Webinar Series: Advances in Dementia Research
TDRA and the Alzheimer Society of Toronto (AST) created the TDRA Research Studies Portal, which lists dementia studies led by TDRA scientists that are currently open for participation.
To highlight these studies, TDRA and AST have partnered to host a bi-monthly webinar series called Advances in Dementia Research.
Each webinar starts with an overview of a dementia-related topic—such as agitation or brain stimulation. Then, the presenting scientists highlight one or more related studies from the portal that they lead. It’s a great opportunity to connect directly with researchers and clinicians, learn about the latest dementia research, and ask practical or big-picture questions. Webinars are presented in plain language and are designed with people living with dementia and their caregivers/care partners in mind.
For upcoming webinar dates, please see Events.
Past Webinar Recordings
Presented by Dr. Harmehr Sekhon, this webinar explores how nature-based virtual reality (VR) can support people living with Alzheimer’s disease who experience depression or agitation. The session also introduces a study at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) testing an at-home, nature-based VR program to help manage depression in Alzheimer’s disease.
Presented by Dr. Ahmad Elsawy, this webinar explores what deep brain stimulation (DBS) is, how it works, and how it has been used in different parts of the brain. The session covers the methods used and what research has shown so far. The webinar also introduces a study at the University Health Network in Toronto that is testing DBS as a possible treatment for mild Alzheimer’s disease.
Presented by Dr. Krista Lanctôt from Sunnybrook Research Institute, this webinar explores how cannabinoids—active substances from the cannabis plant—may help manage dementia symptoms like agitation in people living with Alzheimer’s disease. The session highlights a new study investigating whether cannabidiol (CBD) can safely reduce agitation, building on earlier research using a similar cannabis-based treatment called nabilone.
Watch this webinar recording to learn how biomarkers—measurable signs like brain changes or proteins—help us detect and understand the disease. Discover a drug treatment being tested in the DIAN-TU-002 study for people living with a rare genetic form of Alzheimer’s.
Presented by researchers from the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, this webinar explores how rehabilitation and technology support the independence and safety of people living with dementia, highlighting two studies on tech-based rehabilitation and games.
To mark Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, the Alzheimer Society of Toronto (AST), the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and TDRA partnered to present a virtual panel discussing innovative approaches in Alzheimer’s disease research and care, covering brain stimulation therapies, recent research updates, opportunities for participation, and the perspective of a research participant.
Presented by Dr. Eugenie Roudaia, this webinar explores how vision and visual perception changes with aging and in the presence of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Presented by Dr. Arlene Astell this webinar explained the role of movement, balance, fall prevention, communication and other cognitive and physical rehabilitation techniques for people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Dr. Astell introduced two related studies that are currently recruiting on the TDN site.
Presented by Dr. Mario Masellis, this webinar explained the role of genetics in different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Specifically, Dr. Masellis discussed the complex nature of the genetics of AD and FTD, as it relates to late onset sporadic forms vs. early onset familial cases.
Presented by Dr. Mary Chiu, this webinar provided an overview of the caregiving/care partnering role, in the context of caring for persons living with dementia, and the impact on the carers’ health and wellbeing. Dr. Chiu reviewed evidence-based interventions and training programs currently available to support carers for different aspects of this demanding role. Dr. Chiu introduced a study titled “Dementia Caregivers Skill Training Through Virtual Reality Simulation (VR-SIM Carers)”.
Presented by Dr. Linda Mah, this webinar provided an overview of the relationship between heart rhythms and various aspects of physical, mental and cognitive health, including memory, mood symptoms and other aspects of emotional health.
Dr. Mah discussed a series of observational studies investigating the brain-heart connection; specifically, whether heart rate variability can be used as an indicator of cognitive health, in older adults.
Presented by Drs. Gary Naglie, Mark Rapoport and Sayeh Bayat, this webinar provided an overview of the challenges that driving cessation poses for people living with dementia and their family/friend carers, as well as new resources and technology (e.g., self-driving cars) being developed to support them. The speakers introduced three current research studies that investigate driving and dementia.
In this webinar, Dr. Andres Lozano presents an overview of functional neurosurgery, a specialized medical approach used to treat brain disorders. Dr. Lozano introduces the FRONSTIM study which will evaluate the safety of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in people diagnosed with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Rabin, this webinar provides an overview of modifiable risk and protective factors that may delay the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Dr. Rabin also reviews a study based at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre that investigates risk and protective factors for dementia among people who identify as East Asian, South Asian, or White.
Presented by Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, this webinar provides an overview of frontotemporal lobar degeneration-related syndromes (e.g., frontotemporal dementia). Dr. Tartaglia also reviews two Toronto-based studies that examine how frontotemporal lobar degeneration-related syndromes progress over time.
Presented by Dr. Neda Rashidi-Ranjbar, this webinar reviews a study that investigates a form of non-invasive light therapy called photobiomodulation as a treatment for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI); an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
Presented by Dr. Sandra Black, this webinar provides an overview of the BEAM (Brain-Eye Amyloid Memory) study. The BEAM study investigates whether measurements of the eye can be used for earlier detection of dementia.
Presented by Dr. Krista L. Lanctôt, this webinar presents an overview of two ongoing clinical trials evaluating new drug treatments for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Presented by Dr. Mark Boulos, this webinar discusses evidence that links sleep disorders with cognitive impairment and stroke. Dr. Boulos also explains how home sleep testing may improve outcomes in patients with cognitive dysfunction and stroke, and discusses preliminary results from a related study called ‘ENCHANT’.
Presented by Dr. Tarek Rajji, this webinar provides an overview of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, and discusses a brain stimulation study that aims to improve memory and thinking processes in people with mild cognitive impairment.
In this webinar, Dr. Ho Yu from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reviews genetic and lifestyle risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, including differences between population groups. This webinar also discusses the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) study.
In this webinar, scientists from the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (ONDRI) present recent updates related to their work in studying multiple diseases that can cause dementia. Details of the Health in Aging and Neurodegeneration in Dementias in Ontario (HANDDS-ONT) study are also discussed.