BRAIN Lab

Evaluating Peer Support Services for Neurodivergent Post-Secondary Students

Investigating Honours Student: Jasmeen Khella

The goal of this study is to better understand the social well-being and emotional health of neurodiverse university students and how they perceive peer support.

Participation in the study would mean completing a 10-15 minute online survey with a subset of participants being invited to complete a follow-up interview. Participants will receive entries into a raffle draw for participation! If you would like to learn more about this study, check out the link below or email brain@uvic.ca!

A Proactive mHealth App Intervention Promoting Cognitive Health

Investigating Graduate Student: Zoë Gilson

The aim of this project is to test a mobile health (mHealth) app-based intervention that targets modifiable lifestyle factors (e.g., diet, exercise, stress management, etc.) that may reduce risk of further decline for adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline. Our app presents participants with educational multi-media materials that teach them about the impact of these lifestyle domains on cognition and provides them with tangible behaviour changes they can make to promote healthy cognition into late life. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the intervention is effective in increasing health behaviours in the target areas (diet, exercise, stress management) as a function of participants’ engagement with the intervention, and whether these changes in behaviour remain stable over time.

See preliminary results here!

This project is in collaboration with the Rush Slow Lab (PSYC) and the Digital Health Lab (EPHE) at UVic.

The Effects of Cannabis Use on Quality of Life and Health Outcomes in Chronic Pain

Investigating Graduate Student: Morgan Schaeffer

The aim of this research is to better understand how cannabis use effects physical, psychosocial, and cognitive health outcomes in aging Canadians living with chronic pain. With these findings, we hope to assist healthcare professions, public health stakeholders, and persons with lived experience of pain make informed decisions about their health and treatment options.

Specifically, we hope to:
1) Identify what factors contribute to reduced (or improved) quality of life in Canadians living with chronic pain
2) Better understand how cannabis use effects health outcomes and quality of life in this population
3) Inform healthcare professionals, public health stakeholders, and Canadians with lived experience of the potential benefits and risks of choosing cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain symptoms