Ontario Brain Institute

07/05/2026

What does living with multiple mental health conditions look like for youth? 🧠 In their words, it is “a reality that is constantly changing”.

For May 7, National Child and Youth Mental Health Day, we’d like to highlight the work of the CALM program. Multiple mental health conditions (MMHC) are difficult to diagnose individually, and mental health treatments often target specific conditions rather than two or more together. CALM is a 5-year-long data collection project with the goal of clarifying diagnoses and developing new treatments for MMHC.

To learn more about what youth participating in CALM have to say about MMHC, read further here:https://braininstitute.ca/docs/CALM-Project-Booklet.pdf 📖

05/05/2026

05/05/2026

04/05/2026

Depression affects millions of Canadians, yet too many still wait too long for the right treatment. This , we're spotlighting the research working to change that.

As one of OBI's Integrated Discovery Programs, The CAN-BIND Program is tackling one of the most common and complex mental health conditions in Canada — one that affects 1 in 5 Canadians each year.

By developing biomarkers and standardized research methods, CAN-BIND is building the foundation for depression care that is precise, personalized, and accessible. Through clinical trials like OPTIMUM-D and contributions to national care guidelines, the network is driving toward a clear goal: the right treatment, for every person, at the right time, the first time.

Effective depression care starts with informed conversations. CAN-BIND recently launched the second edition of the CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment, developed alongside people with lived experience of depression to help patients and families ask better questions and make more confident decisions with their healthcare providers.

🔗 Learn more about CAN-BIND: https://canbind.ca/

🧾 Access the CHOICE-D guide: https://canbind.ca/education-outreach/public-resources/choice-d-guide-depression-treatment-options/

Mental health is for all of us. Follow along this week for more resources, stories, and features. 💚

30/04/2026

Navigating Depression can feel overwhelming - but you don't have to do it alone.
The CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment, Second Edition, is our comprehensive resource to help you understand depression, explore treatment options, access helpful tools, and start meaningful conversations with healthcare providers. Learn more and download the free guide at https://canbind.ca/education-outreach/public-resources/choice-d-guide-depression-treatment-options/

28/04/2026

💡 A new resource is here for people navigating depression treatment decisions.

At the 40th OBI Public Talk, the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (The CAN-BIND Program) launched the second edition of the CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment — developed with people who have lived experience of depression to support more informed conversations with healthcare providers.

This edition covers self-help strategies, psychotherapy options, medication choices, and lifestyle approaches including exercise and nutrition.

The guide is developed in partnership with Hope+Me - Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, CANMAT, and the Ontario Brain Institute (OBI).

Explore the guide: https://canbind.ca/education-outreach/public-resources/choice-d-guide-depression-treatment-options/

Looking for information about treatments for depression? The second edition of the CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment is now available! Click the image below to download the latest version of the guide for free. This resource is the result of a joint venture of CAN-BIND, Hope+...

24/04/2026

🧠 We need brain power.

We are currently hiring for three roles:
- Director, Marketing & Communications
- Analytics Program Specialist
- Cloud Full Stack MLOps Engineer

At the OBI, our work spans research translation, data innovation, and commercialization: all in service of better brain health outcomes for people across Ontario and beyond.

If you're looking to contribute to a mission-driven organization at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and real-world impact, we'd love to hear from you.

Visit our careers page to learn more and apply: https://braininstitute.ca/about-obi/careers

Know someone who'd be a great fit? We'd appreciate you sharing this with your networks.

09/04/2026

Some events feel like a turning point. Our 40th public talk, the finale of the Breakthroughs in Brain Science series, was one of them — and a reminder of how far the field has come. 🧠

On March 31, we came together in person and online for 'Innovative Treatments for Brain Health.' The energy matched the moment.

Our panel of experts brought the latest science to life:

- Dr. Jonathan Downar presented the ONE-D Trial: a single-day Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) protocol showing a 90% response rate and 70% remission rate in preliminary studies. A promising new chapter for depression treatment.

- Dr. Rudolf Uher introduced the Optimum-D study at The CAN-BIND Program, exploring how biomarkers could match patients with the right medication from the very first treatment. Precision medicine for depression, moving from trial and error to targeted care.

- Anne Wilson brought a grounding community perspective, highlighting the Culture and Calm Program at LOFT Community Services' Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Team. The program reimagines how Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based approach built around mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotional regulation, becomes truly accessible through an anti-oppressive, culturally responsive lens that meets youth where they are, not where the system expects them to be.

The conversation was brilliantly moderated by Dr. Krishana Sankar, PhD.

The feedback from the room spoke for itself: "All of the treatment methods discussed provided cutting-edge, brand new-to-me information surrounding mental health.

📌 The event also marked the launch of the second edition of the CHOICE-D Patient & Family Guide to Depression Treatment. The room was buzzing with questions — and for everything we couldn't get to, this free resource from CAN-BIND, Hope+Me - Mood Disorders Association of Ontario, CANMAT, and OBI has you covered.
Find answers to your questions about the latest in depression care here: https://canbind.ca/education-outreach/public-resources/choice-d-guide-depression-treatment-options/

▶️ Missed the talk? Watch the full replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYDzX904FX8&feature=youtu.be

Special thanks to our partners, CAN-BIND Depression Network, LOFT Community Services, and OBI portfolio companies Ampa , Taylored Biotherapeutics, MINT Memory Clinic, and A4i Inc., for joining us on the day and showcasing their innovations. 🌟

07/04/2026

On World Health Day, we’re reminded that population-level data is at the heart of public health progress — and the OBI has just released a new longitudinal dataset that puts that principle into practice.

This new longitudinal dataset features 967 participants, including 633 with mild traumatic brain injury and 334 with mild orthopedic injury, produced in partnership with the Advancing Concussion Assessment in Pediatrics (A-CAP) program and Transcendent Concussion Research Program, an OBI Integrated Discovery Program focused on concussion treatment and care.

🧠 Why it matters: Concussion is one of the most common brain injuries in children, yet identifying the best assessment approaches and predicting recovery remains a major clinical challenge. This dataset captures the full complexity of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) across biological, psychological, and social domains over time.

Led by Dr. Keith Owen Yeates, Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary, this multi-domain resource helps researchers understand how children recover from mTBI and what factors shape their outcomes.

Potential use cases:
✅ Identify reliable biomarkers for pediatric concussion recovery
✅ Compare mTBI outcomes against orthopedic injury controls
✅ Explore genetic factors influencing recovery variation
✅ Advance personalized, evidence-based care for children and families

Available on Brain-CODE, OBI’s neuroinformatics platform, this open science resource advances research for children and families experiencing concussion each year.

Learn more about this dataset and its potential impact: https://braininstitute.ca/news-events/2026/new-dataset-on-pediatric-concussion-now-on-brain-code

06/04/2026

Your voice matters in brain health research.

The POND Network, an OBI Integrated Discovery Program, is inviting neurodivergent individuals and caregivers across Canada to complete a 15-minute national survey.

Responses are anonymous, available in multiple languages, and participants are entered for a chance to win a $25 gift card.

Two ways to participate:

👤 Self-Report: https://redcap.braincode.ca/surveys/?s=EWH39XYELTDPM889

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Caregiver: https://redcap.braincode.ca/surveys/?s=C37PFW4T4EMYYYKF

If you know someone who would like to contribute, please share widely.

02/04/2026

Today is World Autism Day — a reminder of the urgent and ongoing need for inclusive, integrated systems across care, community, and research, built through science that listens and centres the needs of those living with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

According to the 2024 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, an estimated 1 in 26 children and youth in Canada (aged 1–17) have been diagnosed with autism. Behind that number are individuals, families, and communities navigating systems that were not always built with them in mind.

The POND Network (Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders Network), one of the OBI's Integrated Discovery Programs, is working to change that. Under the leadership of Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Vice President of Research and Director of the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, over a decade of research is translating into tangible benefits for Ontario families.

From informing provincial genetic testing guidelines that streamline diagnosis, to revealing insights that guide clinical care, to developing new interventions through Canada's first clinical trials network of its kind, POND is closing the gap between laboratory discoveries and real-world impact.

That work goes beyond traditional diagnostic boundaries to focus on what matters most: helping children and families live better lives. By bringing together integrated research, family voices, and clinical expertise, POND Network is not just advancing our understanding of NDDs, but also fundamentally changing how we support Ontario's children and youth.

Learn more about POND's work: https://pond-network.ca/