Ontario Brain Institute
Year In Review

2019/2020
The Ontario Brain Institute is a not-for-profit organization that accelerates discovery and innovation, benefiting both patients and the economy. Our collaborative ‘team science’ approach promotes brain research, commercialization and care by connecting researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to improve the lives of those living with brain disorders. Welcome to Brain Central. Funding provided, in part, by the Government of Ontario.

Letters from the Executive Team

“OBI’s end goal of improving brain health is realized by moving science and innovation from the lab, and into the community. Lab to life, if you will. To truly empower and impact a person’s life, we must offer them the knowledge, tools, and resources to better care for themselves. This approach seems to be working. Building on the government’s investment, OBI has leveraged an additional $327M into its three core pillars of research, commercialization and care, leading to remarkable results.”

Hugh MacKinnon, Board Chair
Marcia Moffat, Vice-Chair

read full letter
“Our confidence in a collaborative approach to science has been all the more strengthened during the current time of a pandemic, as we continued to be smart and nimble with our time and resources towards impact. We intend to maintain this momentum in the years to come.“

Dr. Tom Mikkelsen, President & Scientific Director

read full letter
download infographic

Impact at a Glance

Over the course of the year, OBI’s strategic partnerships and collaborations have yielded significant results. See our impacts for research, neurotech, and brain health.

download infographic

Culture at OBI

Taking care of your brain begins with just six aspects of everyday life - from what we eat, to how we sleep, and everything in between. Take our quiz to learn more about brain health and find out how staff at OBI practice what we preach!

Survey
1

MOVE: How do you prefer to keep active?

1

MOVE

"I love to walk and take pictures of flowers and interesting buildings along the way."

Anonymous

"I love exploring the TransCanada trail."

Gustavo Scola

"My hockey teammates tell me that my effort makes up for my wooden hands."

Jordan

"I am a big tennis fan! Love to hit the courts in the early morning."

Samyuktha Movva

"I find [lifting weights] relaxing, as you can focus on your breathing and body movements."

Arturo

"Strength training to help strengthen my muscles and attention; cycling to ease my mind."

Anonymous

"Dancing is how I keep active. It doesn't feel like a workout or extra effort, just enjoyable!"

Anonymous

TIP: Your brain is part of your body, and your body was made to move. Physical activity helps improve blood flow, stimulate chemical changes for cell growth and can help promote neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to “rewire” itself) – all of which can help you think better and improve memory. Physical activity is also helpful in relieving stress and has antidepressant effects.

What’s the best way to be physically active? Any way that you can do consistently! Use the CSEP Physical Activity Guidelines to help plan out how you can work some movement into your daily and weekly routines.

Click here to learn more

2

EAT: Do you eat with your brain health in mind?

2

EAT

"We have lentil soup for breakfast every day."

Anonymous

"Just started supplementing my diet with ground flaxseed!"

G Smith

"I usually remember my veggies, but the cookies and snacks can get the best of me".

Saskia Kwan

"One of my goals this month has been to eliminate foods containing refined sugar from my diet."

Sonia Sugamar

"I don't like to plan what to eat to keep my brain healthy, but I try my best to have different colors and types of food with every meal and try my best to limit the sweets consumed a day."

Anonymous

"I grow a great deal of what I eat and make most things from scratch; that way I know what is in my food."

Anonymous

TIP: When it comes to eating for good brain health, there is no one “superfood” you should eat to keep a sharp mind. Instead, plan your meals around the components commonly cited as part of the Mediterranean Diet. This includes beans and legumes, whole grains, some occasional red meat, fatty fish, nuts, low-fat dairy, fruit and lots of vegetables. This diet has been linked to decreased risk of dementia and conditions like heart disease and diabetes. It is known to support overall cognitive health. In addition to supporting cognition and aging, more recent work suggests the Mediterranean Diet may be helpful in reducing the symptoms of depression. For an easy guide on how to eat well for your brain health, visit the Brain Health Food Guide, developed by the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging.

Click here to learn more

3

SLEEP: How do you maintain good sleep hygiene?

3

SLEEP

"I try to keep a consistent schedule for sleeping. I'm planning on using other sleep hygiene tools to improve my sleep."

Anonymous

"I usually go to bed before 11pm and wake up at 7:30am everyday no matter [if] it is the weekend or a workday. I also avoid consuming caffeine in the evening, and if I really want to have a drink, I would drink herbal tea which helps sleep."

Anonymous

"Just like we prioritize diet and exercise, getting a good sleep should also be a priority."

Arturo

"This is an area that requires some additional work for me. I have always had issues with sleep."

Anonymous

"I don't need much for a good night's sleep except a gentle breeze, a slightly cooler temperature, and a heavy duvet. Alright, perhaps I need the perfect conditions."

Samyuktha Movva

TIP: Just like your body, sometimes your brain needs rest. Sleep is crucial to help us feel restored, reinforce neural pathways for memory, and possibly help clear away toxins that build up after a long day. Shorter sleep duration and poor sleep quality reduce cognitive performance during the day. We can also become more irritable, have difficulty controlling emotions, and experience a more negative mood. Prolonged sleep loss may also increase the risk of developing a mood disorder like depression, and could lead to cognitive decline and dementia. To counteract all this, make sure to develop good sleep hygiene – a set of activities and behaviours that prepare you for good sleep - such as keeping a regular bedtime and wake-up time, reducing caffeine and screen usage in the evening, and creating a comfortable sleeping environment.

Click here to learn more

4

PLAY: How do you stay social?

4

PLAY

"I have my immediate and our very large extended families, and friends to socialize with."

G Smith

"I definitely go through phases - sometimes I crave a lot of social interaction and other times, I need to be alone and in my own head for a bit. It's all about achieving a good balance!"

Samyuktha Movva

"Keeping connections during quarantine, whether virtually and/or in person, has helped me feel less alone and has helped in providing some comic and stress relief!"

Rasha Abdo

"I enjoy being active while hanging out with family and friends. My family and I often walk our dog together, while my friends and I exercise at a park or dance together."

Sonia Sugumar

"Despite my shyness, I tend to enjoy interacting with others when I volunteer to learn new perspectives."

Anonymous

"We spend as much time playing as a family as we can. Whenever possible, we include friends and extended family in these activities. In the summer months, this includes swimming, biking, hiking, and playing at the park. In the winter months, we enjoy skiing, skating, and tobogganing."

Anonymous

TIP: Engaging in cognitively challenging tasks isn’t the only way to keep your brain sharp. Socializing – with friends, family members, colleagues, neighbours – plays an important role as well. Being socially active may help support cognition into older age, increase feelings of engagement and connectedness, and is positively linked to lower psychological distress.

What is the best part of all this? You can get social while doing other activities that support your brain health, like being physically active or enjoying a good meal!

Click here to learn more

5

THINK: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

5

THINK

"I love learning new skills online. I have been learning language and computer skills in my spare time and am planning to learn some drawing in the near future."

Anonymous

"This year I picked up Spanish again and took classes through a center. Now comes the hard part of remembering to keep practicing."

Saskia Kwan

"I try to read as much as I can and then find friends to discuss it with."

Fatima Khan

"To keep my mind sharp, I try to read a lot from beyond my field, from novels to general interest."

Arturo

"Puzzles, books, and good conversations are just a few ways that I try to keep my mind sharp. That is only one part of the equation though - good sleep habits, diet, and exercise are also key for me."

Anonymous

"I like to engage in intellectual conversations regarding all existing topics. It is incredible to learn about different perspectives and immerse myself in many cultures."

Gustavo Scola

"I like to learn new things to keep my mind active. My latest interests include learning to sail and taking leadership classes in the evenings."

Sonia Sugamar

"I try to do a combination of structured and unstructured things to challenge myself cognitively - from daily new language learning practice, reading on a variety of topics, and picking a new skill to try every few months."

Anonymous

"I love to read and also write and play board games and puzzles."

Anonymous

"[Our family loves to do] Crosswords, sudokus, reading books and news articles."

Anonymous

What if we said that you could boost your brain power? What if we said that you could do it in 20 days, putting in only 90 minutes each day? Sound like a bad infomercial? It’s not!

Your brain is an incredibly complex and dynamic organ. Connections between neurons are constantly being strengthened and weakened, allowing you to quickly learn new information, while forgetting or ignoring less relevant information. Scientists refer to rewiring as “neuroplasticity”. Using what scientists know about neuroplasticity, you can strengthen your brain by doing regular mental exercises to improve your cognitive power.

Click here to learn more

6

RELAX: What do you do to manage stress?

6

RELAX

"I try to limit my news intake and social media. Morning and evening walks or bike rides also help to relax and center."

Anonymous

"A run or a walk always helps me clear my head and destress."

Saskia Kwan

"Taking long walks in nature is my constant, essential oils and biking - depending on what my body needs at the time."

Fatima Khan

"Sitting by water is helpful. I don't get to do that often, so I try to use mindfulness when doing other activities, such as cycling and baking."

Anonymous

"I like to read autobiographies that help me understand the challenges other people faced and the decisions they made."

Anonymous

"Plug my ears and listen to the beats that make me happy. I usually go for long walks in the evenings while listening to the songs I like most."

Gustavo Scola

"My day would not be complete without some time for stretching before bed. Evening walks and sunset bike rides are also relaxing for me."

Sonia Sugamar

"I like to take a walk after I finish my work in the afternoon. This is a good time for me to reflect on myself and to be closer to the nature."

Anonymous

"Ensuring there's a barrier between my work life and personal life helps with stress management."

Anonymous

"I cry when I feel [stress]. I take time for myself. I lean on others when I need to."

Anonymous

TIP: It is normal to experience a little bit of stress, and keeping your brain in its best shape will help you weather the stresses of everyday life. However, increased stress over an extended duration can make it difficult to learn, remember and manage complex tasks. Over time, chronic stress may over-activate your “fight-or-flight” response and make it more difficult to re-engage parts of our brain that support complex thought. It is especially important to unwind and give your mind a necessary break. When it comes to relaxing, it is important to do what works for you and that you enjoy – socializing and receiving support, physical activity, engaging in hobbies, or meditating are some examples. Monitor your stress levels and if you are having difficulty managing your stress, seek support from your healthcare provider.

Click here to learn more

View full infographic here

Acknowledgements

Board of Directors

Hugh MacKinnon

Board Chair
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Bennett Jones LLP

Marcia Moffat

Vice-Chair

Managing Director - Country Head of Canada

BlackRock

Tom Mikkelsen

President & Scientific Director

Ontario Brain Institute

Joyce Barretto

Interim Executive
Stikeman Elliott

Heather Chalmers

President and Chief Executive Officer

GE Canada

Susan M. Fitzpatrick

President

James S. McDonnell Foundation

Michael Horgan

Senior Advisor

Bennett Jones LLP

Diane Kazarian

Managing Partner, GTA & National Bank Leader

PwC Canada

Michelle Khalili

Managing Director and Head - Global Equity Capital Markets

Scotiabank

Jeff Lozon

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Lozon Associates

Kyle MacDonald

Portfolio Manager

Gallant MacDonald - CIBC, Co-founder Capitalize for Kids

J.W. (James) McGuire

Former SVP Global Operations & Procurement

Manulife

David Sharma

President

TELUS Enterprise & Partner Solutions

Todd Vienneau

Senior Director - Global Medical Affairs

Insulet Corporation

Councils & Committees

Martin Buxon

Brunel University

Brenda Flaherty

The Change Foundation

Anas El Turabi

McKinsey & Company

Richard Ellenson

Kathryn Graham

Alberta Innovates

Cara Altimus

Milken Institute

Dr. Ann Cavoukian

Executive Director, Global Privacy & Security by Design Centre (former 3-term Privacy Commissioner of Ontario)

Dr. Sean Hill

Director, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Dr. Charles Peck

Neuroinformatics Consultant, Chief Scientist, Neuromentix

Dr. Gary Bader

Professor, Ontario Research Chair in Biomarkers of Disease

Dr. John Mattison

Assistant Medical Director & Chief Medical Information Officer, Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Patrick Martin

Professor Emeritus, School of Computing, Queen’s University

Dr. Daniel Zikovitz

Principal Solutions Architect

Dr. Rodrigo Lopez

Web Production, European Bioinformatics Institute

Dr. Vince Calhoun

Founding Director, Tri-Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS), Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University