Projects

Can brain stimulation help treat persistent hallucinations in psychosis?

Some people continue to experience distressing auditory hallucinations despite multiple antipsychotic treatments. In my doctoral research, I am investigating whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can help reduce treatment-resistant auditory verbal hallucinations in people with psychotic disorders.

Our pilot study uses a sequential theta-burst stimulation approach targeting brain regions involved in auditory processing and cognitive control, while examining changes in hallucinations, depressive symptoms, insight, and treatment tolerability.

Can we intervene before psychosis fully develops?

At the Douglas Research Centre, I am involved in a pilot study investigating accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in young people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P). My work focuses primarily on evaluating the safety and feasibility of accelerated rTMS, as well as its effects on depressive symptoms and potential digital and physiological markers of treatment response.

More broadly, the study also investigates neurocomputational biomarkers derived from behavioral tasks and computational models to better understand changes following stimulation and mechanisms involved in the development of psychosis. Ultimately, this work aims to inform the development of earlier, low-risk, and more personalized interventions for young people vulnerable to developing psychosis.

Rethinking mental illness, violence, and forensic psychiatry.

PsyCause is a science communication initiative exploring the intersection of severe mental illness, violence, and the justice system. By bringing together scientific evidence, clinical expertise, lived experience, and perspectives from law and the community, the project aims to challenge misconceptions and encourage more nuanced conversations about topics that are often reduced to fear or stigma.

Through interviews, public-facing content, and conversations with researchers, clinicians, legal professionals, people with lived experience, families, and community workers, PsyCause aims to make complex questions in forensic mental health more accessible to the public.