Current Research Projects

Bold = MaHRC Lead Investigator
* = Collaborative Unit
[MS] = Master’s Student
[DS] = Doctoral Student
[PF] = Postdoctoral Fellow

1. Neurochemical Mechanisms Underlying Rhythmic Auditory-Motor Entrainment: Dopaminergic Responses in Healthy Young, Elderly, and Persons with Parkinson’s Disease

Yuko Koshimori, PhD, [PF]; *Ariel Graff, MD

*Neuroimaging Division, Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

2a. Music-Based Intervention for Executive and Attention Training in Major Depressive Disorder
2b. Can Musical Pleasure Responses Detect Early Anhedonia Onset as Suicidal Risk Indicator

Corene Hurt-Thaut, PhD; *Sidney Kennedy, PhD; *Sakina Rizvi, PhD; *Susan Rotzinger, PhD; Melissa Tan, MA, [DS]

*Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND)

3. Neural Basis of Musical Memory Formation in Alzheimer’s Disease 

Veronica Vuong, MA; Michael Thaut, PhD; *Corinne Fischer, MD; *Luis Fornazzari, MD; *Tom Schweizer, PhD; *Nathan Churchill, PhD

*Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital

4. Modulating Functional Connectivity of the Cerebellum in Musician Dystonia

Michael Thaut, PhD; *Robert Chen, MD

*Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital

5. Prevalence of BDNF Polymorphism in Musicians

Tara Henechowicz, MA, [DS]; *Liz Li, PhD; **Reyna Gordon, PhD

*Centre for Applied Genomics, Sick Kids Hospital
**Department of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

6. Therapeutic Instrumental Music Playing in Upper Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation

Catherine Haire, PhD, *Luc Tremblay, PhD; **Kara Patterson, PhD; *Joyce Chen, PhD; Shannon Duane, MA; Veronica Vuong, MA; Nicole Richard, MA, [DS]; Bing Li, MM, [DS]; Louise Ho, MA

*Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto
**Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

7. Auditory Perception Training in Cochlear Implant Carriers

Kathrin Mertel, MA, [DS]; *Andrew Dimitrijevic, PhD

*Cochlear Implant Research Program, Sunnybrook Hospital

8. Multisensory Time Cuing of Sequential Reaching Movements at Different Amplitudes

Anna Karpazis, MM, [DS]; *Luc Tremblay, PhD; Tristan Loria, PhD, [PF]

*Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education, University of Toronto

9. Rhythmic Priming of Speech Comprehension in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease

Stephanie Lavigne, MA, [DS]; *Yune Lee, PhD;

*Department of Speech, Language and Hearing, University of Texas at Dallas

Participate in this study (view flyer)

10. Therapeutic Instrumental Music Playing Enhances Auditory-Motor Brain Network Connectivity: MEG

Michael Thaut, PhD; *Isabelle Buard, PhD; **Benzi Kluger, MD

*Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado
**Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center

11. Kinematic Optimization Strategies in Music Performance Training and Motor Recovery

*Michael Thaut, PhD; *Aiyun Huang, DMA; *Eliot Britton, PhD; Tristan Loria, PhD, [PF]; Marija Pranjic, MA, [DS]

*Centre for the Study of Brain, Performance, and Creation in Music, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto

Participate in this study (view flyer)

12. Neural Basis of Pre-Dominant Priming in Musical Cadence Perception

*Daphne Tan, PhD; Michael Thaut, PhD

*Department of Theory, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto

13. Absolute Pitch Perception and Production Across Aging and as a Potential Biomarker for Early Cognitive Dysfunction

Veronica Vuong, MA; Michael Thaut, PhD; Cody Ray, MT-BC, NMT, [MS]; *Vivek Sharma, PhD

*Sick Kids Hospital

14. Measuring Motor Responses to Rhythmic Stimuli During Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery in Parkinson’s Disease

Michael Thaut, PhD; Veronica Vuong, MA; Vivek Sharma, PhD; *Utpal Saha, BEng; *Robert Chen, MD

*Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital