credit- STFX University
A Saint Francis Xavier University professor is getting financial assistance for her research on improving brain health.
Psychology professor Doctor Erin Mazerolle was the recipient of the John R Evans Leaders Fund. A cash award worth almost $175.000. The funds have been used to purchase a functional near infrared spectroscopy system. This measures brain activity from sensors on the scalp and it measures changes in blood flow and oxygen that are associated with brain activity. The new equipment will also have a respiratory gas analyzer.
“I am very excited to bring neurovascular imaging to StFX.” says Dr. Mazerolle. “This new equipment will be integrated into StFX’s existing applied NeuroCognitive Research Lab, established by doctors Lindsay Berrigan and Melanie Lab. The resulting combination of EEG, FNIRS, respiratory gas delivery, and analysis will be a unique -in -Canada setup to better understand the role of vascular factors such as blood flow in brain health. Studying human brain function has allowed us to investigate the mechanisms of behavior, as well as track changes in brain function, related to neurological disease. A promising technique to measure brain function in humans is functional near infrared spectroscopy.”
Doctor Richard Isnor, the Associate Vice President of Research and Graduate Studies noted that this new research equipment and the research being led by Dr. Mazerolle significantly expands the health research efforts underway at StFX and this new infrastructure will help Dr. Mazerolle to explore health interventions for rural populations in Nova Scotia. Improved access to functional brain imaging has the potential to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for Canadians. The research funding was co funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and through Research Nova Scotia. $64 million dollars has been put aside to support 251 research projects at 40 post secondary institutions across the country.
