IMH Seminar Series: Beyond Language Networks for Treating Thought Disorder in Schizophrenia

Persistent thought disorder affects 40% of schizophrenia patients, driving poor social and occupational outcomes. It remains a largely unseen but crippling problem: individuals with psychosis do not actively complain about it, and clinicians accept this status quo as there are no specific treatments for it. Some of Dr Palaniyappan's recent efforts have focussed on uncovering the brain circuits behind thought disorder with a goal of developing novel neuromodulation targets and better measurements of this often subtle, but socially malignant phenomenon. In his talk, Dr Palaniyappan will focus on going beyond language networks and considering the triple network system centred on salience processing centres and the cerebellum as likely substrates of disorganised thought. Synthesizing observations from the application of Natural Language Processing to dynamic causal modelling, structural connectivity, and neurochemical studies he will argue for seeking network-specific neuromodulatory targets (e.g., via TMS) to get a reprieve from these persistent symptoms. He anticipate s this talk to be of interest to anyone keen on translating circuit-level insights into clinical practice and interested in transformative outcomes for treatment-resistant mental illnesses.

About the Speaker

Dr. Lena Palaniyappan is a practicing psychiatrist; he works with youth and families experiencing severe mental illnesses such as psychosis. Following his Bachelor’s degree in psychology, he completed his medical training at Stanley Medical College in Chennai, India followed by a Master’s and PhD in Psychiatry at the University of Nottingham in the UK. He currently holds the Monique H. Bourgeois Research Chair and directs the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health at the Douglas Research Centre. He is also the Chief Editor of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology Journal. His work on neuroimaging in psychosis led to the Global Rising Star Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Early Career Foundation Grant. His research program is geared towards optimizing long-term mental health outcomes and pathways of care for individuals with serious mental disorders that often start in adolescence. His work centers on developing an understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in mental states such as psychosis and depression and in generating developmentally informed tools to predict outcome after first-episode psychosis and non-invasive treatment approaches.

Areas of interest: Youth Mental Health, Psychosis, Relapse, Speech, Natural Language Processing, Predictive analysis, Neuroimaging, Digital health, Early intervention 

This Seminar is free to attend and is open to all.  Registration in advance is required.