Since the 1950’s, UBC has been the site of groundbreaking discoveries in understanding, diagnosing and treating a number of brain disorders and diseases. It is also home to Canada’s largest integrated research and treatment facility – the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Today, more than 500 researchers continue to be at the forefront of brain research, pioneering their work around mental health and addictions, dementia, and movement disorders.
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Discoveries
- 2017: Controversial treatment for MS found to be ineffective
- 2017: Link between vitamin A and Alzheimer’s disease
- 2017: Scientists create mouse that resists addiction
- 2016: Antibiotic restores brain cell communication damaged by Alzheimer’s
- 2015: Regular exercise can reduce risk of dementia
- 2012: Gene linked to Parkinson’s disease found
Key Research Groups
- BC Centre on Substance Use
- Brain, Behaviour & Development
- Centre for Research on Personhood in Dementia
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- Dynamic Brain Circuits and Connections in Health and Disease cluster
- Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program
- Institute of Mental Health
- Pacific Parkinson’s Research Centre
Spotlight

Living in sunnier climes could reduce risk of MS
Professor Helen Tremlett, in the Division of Neurology, examined sun exposure over the lifespan.
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UBC expands research into healthy aging with $24 million gift
The donation from Edwin S.H. Leong is the largest gift that the Faculty of Medicine has ever received from an individual.
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Use of fentanyl signals limits of substitution therapy for many Downtown Eastside residents
The study of people living in marginal housing also showed how quickly fentanyl infiltrated the community in 2017.
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Alzheimer’s disease might be a “whole body” problem
Weihong Song used surgically-joined mice to show that the protein considered to be Alzheimer's main culprit can travel from elsewhere in the body to the brain.
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UBC recognizes three of Canada’s top health scientists
Stanley Nattel, Ian Mackenzie and Eduardo Franco are being honoured for their accomplishments in heart health, brain health and cancer.
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Mixed reality gives neuroanatomy lessons a boost
UBC's Faculty of Medicine teams up with Microsoft to help students visualize the brain's 3D structure.
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BCCSU partners with UBC to launch new training program for opioid treatment prescribers
The new Provincial Opioid Addiction Treatment Support Program will train health professionals in best practices for prescribing methadone and other opioid agonist treatments.
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New online addiction training program launched
The Online Addiction Medicine Diploma is the latest educational initiative of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, which began operations this year.
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Controversial treatment for MS found to be ineffective
The clinical trial, led by Anthony Traboulsee, showed that opening narrowed veins didn't lead to better outcomes compared to a sham procedure.
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Study sheds light on B.C. youths’ experiences with mental health services
As a UBC graduate student in Rehabilitation Sciences, Shalini Lal highlighted the impact of mental health services on young people with psychosis.
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