LEARNING. MEMORY. COGNITION.
Welcome to the Department of Neuroscience
We are a group of neuroscientists who approach the study of the brain from the point of view of the behavioural and cognitive function of distributed neural systems.
Our Department at the University of Lethbridge was the first established neuroscience department in the country and home to some of Canada’s most famous neuroscientists. Our faculty have a wide range of interests that span topics such as memory, neuroplasticity, comparative neurology, brain development, neurodegenerative disease, recovery after injury, decision making, gambling, play, sleep and stress. And all of our faculty have national and international reputations for their work. The Department is located in the Science Commons, Canada's more advanced faility for science education and research. This new $280-million facility truly puts science on display and will inspire the next generation of researchers, entrepreneurs and leaders. With open and flexible laboratories, makerspaces and specialized outreach spaces, students from kindergarten to PhD-level, faculty and community members will have boundless opportunities for hands-on learning, collaboration and discovery.
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Department Highlights
University of Lethbridge study investigates the effects of space travel on male and female astronauts
Astronauts blasting into space face a barrage of stressors — noise, vibration, G forces, loss of gravity, radiation, isolation and closed quarters, to name a few. A new study, led by a team around University of Lethbridge neuroscientist Dr. Gerlinde Metz, is examining what these stressors do to the human body in space and may in turn unlock clues to help mitigate the effects of similar stressors on everyday people.
“Using this approach, we saw that space travel resulted in sex-specific changes in metabolites involved in energy metabolism, which may be linked to bone loss, muscle regulation and immunity dysfunction. Our results also show different metabolic responses, especially during the recovery period, with females needing more time to adjust to their return to Earth.”
Researcher’s work on how gut inflammation drives changes in brain structure earns national recognition
Seeking to understand how chronic gut inflammation drives changes in brain structure, function, and behaviour, University of Lethbridge postdoctoral researcher Dr. Chelsea Matisz (BSc ’05, MSc ’09) has received national recognition in support of her quest. Now, as she focuses on how cannabinoids and psilocybin may help remediate chronic inflammation-induced changes in brain and behaviour, she’s excited about the therapeutic potential of her work.
Matisz recently received a L'Oréal Canada For Women in Science Research Excellence Fellowship and one of three Royal Society of Canada Alice Wilson Awards. The support validates how important her research is and how widespread and debilitating gut inflammation can be for people.
University of Lethbridge neuroscientist Dr. Robert Sutherland to receive distinguished contribution award
Marking a stellar career as a researcher and professor, ULethbridge’s Dr. Robert Sutherland has been named winner of the 2022 Donald O. Hebb Distinguished Contribution Award by the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour & Cognitive Science (CSBBCS).
The award recognizes those who’ve made a significant contribution to the study of brain, behaviour and cognitive science through their research, training of others and leadership in the field.
Sutherland will receive his award on Tuesday, July 19 at the CSBBCS annual meeting in Halifax, where he will also deliver the Hebb Award Lecture.
Gaining hands-on research experience: Erin Cantwell
Erin Cantwell spent her summer starting a new section of her research journey in Investigating the Potential Long-Term Neuroanatomical Consequences of Chronic High-CBD Cannabis Use.
Shining Student Julia Stroud
In diving headfirst into the world of research, Shining Student Julia Stroud decided to make herself uncomfortable to try something she had no predisposition to, and she's glad she did as her …
Shining Student Karina Almeida Villalba
A ULethbridge, Shining Student Karina Almeida Villalba overcame diversity and became the person she "always wanted to be,” thanks partly to unparalleled encouragement from her professors and a supportive environment.
Shining Student Emily Hagens
uLethbridge is the university for Shining Student Emily Hagens because it is big enough to offer students great opportunities but small enough to allow students to make the connections they need in …
Shining Student Sean Park
Shining Student Sean Park chose uLethbridge because of the atmosphere and sense of community on a smaller campus—it allowed him to pursue a quality education while building relationships with faculty and peers to get …
Oladipo Olatona - Pronghorn Track and Field
"I feel like being a Black athlete in a university sport is a great honour. I feel like to an extent we represent others who might not have had the opportunity to do the same things …
Career Bridge: Centre for Work-Integrated Learning and Career Development
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