Ad-Dab'bagh, Yasser

E-mail: (for BIC related messages):

E-mail: (for McGill University related messages):

E-mail: (for University of Ottawa related messages):

MNI (BIC) Office phone: (514) 398-6447

MNI (BIC) Office fax: (514) 398-8948

CHEO Office phone: (613) 738-6990

CHEO Office fax: (613) 738-4891

Mailing Address at the Montréal Neurological Institute (MNI), Brain-Imaging Centre (BIC):

Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh, M.D., D.P.M., F.R.C.P.(C)

CANADA, H3A 2B4

Mailing Address at CHEO:

Yasser Ad-Dab'bagh, M.D., D.P.M., F.R.C.P.(C)

CANADA, K1L 8M3

Welcome to my home page at the McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC) of the Montréal Neurological Institute.

I am a child & adolescent psychiatrist as well as a psychoanalyst, and presently enrolled in the PhD in Neuroscience program of the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University.

The areas of research that most appeal to me are the mind-brain interface studies, and understanding how the environment influences brain structure and function, and vice versa. My interests are in working with cutting-edge MRI methods that allow (in prospective studies) an understanding of the dynamic pattern of anatomical brain development in children, while correlating it with psychological development demonstrated by behavioral measures. These computational image-processing methods have been, and continue to be developed at the MNI, especially in Prof. Alan Evans's laboratory.

My current research aims to demonstrate the correlation between anatomical and functional brain development through corticometric studies (e.g., by studying cortical thickness maps) generated through the use of the latest advances in the image processing world. Elucidating norms for cortical thickness development is one goal I'm pursuing. In addition, I aim to demonstrate the differences in anatomical brain development (e.g., changes in cortical thickness maps) between normally developing children and clinical populations.

One example I am presently looking into is the comparison between normal controls and children with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). This is research being done in collaboration with Dr. Rapoport's group at the NIMH. Concurrently, I'm doing similar work but with data from adult schizophrenia populations in collaboration with Dr. Hulshoff Pol's group at the The Structural Neuroimaging section of the University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Other areas of investigation that I plan to get involved in include autism, Tourette's syndrome, and ADHD. I hope to be able to compare the longitudinal changes in these children's cortical thickness in correlation with changes in their cognitive and psychological functions.

My theses is co-supervised by Prof. Evans and Prof. Eric Fombonne. Dr. Evans is a preeminent international leader in the field of brain-imaging research, and Prof. Fombonne is renowned for his psychiatric research, particularly with regards to autism.

Research Interests

• Advanced brain imaging, especially cortical thickness mapping, during human brain development, both normal and pathological.
• Correlation of psychological development with anatomical development.
• Studying the impact of the environment (e.g. in controlled experiments) on both anatomical and psychological development.
• Structural Imaging, in the form of automated corticometric analysis (especially cortical thickness research), in adult schizophrenia.
• Psychotherapy Research: The impact of therapy on brain anatomy. (This is still just an idea at present!)
• For a detailed look at my research interests, have a look at my PhD Proposal (pdf). Alternatively, view my proposal presentation(requires a browser with the Flash plugin and Java scripts enabled)
• Also look at the CIVET project I initiated at the BIC. This is a project that aims at introducing a computational environment that would better enable advanced brain-imaging research at the BIC, and make it available to students and researchers with little or no computer-programming background.

Favourite Links

• The BIC Home Page
• My web site: doctoraddabbagh.com This a web site that provides the general public with useful psychiatric information and links. It may also give you a glimpse into my other life! I'm considering creating a web site for professional audiences, where forums for discussion and book reviews will be made available. Let me know if you are interested!
• McGill University Home Page
• McGill University Department of Psychiatry Home Page
• Montreal Children's Hospital Home Page
• Department of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa: Where I'm currently an assistant professor
• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa: Where I'm currently a child & adolescent psychiatrist, specialising in major developmental disorders (e.g. mental retardation and autistic spectrum disorders)
• The Organization of Human Brain Mapping (OHBM): This is the organization to look into if brain-imaging research is of interest to you! (I'm a proud member).
• I'm a psychoanalyst, and a proud member of the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society and the International Psychoanalytical Association. For more information about psychoanalysis, click here.

Publications

• Click here to view my latest abstract (or download the poster), presented at the 12th Annual Meeting of the Organization of Human Brain Mapping, held in Florence, Italy, June 2006.
• Click here to view a list of some recent psychiatric publications.