Backgrounder: CIHR Team Grants in Co-morbidity of Brain Disorders and Other Health Problems

[ Press Release 2010-23 ]

Mental illness, addiction, brain, nerve and sensory disorders commonly occur together with other medical or psychiatric conditions. Such co-morbidity is of interest to the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction because it is more so the rule than the exception. The Institute launched the CIHR Team Grants in Co-morbidity of Brain Disorders and Other Health Problems competition to support research teams examining co-morbid disorders associated with mental illness, addiction, brain and nerve disorders, and sensory disorders. Seven teams were selected for funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research over five years, for a total investment of over $9 million.

CIHR team in innovations in child and youth concurrent disorders

Team lead: Joseph H. Beitchman, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto, ON)

Stakeholder involvement, from design to implementation to evaluation, is essential for successful approaches to treatment of co-occurring disorders (CDs) for community end users. Dr. Beitchman and his team will build collaborative cross-sectoral networks with community service providers involved with youth in order to develop and evaluate innovative, developmentally informed, integrative service delivery models to address CDs. The team will set the groundwork for improved child, youth and family treatment, increase collaboration amongst disciplines and service sectors, and develop strategies to reduce barriers to effective treatment by helping to establish an integrated health services and research network.

CIHR team in vascular cognitive impairment: Animal models of co-morbidity

Team lead: David F. Cechetto, University of Western Ontario (London, ON)

Investigations in humans demonstrate a relationship between Alzheimer's disease and other diseases including stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and clogged arteries. Using a brain condition in rats similar to that of an older brain or the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, Dr. Cechetto and his team will examine changes in the deterioration and function of the brain in animal models of stroke, diabetes and hypertension in the presence of brain chemistry associated with brain aging and Alzheimer's disease. These models will be critical in allowing them to understand the mechanisms which lead to brain deterioration with combined disease, and diagnose these conditions to determine which new drugs being developed will be most effective to treat the brain before full dementia occurs. 

CIHR emerging team grant in shared mechanisms for co-morbid disorders

Team Lead: William G. Honer, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Mechanisms of inflammation may be involved with a host of co-morbid disorders affecting behaviour. In the aging brain, inflammatory mechanisms interacting with diseased blood vessels and diminished brain reserve capacity may result in problems of learning and memory, and in depression. In younger adults, these mechanisms could be an integral part of the way exposure to viral infections can influence thinking, memory and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Dr. Honer and his team will examine the risk factors for viral infection, which may be important in limiting the prevalence of co-morbid mental illness, addiction and infectious disease. 

CIHR team in the epidemiology and impact of co-morbidity on MS in Canada (ECoMS)

Team lead: Ruth Ann Marrie, University of Manitoba (Manitoba)

Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) are also often burdened by other health conditions. Dr. Marrie and her team will conduct population-based research to gain insight into co-existing health conditions among persons with MS and in the general population, as well as identify the type and frequency of co-morbidities among persons with MS as compared to the general population. They will focus on health-related quality of life to gain a broad perspective on how co-morbidity influences health, and also on use of disease-specific treatments for MS to gain an understanding of how co-morbidity influences treatment decisions and access. Their research program may lead to individualized disease management, insights into the pathophysiology of MS, and ultimately improved health care in MS. 

CIHR team in co-morbidity for brain disorders and other health problems: Research on the development of novel approaches to prevention of HIV and Hep C among cocaine addicts who suffer from mental health problems

Team lead: Elise Roy, University de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, QC)

The simultaneous occurrence of problematic consumption of cocaine and mental health problems and is rarely considered in studies of the risks of infection and in the provision of HIV and hepatitis C prevention services. Dr. Roy's team will conduct research into the links between mental health problems and the consumption risk behaviours among addicts who smoke or inject cocaine. The results of the program will have the potential to directly influence the provision of services targeted at cocaine addicts suffering from mental health problems.

CIHR team using a mobile community research laboratory to improve understanding, treatment and prevention of addiction and mental illness co-morbidities at the individual and community level: Researching Health in Ontario Communities (RHOC)

Team lead: Samantha Wells, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (Toronto and London, ON)

To better understand co-occurring mental illness, addiction and violence, Dr. Wells and her team will use an innovative community-based approach, involving use of a mobile research laboratory to collect data in a diverse set of communities. The team is composed of experts from the biological, behavioural, and social sciences. They will support and coordinate pilot research projects using the research laboratory in various communities across Ontario, including remote, rural, and disadvantaged communities, and coordinate full-scale projects developed from these pilot studies. This community-based approach will lead to a better understanding of causes and mechanisms of co-morbidity, increased sharing of findings among relevant disciplines, and the development of strategies for improving prevention and treatment programs for individuals who suffer from co-morbid conditions. 
 

CIHR team is improving end-of-life care in First Nations communities: Generating a theory of change to guide program and policy development

Team lead: Mary Louise Kelley, Lakehead University (Thunder Bay, ON)
Co-principal investigator: Dr. Kevin Brazil, McMaster University (Hamilton, ON)

The number of Aboriginal Canadians facing end of life is increasing each year due to the growing number of Aboriginal seniors and the high burden of chronic and terminal disease amongst this population. Furthermore, residents of rural or remote First Nations communities face many barriers to accessing health services, including palliative care, while existing services are often not culturally appropriate. Drs. Kelley and Brazil and their team will examine ways to improve end-of-life care in four First Nations communities by developing palliative care programs and creating a culturally appropriate theory of change to guide palliative care program and policy development nationally.