Research summary
Childhood brain development plays a crucial role in shaping lifelong mental health. Yet the factors that influence risk and resilience for substance use and psychiatric disorders are poorly understood. Dr. Patricia Conrod, Canada Research Chair in Preventive Mental Health and Addiction, is using cutting-edge neuroimaging and big-data approaches to identify early markers of risk. She is also examining the genetic, environmental and individual-level influences on neurodevelopment and developing next-generation multimodal imaging to improve pediatric brain research.
Her work includes launching a new multi-site study to track neurodevelopment in 1,000 children and continuing large-scale studies on adolescent mental health. In addition, she and her research team are developing and evaluating early intervention strategies to prevent substance use disorders and improve mental health outcomes. Their research will shape health care, education and legislation to protect Canadian youth.