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
Ruffed Grouse study to aid in management of prized game bird
Future hunting seasons for Alberta’s Ruffed Grouse population may be managed differently once the results of a new study by University of Lethbridge researchers Drs. Theresa Burg and Andrew Iwaniuk are analyzed.
The study, which received $30,400 in funding support from the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), seeks to build on previous work that identified the southwestern Ruffed Grouse population in the Crowsnest Pass area differs genetically from other Alberta populations. The goal now is to determine how many populations can be identified with genomics methods applied to a broader sampling of Ruffed Grouse populations across the province.
University of Lethbridge researchers receive grant for further exploration into the causes of Alzheimer’s disease
Most of the research into Alzheimer’s disease has focused on the familial type where the disease has a strong genetic component. What might come as a surprise is that 90 to 95 per cent of cases are late-onset or sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (SAD), an area where researchers at the University of Lethbridge are focusing their efforts.
SAD is much more difficult to research because of the presumed interactions between genetics and lifestyle factors, which can vary from person to person. Regardless of how complicated it might be, Dr. Rob McDonald, a neuroscientist with the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, believes that’s precisely the direction research needs to take.
The latest weapon against Alzheimer’s disease could be as simple as touch
A study by a team of University of Lethbridge neuroscientists has shown that tactile stimulation shows much promise as a non-invasive method of slowing the onset of dementia in aging mice and could be an additional therapeutic intervention for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and the Alzheimer Society encourages everyone to learn more about dementia and its impact on Canadians. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and represents a global health crisis.
Shining Graduate Behroo Mirza Agha
From her very first class at the University of Lethbridge Dr. Behroo Mirza Agha (BSc '16, MSc '18, PhD '23) knew she made a great choice of study and post-secondary institution.
Ty Dudas finds the formula for success in the lab
Ty Dudas, a third-year neuroscience student at the University of Lethbridge, has truly embraced the institution's liberal education philosophy. While majoring in neuroscience, Ty's curiosity led him to explore other fields, particularly organic …
Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Science) winner Emily Hagens found her passion in synthetic biology
Emily Hagens (BSc '23) has an exciting future ahead of her. She plans to complete an MSc in genomic medicine at Oxford next year and then begin a PhD program in bioengineering at …
Shining Student Ty Dudas
Third-year neuroscience student Ty Dudas embraces ULethbridge’s liberal education philosophy and takes courses outside his major. This discovery led him to organic chemistry and research he hopes will be used to make …
Jonathan Le May - Silver Medal of the Governor General
Shining Student Jonathan Le May wasted no time exploring research opportunities in the Department of Neuroscience once he arrived at ULethbridge. Little did he know how important rats would rank as part …
Cayley Fleischman
"I've always been curious, and science is a great way to foster and encourage that!"
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