Drs. Simon Chen and Sara Tremblay have earned highly competitive national grants from Brain Canada—an achievement that underscores the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine’s leadership in neuroscience and translational medicine as our investigators seek to resolve the most pressing neurological challenges of our time.
The “Momentum Grants” are awarded to scientists whose work demonstrates exceptional promise in accelerating discoveries that improve our understanding of the brain and ultimately transform patient care. The grants program is designed to catalyze innovative projects at critical stages, helping researchers generate the preliminary data needed to unlock larger-scale funding and breakthroughs.
This latest recognition reflects not only the excellence of Drs. Chen and Tremblay as neuroscience investigators, but also the strength of Ottawa’s collaborative research ecosystem. By fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and supporting high-impact ideas, the Faculty alongside its world-class affiliated hospitals and institutes is pushing the boundaries of what is possible in brain health research.
Dr. Simon Chen
“This work will, for the first time, elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of different motor movements.”
Dr. Simon Chen
Working at the intersection of neuroscience and motor control, Dr. Chen is investigating how basic molecular mechanisms underlying motor learning will enhance our understanding of post-traumatic rehabilitation in brain injury and disease. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Neural Circuits and Behavior and is an associate professor in the Faculty’s Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
The Momentum Grant allocated to Dr. Chen’s team aims to aid the development of novel therapeutic targets for motor-related brain diseases and to promote plasticity in dysfunctional circuits altered in disease-impacted brains.
By leveraging advanced molecular techniques and cutting-edge imaging tools, this project has the potential to help reshape our understanding of post-traumatic rehabilitation in brain injury due to stroke and other ailments.
“We aim to investigate how the brain acquires distinct motor skills over extended periods of time. This work will, for the first time, elucidate the cellular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of different motor movements,” Dr. Chen says.
“In the long term, these insights will provide a foundation for studying motor recovery in disease contexts, such as stroke, and will be critical for developing targeted therapeutic strategies to promote movement-specific rehabilitation.”
The project now funded by Brain Canada will build on highly compelling findings Dr. Chen’s team published in 2022 shining a light on the mechanisms involved in regulating the process of motor memory acquisition and consolidation during repetitive practice of movements such as reach-and-grasp.
Dr. Chen emphasizes the deeply collaborative environment at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine as a key factor in his lab’s success. As a recent example, he mentions a fruitful collaboration which secured funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to acquire an ultrafast two-photo microscope – a state-of-the-art system that will greatly benefit our research community for many years to come.
“I am deeply grateful for the support that has enabled me to conduct my research at uOttawa. With ‘Brain and Mental Health’ identified as one of the university’s top strategic research areas, I have had access to the resources and talented trainees necessary to pursue these long-term research questions,” he says.
Dr. Sara Tremblay
“This (research) would help move toward more personalized treatments and reduce the current trial-and-error approach in depression care.”
Dr. Sara Tremblay
Dr. Sara Tremblay studies how neuromodulation affects brain circuits in mental health disorders, with the goal of personalizing treatments and improving patient outcomes. She is a scientist at The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), affiliated with the University of Ottawa, adjunct professor at uOttawa’s Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and associate professor at Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO).
Dr. Tremblay’s Momentum Grant project will directly measure changes in brain connections following a neuromodulation treatment called Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS), a technique that uses magnetic fields to modulate brain regions believed to be involved in depression. Patients with treatment-resistant depression will receive daily stimulation sessions and brain scans before and after treatment.
Ultimately, she and her team will study how the brain rebuilds connections between nerve cells—a process called neuroplasticity that is thought to underlie the antidepressant effects of this treatment.
“By directly measuring these changes with advanced brain imaging, specifically positron emission tomography (PET), we aim to understand how the treatment works and who is most likely to benefit,” Dr. Tremblay says.
Looking ahead, Dr. Tremblay is optimistic about the potential impact of her team’s work. Here’s how she envisions success for the grant-funded project: “Success would mean identifying clear brain changes that explain how and for whom TBS works. This would help move toward more personalized treatments and reduce the current trial-and-error approach in depression care.”
Dr. Tremblay says receiving this Brain Canada’s support is an honour for her team and “allows us to tackle high-impact questions that can improve our understanding of the therapeutic effects of neuromodulation.”
Working in Ottawa’s thriving research ecosystem fosters close integration between clinical care and research, according to Dr. Tremblay. It also provides scientists studying the brain access to unique infrastructure—such as the PET-MR scanner dedicated to mental health research that is housed at The Royal’s Brain Imaging Centre.