From climate change to neuroscience, scope of Western research expertise grows
Brain and Mind Institute
Training the brain to recognize voices
New research from Brain and Mind Institute and UCL suggests people may need to concentrate on the art of conversation more than ever following pandemic lockdowns.
‘Sounding it out’ not so easy for children with dyslexia
Western cognitive neuroscientists using MRI discovered a biological deficit for some early readers that impairs the ability to sound words out.
Could COVID help identify teens at risk for mental health problems?
Pre- and post-pandemic fMRI brain scans may drive early detection and interventions for vulnerable adolescents
Royal Society celebrates Western scholars
Four Western researchers were named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), commonly recognized as the country’s top honour in the arts, humanities and sciences.
Grasping the world is not the same as understanding it
When humans reach out and grab things, we don’t rely on the same visual cues we use to perceive an object’s size, a new study from Western’s Brain and Mind Institute shows.
Grants awarded for COVID-19 research in child, brain health
Two Western researchers are among six interdisciplinary project teams awarded Manulife CIFAR Population Health and Wellbeing grantsto study the long-term health effects of COVID-19.
Read. Watch. Listen. with Mel Goodale
Transport yourself beyond pandemic isolation and into parallel worlds both near and far when Western neuroscientist Mel Goodale takes a turn on Read. Watch. Listen.
Brain Study explores lasting impacts of COVID-19
Neuroscientists exploring the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on the brain hope their newest study will provide answers for health-care professionals and improved care for millions of patients around the globe.
Study explores strain on dementia patient care partners
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has further strained care partners of those living with dementia to the point where they are having trouble balancing care for their loved ones with their own self-care, resulting in physical and emotional exhaustion, health problems, and feelings of anxiety, depression and irritability.
New institute pushes neuroscience excellence forward
Western will continue to build on more than a half century of neuroscience research excellence thanks to the recent approval of the Western Institute for Neuroscience.
Study: Bilingualism does not make you ‘smarter’
Despite numerous social, employment, and lifestyle benefits, speaking more than one language does not improve your general mental ability, according to a new study conducted by Western’s Brain and Mind Institute.
Study links concussions to loss of inhibition
Consistent signs of compromised inhibition found in a study of concussion sufferers were mirrored in separate tests on Canadian university football players.
Ease up on e-learning expectations for kids
“It is useful to engage children with some school now – but be gentle on yourself and, by extension, be gentle on them to reduce the stress load on everyone.”
Isolation stress can test those with addictions
Across Canada, people who face addiction and mental-health issues are coming to terms with a new reality – an uncertain future with a period of physical distancing to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
Junk food orders up trouble for young brains
That teenager in your kitchen feasting on fast food, candy bars and pop might not be able to help themselves – all the more reason for adults to help them before they cause long-term damage to their developing brains.
Study gets up close with near-death experiences
Those who momentarily shuffled off this mortal coil returned with positive perceptions of what they discovered on the other side – a finding that encourages researchers to dig deeper into the ways people describe near-death experiences, according to a joint study between Western and the University of Liège (Belgium).
Read. Watch. Listen. with John Paul Minda
Fantasy. Conspiracy. Eric adventure. And that’s only to get things started when Psychology professor John Paul Minda takes a turn on Read. Watch. Listen.
New audio dome paints research soundscape
“For too long, auditory research has involved people listening to single sounds in sound booths – and that’s just not how we listen in the real world. Enter the Brain and Mind Institute’s new virtual acoustic space that’s helping neuroscientists at Western understand how our brains process sounds.
Study targets ‘fingerprint’ of human consciousness
Western researchers have moved a step closer to identifying a ‘brain fingerprint’ for consciousness – a discovery that will unlock further understanding into why some patients, presumed to be vegetative, are still aware of the world them.