Dr. Patrick McCunn

University of Guelph

“Multimodal Neuroimaging in Pre-Clinical Models of Addiction and Mental Illness”

The Stratas Foundation is very proud to announce the winner of the Matthew Burke Memorial Scholarship ($5,000), Dr. Patrick McCunn of the University of Guelph. Dr. McCunn's research aspires to create more accessible neuroimaging methods to assist in preclinical models of mental illness.

His overall objective is to develop an optimized approach to brain imaging in a way that's accessible to all researchers. Proof of concept magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electrophysiology, and histology data have already been successfully acquired and analyzed in both rats and mice by Dr. McCunn. If successful, this project will allow future researchers of all skills and abilities to perform complex computational neuroimaging, and improve our ability to more comprehensively monitor the brain regions implicated in mental illness and addiction.

This scholarship was created to honour the life of Matthew Burke, a Saskatchewan resident who tragically took his life in 2018. Dr. McCunn's exceptional research output and passion for improving the lives of all through discovery, innovation, and systemic change makes him a worthy candidate for this marquee award, which is among the highest-valued offered in Stratas’ history. More information about Dr. McCunn's research project can be found below:

Neuroimaging is essential to understand the development and progression of addiction and mental illness.

Experimental techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, histology, and electrophysiology provide different information regarding the structure and function of the brain but often it is difficult to combine this information in a cohesive manner.

This integration of information is particularly important in pre-clinical studies as it can help researchers uncover the dynamic relationship between biological processes.

The objective of this work is to develop optimized experimental and computational methods to integrate various neuroimaging techniques in the pre-clinical setting to further understand the biological underpinnings of addiction and mental illness.