Lab members - Einstein Lab

Staff

Lab Manager: Kaz Laird – einsteinlabmanager@psych.utoronto.ca

Postdoctoral Fellows

Nicole Gervais, PhD – nicole.gervais@utoronto.ca

Nicole is the recipient of a research fellowship co-funded by the Alzheimer’s Association and Brain Canada Foundation to study early markers of Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged women with a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and spontaneous menopause. She focuses on four themes related to Alzheimer’s disease: 1) memory, 2) brain structure, 3) sleep, and 4) inflammation. She uses structural MRI to estimate volumes of the hippocampus, entorhinal, perirhinal, and parahippocampal cortices and relate any changes to differences on memory tests. Nicole measures objective sleep parameters using polysomnography to investigate sleep disturbance. Her training was in behavioural neuroscience, working with rats during her PhD (Concordia University, 2014) and aging common marmosets during her first postdoc (University of Massachusetts – Amherst, 2014-2016). Her primary research interests are to understand how aging, sleep, and hormones influence memory and its neural substrates across species. These interests include: 1) how structures in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) sub serve memory, 2) how sleep and cognition are altered by aging, 3) how chronic inflammation contributes to cognitive aging, and 4) the impact of biological sex and hormones on aging, with a focus on memory.

Nicole Gervais' Publications

Dugas, M. J., Charrette, C.A., & Gervais, N. J. (2018). Generalized anxiety disorder. In: J. Hunsley, & E. J. Mash (Eds.), A guide to assessments that work, 2^nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press
Gervais, N. J., Mong, J. A., Lacreuse, A. (2017). Ovarian hormones, sleep, and cognition, and across the adult female lifespan: An integrated perspective. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 47, 134-153. doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.08.002.
Gervais, N. J., Brake, W. G., & Lacreuse, A. (2017). Ovarian hormones and prefrontal-cortex related cognition. In: D. W. Pfaff, & M. Joëls (Eds.), Hormones, Brain and Behavior (3^rd edition, vol. 1) pp. 439-451. Oxford: Academic Press.
Gervais, N. J., Viechweg, S. S., Mong, J. A., Lacreuse, A. (2016). The middle-aged ovariectomized marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) as a model for menopausal symptoms: Preliminary evidence. Neuroscience, 337, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.056.
Gervais, N. J., Hamel, L. M., Brake, W. G., & Mumby, D. G. (2016). Intra-perirhinal administration of estrogen receptor-beta agonist enhances novelty preference, but not object-recognition memory in ovariectomized rats. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 133, 89-99.
Comba, R., Gervais, N., Mumby, D., & Holahan, M. (2015). Emergence of spatial behavioral function and associated mossy fiber connectivity and c-Fos labeling patterns in the hippocampus of rats. F1000Research, 4:396. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.6822.1.
Gervais, N. J., Mumby, D. G., & Brake, W. G. (2015). Attenuation of dendritic spine density in the perirhinal cortex following 17β-estradiol replacement in the rat. Hippocampus, 25(11), 1212-6.
Gervais, N. J., Barrett-Bernstein, M., Sutherland, R. J., & Mumby, D. G. (2014). Anterograde and retrograde memory following selective damage to the dorsolateral entorhinal cortex. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 116, 14-26.
Gervais, N. J., Jacob, S., Brake, W. G., & Mumby, D. G. (2014). Modulatory effect of 17-β estradiol on performance of ovariectomized rats on the shock-probe test. Physiology and Behavior, 131, 129-135.
Gervais, N. J., Jacob, S., Brake, W. G., & Mumby, D. G. (2013). Systemic and intra-rhinal-cortical 17-β estradiol administration modulate object-recognition in ovariectomized rats. Hormones and Behavior, 64, 642-652.
Wartman, B. C., Gervais, N. J., Smith, C., Comba, R., Mumby, D. G., & Holahan, M. R. (2012). Enhanced adolescent learning and hippocampal axonal projections following incidental spatial exposure during the juvenile period in rats. Brain Research, 1475, 37-48.
Dugas, M. J., Savard, P., Turcotte, J., Gaudet, A., Brillon, P., Ladouceur, R., Leblanc, R., & Gervais, N. J. (2010). A Randomized Clinical Trial of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Applied Relaxation for Adults with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Behavior Therapy, 41, 46-58.
Gervais, N. J., & Dugas, M. J. (2008). Generalized anxiety disorder. In: J. Hunsley, & E. J. Mash (Eds.), A guide to assessments that work (pp.254-274). New York: Oxford University Press.
GoldmanN., Dugas, M. J., Sexton, K. A., & Gervais, N. J. (2007). The impact of written exposure on worry: A preliminary investigation. Behavior Modification, 31, 512-538.

Anne Almey, PhD – anne.almey@mcgill.ca
Anne’s research focuses on the role of estrogens in a variety of cognitive processes, diseases, and disorders in women, and the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie these hormonal effects. Her interest in hormones and behavior began during her undergraduate thesis, which examined the role of estrogens in sex differences in social learning and aggression in mice. Anne’s graduate research continued in a similar vein examining the contribution of estrogens to numerous dopamine-dependent cognitive processes, including selective attention, reversal learning, and perseveration in rats. She also examined the ultrastructural distribution of estrogen receptors in dopaminergic brain regions as a mechanism for these effects of estrogens. Following her graduate research she transitioned from animal models to humans, and at present she holds the Posluns Postoctoral Fellowship in Women’s Brain Health and Aging and is co-supervised by Dr. Gillian Einstein at the University of Toronto and Dr. Natasha Rajah at McGill University. Anne’s current project examines the cognitive and neurobiological effects of early ovarian hormone deprivation in women with BRCA mutations, to clarify the role of estrogens in female cognition, age related cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Anne Almey's Publications

Almey, A., Arena,L., Oliel, J., Shams, W.M., Hafez, N., Mancinelli, C., Henning, L., Tsanev, A., Brake, W.G. (2017). Interactions between estradiol and haloperidol on perseveration and reversal learning in amphetamine-sensitized female rats. Hormones and Behavior; 113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.12.010
Almey, A., Milner, T.A., Brake, W.G. (2016). Estrogen receptor α and G-protein coupled estrogen receptor 1 are localized to GABAergic neurons in the dorsal striatum. Neuroscience Letters; 622:118-23. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.04.023.
Almey, A., Milner, T.A., Brake, W.G. (2015). Estrogen receptors in the central nervous system and their implication for dopamine-dependent cognition in females. Hormones and Behavior; 74:125-38. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.06.010.
Almey, A., Cannell, E., Bertram, K., Filardo, E., Milner, T.A., Brake, W.G. (2014). Medial prefrontal cortical estradiol rapidly alters memory system bias in female rats: ultrastructural analysis reveals membrane-associated estrogen receptors as potential mediators. Endocrinology; 155(11):4422-32. doi: 10.1210/en.2014-1463.
Almey, A., Hafez, N.M., Hantson, A., Brake, W.G. (2013). Deficits in latent inhibition induced by estradiol replacement are ameliorated by haloperidol treatment. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience; 1;7:136. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00136.
Quinlan, M.G., Almey, A., Caissie, M., LaChappelle, I., Radiotis, G., Brake, W.G. (2013). Estradiol and striatal dopamine receptor antagonism influence memory system bias in the female rat. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory;106:221-9. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2013.08.018.
Almey, A., Filardo, E.J., Milner, T.A., Brake, W.G. (2012). Estrogen receptors are found in glia and at extranuclear neuronal sites in the dorsal striatum of female rats: evidence for cholinergic but not dopaminergic colocalization. Endocrinology; 153(11):5373-83. doi: 10.1210/en.2012-1458.
Yetnikoff, L., Almey, A., Arvanitogiannis, A., Flores, C. (2011). Abolition of the behavioral phenotype of adult netrin-1 receptor deficient mice by exposure to amphetamine during the juvenile period. Psychopharmacology; 217(4):505-14. doi: 10.1007/s00213-011-2312-6.
Clipperton-Allen, A.E., Almey, A., Melichercik, A., Allen, C.P., Choleris, E. (2011). Effects of an estrogen receptor alpha agonist on agonistic behaviour in intact and gonadectomized male and female mice. Psychoneuroendocrinology; 36(7):981-95. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.12.010.

Graduate students

- - Arija Birze – Doctoral Student – arija.birze@utoronto.ca
    Arija is seeking to integrate feminist, biological and sociological theory into an analysis of the embodiment of stress in gendered, emotional work. This inter-disciplinary research will examine how the gendered organization of work (what is typically known as “women’s work” and “men’s work”) shapes biological, psychological, and social experiences of stress in high-stress occupations. More specifically, using physiological, survey, interview and observational data, this research will explore the emotional landscape of the 911 police communications setting and how this stressful work is biologically translated into health inequalities, or is ‘written into the body’.
  - Alana Brown – Doctoral Student – alana.brown@mail.utoronto.ca
    Alana recently finished her Psychology Masters at the University of Toronto and has started the first year of her Ph.D. program. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from UofT in 2016, and is fortunate to have worked on a variety of projects in the Einstein Lab for two years prior to joining as a graduate student. She is particularly interested in the impact of hormones on brain structure and function in the context of spatial abilities, navigation strategies, and wayfinding behaviors in humans. Outside of the lab, Alana enjoys science fiction, drawing, photography, cooking spicy food, and exploring the city.
    Alana Brown's Publications
    (Accepted) Peragine, D., Simeon-Spezzaferro, C., Brown, A., Gervais, N., Hampson, E., & Einstein, G. Sex difference or hormonal difference in mental rotation? The influence of ovarian milieu. Psychoneuroendocrinology.
- - Laura Gravelsins – Doctoral Student – laura.gravelsins@mail.utoronto.ca
    Laura received her Honours B.Sc. in 2017 and M.A. in 2018, both at the University of Toronto and she is already a year into her Ph.D. Psychology program at the Einstein Lab. She feels fortunate to have been a part of the lab during the 4th year of her undergraduate degree and Masters degree, and strongly values its interdisciplinary, diverse, and feminist research. The complex relationship between genes, hormones, and cognition is fascinating to Laura, and her current research focuses on investigating cognitive performance in oral contraceptive users. Outside of the lab she is a don at Victoria College and enjoys playing ice hockey with friends and family!
  - Danielle Jacobson – Doctoral Student – dani.jacobson@mail.utoronto.ca
    Danielle Jacobson is a PhD candidate at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She is in the Social and Behavioural Health Sciences Stream and is also in the Collaborative Specialization in Women’s Health. Coming from a background in Cognitive Neuroscience, researching sensorimotor learning, she integrates her experience in Psychology with her passion for women’s health. Danielle’s research focus is on the obstetric interaction between women with female genital cutting (FGC) and OB/GYNs in Toronto. In particular, she is interested in better understanding how clinical decisions are made. Danielle aims to conduct social justice oriented research that works toward health equity for immigrant women.
- Nida Mustafa – Doctoral Student – nida.mustafa@mail.utoronto.ca
  Nida Mustafa is a PhD student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She recently completed a Master’s degree in Health Sciences, specializing in women’s mental health. Her research in the past has focused on eating disorders in minority women, and she is greatly interested in immigrant mental health advocacy. Nida’s current work focuses on exploring elderly women’s experiences of pain within Toronto’s South Asian community.
  Nida Mustafa's Publications
  - Mustafa, N., Zaidi, A.U. & Weaver, R. R. (2016). Conspiracy of silence: Cultural conflict as a risk factor for the development of eating disorders among second generation Canadian South Asian women. South Asian Diaspora, 1-17.
  - Mustafa, N. & Khanlou, N. (Accepted, in press, December 2016). Eating disorders amongst second-generation Canadian South Asian female youth: An intersectionality approach toward exploring cultural conflict, dual-identity, and mental health in Pashang, S., Khanlou, N., & Clarke, J. (Eds.), Today’s Youth Mental Health: Hope, Power and Resilience.
  - Khanlou, N., Mustafa, N., Vazquez, L.M., Haque, N. & Yoshida, K. (2015). Stressors and Barriers to Services for Immigrant Fathers Raising Children with Developmental Disabilities. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
Laila Rahman– Doctoral Student – laila.rahman@mail.utoronto.ca
Laila Rahman is a PhD candidate in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. She hopes to contribute to achieving health equity and social justice through intellectual activism and research. Before joining the graduate program, she conducted research on maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, and violence against women and girls using quasi-experimental designs. Funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and Lupina Senior doctoral fellowships, Laila is currently in dialogue with postcolonial feminism, intersectionality, and Johnson’s violence typology in gender-based violence research in Bangladesh. In complicating the current male physical intimate partner violence (MPIPV) against women discourse, Laila’s project seeks to explore MPIPV-involved women’s and men’s intersecting social locations, their experience of multiple forms of MPIPV including intimate terrorism and situational couple violence, and women’s act of resistance against the MPIPV.
Rebekah Reuben – Doctoral Student – rebekah.reuben@mail.utoronto.ca
Rebekah is a second year doctoral student at the University of Toronto. She is broadly interested in topics of women’s health and sexuality, as well as the intersection between neuroscience and social influences in her research. In her free time, Rebekah enjoys cooking, traveling, and appreciating film and art. She is honored and excited to be a part of Dr. Einstein’s lab!
Minhui Yang – Doctoral Student – mh.yang@mail.utoronto.ca
Minhui Yang is a PhD student in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences at Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the University of Toronto. Her previous research experience is focused on HIV/AIDS interventions and LGBT health. She has also assisted qualitative data analysis of research on chronic diseases patients’ long-term care and quality of life. Prior to join U of T, she had worked as program and grants manager at China Medical Board for two years, managing research and training programs in health policy and global health. Her current research interests is in using qualitative and mixed methods to investigate the health, needs, and quality of life of women with long-term conditions.
Minhui Yang's Publications
- Chen, L., & Yang, M. (2018). New opportunities for China in global health. The Lancet Global Health, 6(7), e722-e723.
- (Accepted) Yang M., Liu Y., Zhao C., Tang K. Self-identified sexual orientations and high-risk sexual behaviours among college students in China. BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.
Courtney Kannampuzha – Masters Student – ckann066@uottawa.ca
Courtney received her Honors Bachelor of Science degree in 2018 at the University of Ottawa, where she majored in psychology. She is starting her M.A. year in experimental psychology at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Gillian Einstein. Her undergraduate thesis focused on examining the individual and cognitive factors that influence how individuals process emotional stimuli, and ultimately how one’s mood influences encoding and later recall of emotional information. She also conducted research at Toronto Western Hospital examining new innovative methods of treating depression specific to enhancing the longevity of treatment effects, one of those methods involving the use of ketamine. Courtney is excited to join the Einstein Lab to examine the intricate relationship between hormonal levels and cognitive deficits, specifically those pertaining to memory. She spends her time outside of the lab hanging out with friends, drawing, or binge watching Netflix series.
Mateja Perovic – Masters Student – m.perovic@mail.utoronto.ca
Mateja received her Honours BSc from Leiden University in 2017, and is currently an MA student in the Einstein Lab. Broadly, she is interested in the interplay between women’s brain health and their social context. She is currently working on examining structural brain changes in women who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, as well as a project about the neurological effects of female genital cutting. Mateja has previously done research in social psychology, mainly in the areas of gender stereotypes, collective action and inter-group relations, and is interest in incorporating social psych perspectives in her current research in neuroscience. She is very excited to be a member of the Einstein Lab. Outside of her work in the lab, she spends her time reading, hiking, and petting as many dogs as possible.