Welcome to the Villeneuve Lab

The Villeneuve Lab is interested in how the brain ages, with a specific focus on factors that modify the association between brain lesions and cognitive performance. Our research is motivated by the fact that more than 25% of older adults are considered cognitively normal despite the presence of beta-amyloid in their brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. This fact suggests that other factors interact with beta-amyloid to trigger cognitive deficits in Alzheimer’s disease. It also suggests that actions can be taken to prevent or postpone disease-related symptoms. The main focus of the Villeneuve Lab’s research is therefore to examine the factors that protect against, or worsen, the development of cognitive deficits in age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

We use a multi-tier approach that includes molecular PET imaging, MRI imaging, neuropsychological testing and genetics, combined with analytic tools such as deep learning, lasso regression and partial least squares regression.

Visit our research page to learn more about our ongoing projects.

 

Recent News

New article from the Villeneuve lab
September 2024


Jonathan Gallego-Rudolf’s article “Synergistic association of Aβ and tau pathology with cortical neurophysiology and cognitive decline in asymptomatic older adults” has been published in Nature Neuroscience. Our study shows that early deposition of Aβ and tau proteins in the brain synergistically affect neural activity in asymptomatic older adults at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. We show that Aβ deposition parallels an enhancement of fast-frequency neurophysiological activity, while tau deposition promotes a shift towards neurophysiological activity slowing, related to cognitive decline. This evidence supports a long-standing hypothesis that Aβ and tau differentially affect neural activity in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, previously only shown in animal or computational models. Check out the full publication.
[Papers] [Media and Press]

 

Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2024
August 2024


Villeneuve lab members appreciated participating in AAIC 2024 in Philadelphia. Alfonso, Daniel, Jonathan, Mohammadali, Valentin and Yara presented their research at poster sessions. Bery, Jonathan and Valentin gave oral presentations, and Yara co-chaired a session on fluid biomarkers. Thanks to everyone at AAIC for an enlightening and enjoyable conference. [Presentations] [Photos]
 

Recent awards
June 2024


Congratulations to Jonathan Gallego Rudolf on receiving a Roger J. Paiement Outreach Award to present his work at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia and to Amelie Metz on receiving a Marie Giguère Travel Award to present her work at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping’s Annual Meeting in Seoul. Also, a Douglas Open Science Award was awarded to Mohammadali Javanray, Ting Qiu and Jonathan Gallego Rudolf for their project “Open access neuroimaging data derivatives from the PREVENT-AD cohort.” Funding for this award was made possible through the Douglas Foundation and the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute at the Montreal Neurological Institute.

 

QBIN Scientific Day
May 2024


Villeneuve lab members attended this year’s Québec Bio-imaging Network Scientific Day, held at Concordia University. Ting, Mohammadali, Jonathan and Brandon presented flash talks on their latest research. Brandon received a “best presentation” award. [Presentations] [Photos]
 

QBIN

Healthy Brains Healthy Lives Symposium
May 2024


Jonathan was invited to give a flash talk and Amelie presented her recent work at a poster session at the 2024 HBHL Symposium at McGill University. [Presentations]
 

Amelie receives FRQS scholarship
May 2024


Congratulations to Amelie Metz on having been awarded an FRQS doctoral scholarship!

 

New Article from the Villeneuve Lab
April 2024


Ting Qiu’s article “Structural white matter properties and cognitive resilience to tau pathology” has been published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Our study demonstrates that the macro- and micro-structural properties of the brain’s white matter contribute to cognitive resilience against Alzheimer’s disease, particularly against tau pathology. Our results further reveal that education and vascular health aid in optimizing white matter properties, offering potential strategies to mitigate cognitive decline. [Papers]
 

Dr. Villeneuve on CTV News Montreal
March 2024


Dr. Sylvia Villeneuve was interviewed by CTV News on why Alzheimer’s disease affects more women than men. [Media and Press]
 

More lab news here.