A Long History of New Discoveries

Brainbuzz newsletter

Research Milestones

1974

Dr. Philip Seeman discovers the effectiveness of antipsychotic drugs is directly related to their ability to block the dopamine D2 receptor. This opens the way to a scientific explanation for the drugs’ reactions. His papers are among the most highly cited in the schizophrenia literature.

1977

The Addiction Research Foundation (now part of CAMH) is named the first World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre in the field of drugs and alcohol. This international collaborative role continues today; in 2008, CAMH research underlies WHO’s adoption of the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.

1977

Addiction Research Foundation develops RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving in Etobicoke) as a pilot project beginning Oct. 1, 1977. Today RIDE (now Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) is used by police across the country.

1992

Opening of Canada’s first PET (positron emission tomography) Centre dedicated to medical imaging research in mental illness. Over the following decade, CAMH’s PET Centre develops several ligands (illuminating radiotracer agents) commonly used in human neuroscience.

1998

Merger of four organizations to form the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Queen Street Mental Health Centre, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Donwood Institute, and Addiction Research Foundation—a pioneering move recognizing the interconnected nature of mental illness and addiction.

2005

CAMH scientists identify a new variant of the gene that causes Rett syndrome, a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that affects almost exclusively females. The discovery is translated into a licensed diagnostic tool for the disease currently available to the public.

2006

CAMH PET studies reveal that most antidepressants miss the key target—serotonin receptors—for treating clinical depression. The discovery establishes a standard that anti-depressants being developed for the market be 80 per cent effective in hitting this target.

2006

Opening of the Krembil Family Epigenetics Laboratory at CAMH—the first psychiatric epigenetics lab in the world exploring the “switches” that turn genes on or off, for example, the impact of nutrition and stress.

2008

CAMH opens Canada’s first pharmacogenetics clinic, dedicated to understanding the genetics of people’s response to psychiatric medication and the side-effects they experience. Its vision is a new era of personalized medicine for people living with all forms of mental illness, including addiction.

2008

CAMH researchers discover the first concrete genetic linkage to schizophrenia via a subtype of the disease called Deletion Syndrome (22qDS).

2010

CAMH scientists demonstrate that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy provides equivalent protection against depressive relapse as traditional antidepressant medication.

2010

CAMH scientists discover higher levels of a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in women after childbirth, providing a possible explanation for why postpartum blues and clinical depression occur. Using this knowledge, scientists begin developing supplements to target this loss of nutrients and lower the risk of postpartum depression.

2011

Using brain imaging and genetics, CAMH scientists identify a variation of a gene that may play a role in late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

2011

CAMH launches first mobile research laboratory to study mental health in rural, remote and First Nations communities across Ontario.

2012

The Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH, dedicated to understanding brain structure and function to identify the causes and best treatments for mental illness, including addiction, officially opens.

2012

CAMH opens the Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention to research innovative non-invasive brain stimulation treatments, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic stimulation therapy.

2014

Campbell Institute scientists are part of a large international team that identifies 108 genetic variants associated with schizophrenia.

2015

Through brain imaging, Campbell Institute scientists show brain inflammation occurring during major depressive episodes. The finding provides a potential new target for depression treatment, as current therapeutics do not target inflammation.

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