University of Toronto Logo - Physiology

Many congratulations to Dr. Beverley Orser and her PhD student, Irene Lecker* on their article published yesterday in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study identifies a cause for seizures associated with the use of antifibrinolytic drugs and a potential treatment strategy.  Read full story.    *first author.


BANNERS ACROSS CAMPUS

You may have noticed banners on lamp-posts across campus featuring various University Professors. These faculty members were chosen to be among the faces of the Boundless Campaign – “an unprecedented $500-million campaign to support our transformative health agenda” - as they are leading researchers and educators who are making a difference in the health of people and communities across the globe. We are proud to announce that Professors Stephen Matthews, Stephen Lye, Freda Miller, Gary Lewis and Mansoor Husain are among those featured. Next time you are walking around the campus, have a look!

Please click on the link to read about the five key focus areas of the Faculty of Medicine’s Campaign and to watch a video of the Campaign Launch.

Memory loss caused by inflammation in the brain may be treatable and reversible, a new study has found.

The study, led by Dr. Beverley Orser, staff anesthesiologist at Sunnybrook (Professor, Departments of Anethesia and Physiology) and Dr. Dian-Shi Wang, research associate in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto, found that memory loss could be reversed by pharmacologically targeting "memory-blocking" receptors in the hippocampus, a part of the brain that regulates learning and memory.

"Inflammation in the brain has been linked to memory loss and cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. When inflammation has occurred after an infection, injury, stroke, or even after a surgical procedure, the resulting memory loss can be profound and prolonged. Currently, there is no treatment for post-surgery memory loss," says Dr. Orser, who also works in the Departments of Anesthesia and Physiology at the University of Toronto.

The results of the study provide insights into the cause of memory loss and a possible treatment associated with inflammation, a needed event in the healing process. "Although inflammation leads to memory loss, dampening inflammation with drugs such as steroids results in poor wound healing. We sought to identify the specific downstream target in the brain that causes memory loss which accompanied inflammatory events," says Dr. Orser.