, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Clinical Research Scientist
Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit

Staff Psychiatrist
Baycrest

Associate Professor in Geriatric Psychiatry
University of Toronto

Research Focus
Dr. Verhoeff’s research activities have centred on neuroreceptor imaging using PET scans or single-photon computerized tomography (SPECT) in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, and in healthy control subjects.

In collaboration with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Dr. Verhoeff is making strides at Baycrest in showing the potential for PET scans to advance an earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s as well as assessing the effectiveness of new Alzheimer’s treatments.

Dr. Verhoeff published the first PET study of brain deposits called beta-amyloids associated with Azheimer’s in living patients in 2004, and the first published study in the world that compared two beta-amyloid PET tracers.

Dr. Laura Wagner

Gerontological Nursing Research Scientist
Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit

Research Focus
Dr. Wagner conducted a “friendly visiting” study. Her study explored the impact of friendly visiting from trained volunteers on the well-being of cognitively impaired nursing home residents as recorded through observations and volunteer interviews.

The results support the need to enhance cognitively impaired residents’ quality of life and quality of the moment by promoting their personhood and affirming their identity, current capacity and past accomplishments.