My research program is aimed at achieving a better understanding of childhood development and the consequences of early brain injury. We use several methodological and technological approaches in four main spheres of investigation:

• Studies of normal childhood development and predictive factors of brain and cognitive maturation
• Investigation of the effects of perinatal brain injury (e.g. prematurity) and postnatal brain injury (e.g. cranial trauma) on cognition, social competence, quality of life and brain development
• Development and validation of new cognitive tasks and social skills (e.g. moral reasoning, theory of mind, executive functions)
• Development of intervention programs for parents and children/teens with traumatic brain injuries

Target populations: healthy populations, traumatic brain injury, prematurity, behavioural problems, child psychiatric disorders, metabolic/genetic diseases, other neuropsychological disorders, etc.

Techniques used: MRI, fMRI, PET, DTI, eye tracking, neuropsychological assessment, longitudinal studies, etc.

Dr Belleville contributes to the developement and understandin of cognitive training for older adults and persons at risk of dementia and on the prevention of age-related cognitive decline. She identifies processes of compensation and plasticity in mild cognitive impairment using brain imaging techniques. She also developed an important research program on the neuropsychology of memory in aging and dementia and has contributed to a better understanding of the neuropsychological deficits found in persons with very early signs of Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment. She created and leads the CIMAQ, a cohort of well-characterized older adults with suspected prodromal Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Brambati has a PhD in Molecular Medicine (cognitive neuropsychology profile) from the Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, Italy (2006). She then completed post-doctoral studies at the Memory and Aging Center (University of California, San Francisco) (2006-2007), and the IUGM research centre. Today she is a researcher at the IUGM research centre (FRQ-S Junior 1) and a professor on loan to the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal.

My research program is aimed at achieving a better understanding of the cognitive and psychological consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adults, using a number of methodological approaches. More specifically, my work concerns:

1. the development of models for predicting future developments in TBI patients
2. the development of neuropsychological tools for TBI clients
3. the evaluation of early intervention and rehabilitation programs for TBI patients

Jean Gagnon, MPs, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, a neuropsychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal. His field of teaching is psychological assessment and personality theories. He is a full member of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR) at the Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC).

My current research mainly concerns the cognitive and cerebral effects of different pediatric diseases and syndromes, such as epilepsy, infantile spasms, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), prematurity and congenital cardiac anomalies. In the laboratory, I use neuropsychological assessment and neuroimaging (optical imaging (NIRS), electroencephalography) and magnetoencephalography (MEG)) to better understand these pathologies and their impact on brain development, identify predictive markers for certain related disorders or developmental prognostics and develop pre-surgical assessment techniques suitable for use with these populations.

My research program is aimed at achieving a better understanding of normal and atypical neuropsychological development among children and teenagers. More specifically, it aims to:

• Develop and validate assessment and intervention methods for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, in particular attention deficit and learning disorders (dyslexia, dyscalculia)
• Develop and validate analytical and interpretation methods for neuropsychological data
• Model cognitive processes by means of artificial neuronal networks.

My research program is aimed at improving our understanding of the influence of music on cognition and health in both the non-clinical population and among people with neurological disorders or mental health problems. In particular, I am interested in the effect of musical moods (e.g. relaxing, stimulating) on the emotional state and on cognition (e.g. the executive functions). For instance, my research focuses on examining the impact of background music on cognition and on developing musical activities to reduce stress. My research is supported by the SSHRC.

Sarah Lippé, Ph.D. Neuropsychologist

Full Professor, Psychology Department, University of Montreal
Director, Neuroscience of Early Development Lab (NED)
FRQ-S Senior Scientist, Sainte-Justine Hospital

“What happens at key moments in child development when pathologies sometimes occur that harm cerebral, cognitive, and emotional development?” Dr. Sarah Lippé Ph.D, neuropsychologist, Full Professor of Psychology at the University of Montreal and FRQ-S Senior Scientist at Sainte-Justine Hospital, is determined to find answers. As Director of the multidisciplinary Neuroscience of Early Development Lab (NED) she studies the cerebral mechanisms involved in learning processes in infants and children. 

Sarah Lippé, completed a Master’s degree in neuropsychology and a Ph.D. in clinical and research neuropsychology at the University of Montreal. She was trained as a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at the Atomic Energy Commission (France) and at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care (Toronto). She is member of several research groups and Network (BRAMS, CerebrUM, GRIP, TACC, KBHN). Her research focuses on brain development, sensory processing and sensitivity and learning in healthy infants and children. Further, she investigates neurodevelopmental disorders risk factors. She particularly wants to understand the prenatal and genetic risk factors leading to neurodevelopmental disorders, and their consequences on brain development, sensory processing and sensitivity and learning capacities. Her investigation methods are non-invasive and enables her to develop early screening methods and treatment efficacy assessments. 

Among her current initiatives, she co-leads a multidisciplinary translational research program to mechanistically understand neurodevelopmental disorders. She also leads the first inter-generational genetic-neuropsychology-EEG cohort of children with genetic risk factors, in which more than 400 families are tested using EEG and neuropsychology (Brain Canada, Quebec 1000 projects (Q1K)). Moreover, ongoing contributions include the development of treatment options for neurodevelopmental disorders. Her lab is among the very first to propose EEG as an outcome measure in international and national clinical trials. Her team is driving the EEG investigation of the potential benefits of Metformin in FXS (Azrieli funded). She leads the neuropsychology and EEG investigation aspect of Canada-USA-European clinical trials for children presenting with autism. She is also involved in several national and international initiatives on infant EEG, aiming at creating a normative database to understand EEG signals maturation and to create a clinical tool for infants’ brain signal assessments. Her laboratory “Neuroscience of Early Development lab” is multidisciplinary and includes students and HQP at all levels of training. She is also on board of directors of several initiatives including Kids Brain Health Network and Fragile X Research Foundation of Canada aiming at supporting research and families.

A few objectives of our research at our electrophysiology and traumatic brain injury impact study laboratory (CRLB-CRIR and CERNEC):

• The use of visual and cognitive electrophysiology and neuropsychological tests to objectify alterations in brain function and means of recovery after a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• The study of the effectiveness of cognitive and rehabilitation interventions and the links between brain function, symptomatology and some indicators of post-TBI development, such as ability to work and quality of life