UVic BRAIN Lab

We're enthusiastic to share another podcast episode from Baycrest's Defy Dementia podcast!

What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Across your lifespan, there are many ways for blood supply to your brain to be compromised - some are covert. It is
estimated that up to 20 percent of people over 80 experience blood vessel damage in the brain. In this episode, we explore vascular dementia and how problems with blood vessels can increase dementia risk over time.

Dr. Eric Smith, Professor of Neurology, Radiology and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, explains how vascular health affects brain function and what steps can help reduce dementia risk. Christine Aiken shares her lived experience, offering insight into life after a vascular dementia diagnosis and the importance of advocacy, support and finding meaning.

Together, they highlight prevention, the warning signs to watch for and recovery after stroke.

Tune in at defydementia.org, or wherever you get your podcasts. Also find the link in our bio!

The Brain Lab is currently seeking a Lab Coordinator! 📣
Apply by July 5th.

Some responsibilities may include📝:

-Assisting with community engagement and knowledge translation efforts

-Contributing to recruiting, hiring, and training undergraduate volunteers

-Assisting with preparation of grant applications and post-award administration

-Managing laboratory computers, software installations, licensing, and coordination with IT services

-Assisting with specific ongoing research studies

Other details:

- ~10 hours/week, with potential flexibility

-Primarily on-campus in the BRAIN Lab; however, some flexible/remote working may be possible

More about the role, intended qualifications, and how to apply:https://brainlab.uvic.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/5326/2026/06/Brain-Lab-Coordinator-Job-Posting-2026.pdf

Congratulations to all our 2026 graduates! We're so proud of you.

Hi everyone, we're excited to share an upcoming event, "Defy Dementia on the Road, Victoria BC”. This will be co-hosted by Jay Ingram and Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief Scientist, Baycrest Academy for Research & Education and Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation!

The event will take place on July 7th from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m at the University Club of Victoria.

Everyone attending will learn about modifiable dementia risk factors and hear directly from dementia experts and individuals with lived experiences during our interactive panel and Q&A session.

Hear from panelists:

-Dr. Alex Henri-Bhargava
-Lynn Jackson
-Dr. Stuart McDonald
-Dr. Mariko Sakamoto

Register today! https://luma.com/yeyue0uc

Defy Dementia on the Road | Victoria, BC · Luma Join us for an engaging afternoon exploring what we can do to reduce dementia risk—co-hosted by Jay Ingram and Dr. Allison Sekuler, President and Chief…

Hello everyone!

We would like to share that Statistics Canada’s Eh Sayers podcast has an exciting new episode entitled 'The Grey Anatomy of Canada: The Story Behind Canada’s Aging Population.'

"Canada’s population is getting a makeover, and it is changing the way Canadians live. We are digging into new demographic data with Patrick Charbonneau, Section Chief in the Centre for Demography at Statistics Canada, to see how big boomer and millennial generations, plus fewer younger people, are shaking up demand for housing, schools and health care.

We also look at the rise of the sandwich generation, the caregiving squeeze that comes with longer lives and smaller families, and the many ways older Canadians keep things running through volunteering, child care and family support."

Tune in to this fascinating 20-minute episode wherever you get your podcasts!

We're excited to share our lab's article has been published in the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease! This article presents a qualitative analysis on participants’ experiences in the Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training (KRESCENT) program.

To learn more, click the link in our bio!

The full citation is below💫:

Petula, I. D., Chung, A. F., Knight, J. E., Hartwig, S., Levin, A., & Paterson, T. S. E. (2026). Evaluating the Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training (KRESCENT) Program: A 20-Year Qualitative Thematic Analysis. Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease, 13, 20543581261434652. https://doi.org/10.1177/20543581261434652

We're enthusiastic to share that many of our lab members presented at Making Waves, UVic's undergraduate Psychology conference!

Congratulations to everyone who presented, and thank you for representing the BRAIN Lab at Making Waves!!

We're very pleased to share that Dr. Paterson recently won the 2025 Catalyst Grant!

These CIHR-funded projects use existing data from Canada’s long-term aging study to explore how biological, social and environmental factors influence how we age.

Dr. Paterson's project is entitled "for her project entitled "Modelling the Impacts of Life Course Enrichment and Depletion Factors on Cognitive Aging and Brain Health Trajectories using Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Data".

For this week’s team member spotlight, we’d like to introduce Guntaj, another one of our terrific undergraduate RA’s.

Guntaj is a third-year student, majoring in psychology. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in either forensic or criminal psychology. She is interested in how some brain areas involved in decision-making, such as the prefrontal cortex, are hindered in criminals or how they differ in some people, and why recidivism rates are high. In her free time, she enjoys watching murder mysteries, going to cafes to try good food, and exploring nature.

Thanks for all your hard work, Guntaj!

Are you an unpaid caregiver for someone living with dementia in Canada?

We'd love to hear from you!

You can help by taking part in an online study about caregiver resilience — the ability to adapt, grow and do well even when facing tough situations.

We hope the results of this study will help create better supports and services for caregivers.

The study includes 2 parts:
1) online survey (~45-60 minutes)
3) optional online cognitive tasks (similar to brain games; ~30 mins)

Study Payment:
-$15 gift card of your choosing for completing the survey
OR
-$25 gift card of your choosing AND raffle entry for prizes up to $500 for completing the survey and cognitive tasks

Interested? Contact us at [email protected] or scan the QR code in the poster to to set up a 5-10 minute screening phone call.