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Make a difference to the 1 in 3 people impacted by a brain disorder

You can help bring brain health to life

Transforming Care

Over a lifetime, one in three Canadians people will develop a brain disorder. Not counted in this number is the impact on family and friends, caregivers, coworkers, and society who support and care for these individuals. The impacts of brain disorders can range from manageable to life-altering, which is why your contribution is so important. You can help the Ontario Brain Institute continue to make a difference in their lives.

The Ontario Brain Institute – or OBI – makes connections that lead to positive change. From testing new care pathways to providing patient support outside clinical settings, OBI connects key collaborators - including researchers and healthcare providers, industry partners and community organizations, patients and caregivers - to accelerate solutions that improve brain health.

Our team approach drives innovation in neurotechnology, ensures tools for brain health reach those who need them most, and improves the delivery of care close to home. Most importantly, it gets results that help all Canadians improve their brain health.

We invite you to join us. With your support, we can bring brain research and innovation to life.

Support the future of brain health

I now live semi-independently and my relationship with my support staff is much better. They are able to help me early on [with the Anxiety Meter app] and this has helped me trust them and be more accepting of their help.

— Lita, managing a brain disorder with an app tested through OBI's CORTEX program

Initiatives with real-world impact on Canadians

  • NERVE Program

    (Neurotech Entrepreneurship to Validate Emerging Innovations)
    It's important to nurture innovation in the healthcare space. As part of OBI's work to improve the lives of people living with brain disorders, NERVE helps early-stage entrepreneurs develop neuroscience-backed technologies. So far, the program has supported over 85 entrepreneurs and helped get more than 25 products on the market, leading to life-changing tech for kids with cerebral palsy, transformative supports for mental health, and empowering solutions for seniors. The next great brain health invention starts here – with your support.
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  • CORTEX Program

    (Community-Led Real-World Neurotech Experience)
    Impact happens in the community. CORTEX supports real-world testing of neurotechnologies in partnership with community groups. To-date, it has partnered on nine projects, helping close to 1,500 participants access technology to support their brain health. Key impacts include testing a new care pathway for accessing dementia care; providing an innovative solution to assist with managing seizures; and giving children with neurodevelopmental conditions a wearable to help them manage their emotions. Together, we can improve brain health in your world.
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  • GEEK Program

    (Growing Expertise in Evaluation and Knowledge Translation)
    Odds are you know someone who is affected by a brain disorder. GEEK empowers community-led initiatives by building evaluation capacity to help them grow and scale. Collectively, 20 organizations across Ontario have trained and supported over 3,000 individuals in brain-health related program delivery. These initiatives include virtual support for people impacted by a stroke, movement programs for people with Parkinson’s disease, and mental health support for vulnerable newcomers to Canada. In supporting GEEK, you can be part of making an impact close to home.
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We had dreamt of an intervention that would allow our son to learn to walk with a healthy gait pattern without spasticity and allow him to repeat those movement patterns thousands and thousands of times­. And, the world gave us the Trexo!

— Michelle, parent of a child using technology funded by NERVE

Enabling care in the community

The GEEK program's collaborative efforts enhance brain health and wellness in diverse communities. Recent funding recipients are striving to ensure that individuals impacted by brain health challenges receive the necessary care to thrive, including support for newcomers' mental health, provision of peer support and resources for stroke survivors, virtual sessions to reduce seizure frequency and intensity, and the promotion of brain health in Indigenous communities through knowledge sharing.

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NeuroQore’s First Dawn – A Solution for Treatment-Resistant Depression

As a teenager, Mehran Talebinejad, Co-Founder & CEO of NeuroQore, got interested in understanding the brain, and particularly depression, for one reason alone – his grandma. He wanted to offer help for her depression but due to a lack of care services and delays in finding the right drug treatment, coupled with the stigma associated with depression, he was unable to support her in the way he wanted. It was in that moment that he decided to take matters into his own hands – someone had to fundamentally transform mental health treatments – and it had to be him.

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Innovative new program for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease

In response to Ontario’s rising prevalence of dementia, RetiSpec and the Toronto Memory Program, in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto, designed and tested a new care pathway for identifying people with Alzheimer's disease. Using retinal scans, and in collaboration with local eye care clinics, their technology can measure changes in the retina that correlate with the presence of amyloid protein in the brain, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease and the earliest measurable sign.

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Kids Can Fly - and Mothers Do, Too

Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 20% of mothers and birthing parents, yet only 1 in 10 receive evidence-based treatment. New parents also cite that barriers to care include time limitations, long waitlists, and concerns about stigma and judgment by health care providers. Now, as part of their family-based programming, the Kids Can Fly organization (supported by OBI), has trained women who have recovered from PPD to deliver a support program, based in cognitive behavioural therapy, to women currently struggling.

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Impact of our work

Enabling care in the community

The GEEK program's collaborative efforts enhance brain health and wellness in diverse communities. Recent funding recipients are striving to ensure that individuals impacted by brain health challenges receive the necessary care to thrive, including support for newcomers' mental health, provision of peer support and resources for stroke survivors, virtual sessions to reduce seizure frequency and intensity, and the promotion of brain health in Indigenous communities through knowledge sharing.

read more

To me, the Dancing with Parkinson's class is an essential part of the way I treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

— Malcolm, participant in a GEEK-funded community program

About OBI

OBI’s vision is to maximize the impact of neuroscience and establish Ontario as a world leader in brain research, commercialization, and care. While a portion of work is supported by the Ontario government, equally important aspects of what we do depend on funding from people like you.

Support our transformative work to bring lab to life and you can make a difference for one in three people with brain health issues.

Donate today