Dr. Beverley Orser Presenting at Health Research Caucus on Parliament Hill

Dr. Beverley Orser, MD PhD, a member of the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, has been chosen as one of two Canadian neuroscientists to speak on the importance of neuroscience research at a Parliament Hill luncheon on February 13, 2017. She will be joined by Dr. Charles Bourque from McGill University who will discuss how the brain regulates fluid homeostasis. This event provides an excellent opportunity for members of Parliament to learn more about the importance of anesthesia and neuroscience research in an intimate setting.

Based in the Department of Anesthesia in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Dr. Orser's lab has been generously supported by Canadians, through the CIHR and CAS (Canadian Anesthesiologists Society) Research Awards. She is also supported by the Department of Anesthesia at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, where she is a practicing anesthesiologist. The lecture will briefly summarize the discovery of “memory blocking receptors” that are highly sensitive to anesthetic drugs, and that an initial exposure to anesthetics triggers a long-lasting increase in the activity of these receptors that causes subtle, persistent cognitive deficits. Most importantly, a strategy has been identified to reverse cognitive deficits after anesthesia. In December 2016, this discovery was awarded a US patent for a new method to reverse memory loss after anesthesia and surgery.

This luncheon has been organized by Research Canada and The Canadian Association for Neuroscience.

The event recognizes the need to develop a national strategy for the development of a long-term, sustainable plan that would lead to the understanding of the healthy brain, and the treatment and prevention of brain disorders.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Orser.