Senior Scientist Division of Patient Based Clinical Research Toronto Western Research Institute (TWRI)
Research Interests
I have a major interest in the basic physiological aspects of sleep, clinical aspects of sleep disorders, the use of sleep recordings for diagnostic purposes and the prospect of using sleep related measures in psychiatry. My interests include measurement in psychiatry and at present this is focussed on the measurement of fatigue. I have interests in chronobiology as it relates to psychiatry and pharmacology. I have further, but more limited interests in a range of psychiatric topics including insomnia, psychopharmacology, education of psychiatrists and measurement in psychiatry.
In the last few years, I have developed interests in providing information to both family physicians and the general public about specific conditions. Formal evaluation of this information and the impact of this form of health care intervention has been undertaken.
Since undertaking the role of developing the Neuropsychiatric Services at The Toronto Hospital, I have shifted my research interests to include a large number of projects in the area of neuropsychiatry. Some of these are projects initiated by colleagues or being undertaken by fellows.
1. Neuropsychiatry Projects
a) Head injury service project
b) Narcolepsy drug treatment
c) Pain and sleep study
d) Cognitive effects of long-term benzodiazepine use
e) MS and fatigue
f) REM behaviour disorder in Parkinson's disease
g) EEG spectra in sleep in Alzheimer's disease
h) Fatigue in liver failure
i) Alpha attenuation as a measure of fatigue
j) Scaling fatigue
k) Panic in patients with epilepsy
l) Interrelation between measures of performance and alertness
m) ADD in Tourettes
n) Functional MRI to investigate fatigue
o) ANS control in glaucoma
p) Sleep, daytime sleepiness and wakefulness in patients with retinitis pigmentosa
q) Sleep-related risk factors in progressive glaucoma
r) Shiftwork
2. Sleep/Eating Related Projects
a) Sleep apnea in obese women
b) Prader Willi Syndrome
c) Hormone treatment in young anorexics
d) Body composition in sleep apnea
3. Parasomnia
a) Nocturnal panic
b) Nocturnal eating and personality
c) Sleep driving and medico-legal implications
d) REM-related erections in impotence
4. Psychosocial
a) Marital aspects of sleep disorders
b) Group process in self-help treatment
5. Other
a) Seasonal affective disorder
b) Circadian rhythms in the elderly
c) Melatonin release in the blind
