Research Studies

Sign up by: December 31, 2026

This is a multisite study which aims to evaluate and characterize genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients and asymptomatic individuals belonging to family with a strong history of an FTD. Researchers seek to better understand the brain changes that occur in FTD and which measures are best for tracking change and predicting progression. Various measures including brain imaging, eye tracking, blood markers and neuropsychological testing will be measured.

For more information, check out their website at GENFI – The Genetic Frontotemporal Initiative.

Key Details

Study Sponsor: Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)

Location: In-person (2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto ON M4N 3M5)

How Often: Yearly

Compensation: Meal voucher and parking passes provided at each visit.

Contact: Sabrina Armstrong, Clinical Research Coordinator

[email protected]

416-480-6100 ext. 1620

Sign up by: 31 December 2025

Nabilone is a drug that has been shown in previous studies to improve the symptoms of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's Disease (AD) including agitation in small studies, as well as cognition and caregiver distress, with minimal side effects - a stark contrast to existing and prospective treatments showing various drawbacks. The overall objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of nabilone for managing agitation in patients with AD in large multi-center study and to identify biological markers for assessing agitation severity and treatment response. This study will also review whether Nabilone is beneficial for other outcomes, such as overall neuropsychiatric symptoms, caregiver distress, cognition, nutritional status, pain, and global function in patients with moderate-to-severe AD over 9 weeks.

Key Details

Study Sponsor: The regulatory sponsor for this study is Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI), with their Centre for Clinical Trial Support (CCTS) being the coordinating centre for the study. The funding agencies supporting this study are the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), and the Weston Brain Institute (WBI).

Location: In-person (700 Gordon Street, Whitby, ON) and phone

How Often: intake of drug required daily

Compensation: You may be reimbursed for parking or transportation to the clinic.

Contact

Dr. Amer Burhan, Geriatric Psychiatrist

[email protected]

905-430-4055 Ext 6053

Sign up by: 01 February 2026

This study is testing a new AI-powered digital reminder app that helps people with dementia with daily tasks. It also sends alerts to the caregiver if there are changes in routine, like missing a reminder or doing things at a different time. People living with dementia and their caregivers will use the app at home for 4 to 8 weeks. The app will show alerts and ask caregivers for feedback. This helps improve how the app works. At the end of the study, people living with dementia and their caregivers will be asked what they liked or didn't like and how the app could be better. The goal is to make a tool that helps people stay independent and supports caregivers in daily care.

Key Details
Study Sponsor: AGE-WELL NCE and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Location: Participant's home in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
How Often: 2-5x weekly
Compensation: $30 upon completion of the 4-8 week usability testing

Contact: Joy Lai, MASc Student
[email protected]
613-985-1447

Sign up by: March 31, 2027

Approximately one-in-five Canadians provide care for a family member or friend with long-term health problems. In general, caregivers are considered a group of individual wo are exposed to chronic stress due to their caregiving role. A number of stress-related illnesses have been reported in caregivers, including emotional distress, depression, poor sleep quality, and overall poor quality of life. The purpose of this study is to assess whether an 8-week stress-management program supports psychological well-being (e.g., feelings of stress), biological indicators of stress (e.g., feelings of stress), biological indicators of stress (e.g., inflammation), and cognitive function (e.g., attentional ability) in primary family caregivers of someone with dementia or a related neurodegenerative disorder.

Key Details

Study Sponsor: Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)

Location: At your nearest LifeLabs, in Ontario.

How Often: Once a week and once a year.

Compensation: Participants will be compensated with the following:

1. Cost of respite care while engaging in the program and/or assessment sessions will be reimbursed (up to $30/hour for each 2-hour session)

2. Compensation of $50 per testing session ($150 total, as there is a testing session once before the 8-week program, once after, and a one-year follow-up).

Contact: Shreeyaa Ramana, Master's Student in Clinical Psychology

[email protected]

416-979-5000 ext. 553008

Sign up by: August 1st, 2027

Many older adults start to experience poorer sleep quality as they age, which can be associated with worse memory and cognition. Previous studies have shown that sleep can be improved when quiet sounds are presented at the right times during slow-wave sleep. We are interested in whether we can improve sleep and associated memory and cognitive function using these sounds in older adults (60+) with mild cognitive impairment. For this study, participants will be spending 5 nights in the sleep lab while their brainwaves are being recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) and performing some basic cognitive tasks before and after each night. Information gathered from this study will be used to inform whether targeted sounds presented during slow-wave sleep can improve sleep, memory, and cognitive function.

Key Details

Study Sponsor: Weston Family Foundation

Location: In-person, via telephone, and online

How Often: Multiple times a week

Compensation: Participants will be compensated for each night of the study ($250/night).

Contact: Dr. Laura Batterink

[email protected]

519-661-2111 x 85409