Non-invasive brain surgery helps heal mental illness

As an aspiring young psychiatrist, Nir Lipsman learned about the possibilities of new treatments called “neuromodulation” for mental illnesses. He switched to neurosurgery and has never looked back.

Today, Dr. Lipsman is director of the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. Neuromodulation involves stimulating nerves using drugs, electrical signals or other forms of energy. For example, Lipsman has used deep brain stimulation to treat alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. MRI-guided focused ultrasound is being used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. Lipsman’s centre is also a leader in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

This work has garnered Dr. Lipsman the 10th annual Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize, jointly sponsored by the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal and the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada.

“Dr. Lipsman, a clinician-scientist, is the first winner in the 10 years of the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize who is a neurosurgeon,” says Dr. Chris Carruthers, chair of the board of the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada. “His area of research is novel and represents the value that the prize can bring to new approaches to mental health and illness.”

Neuromodulation approaches are less invasive or entirely non-invasive, avoiding traditional surgery. Lipsman and his team are trying them in patients who still have significant mental illness despite previous treatments with other, more conventional therapies, such as drugs and psychotherapy.

At the prize ceremony December 2 in Ottawa, Dr. Lipsman told the story of a young adult patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder that had a devastating effect on her life. Non-invasive neurosurgery resulted in a dramatic improvement that has allowed her to reach some of her life goals. The patient is now part of a patient team helping the hospital design new research studies.

Lipsman says many serious mental illnesses have their origin in brain circuits that don’t function as they should. In a video about his work, Lipsman says, “To me, it’s a reflection of where we are as a field, of recognizing that these are hard-and-fast organic conditions that require surgical intervention, whether non-invasive or invasive or across that spectrum.”

Media host and fundraiser Sam Laprade, who served as emcee of the ceremony, asked Lipsman about making sure that all members of society have access to such cutting-edge treatments.

“These are conditions that touch people from all socio-economic backgrounds,” said Lipsman. Reaching people who could benefit from neuromodulation is one of Sunnybrook’s aims. “It’s not enough to just have the fancy tools.” He described Sunnybrook’s outreach program to clinicians, especially throughout Ontario, to let them know that treatments are available. He says the hospital also receives referrals from across the country.

But there can be long waitlists for neurosurgery. He says the wait for neurosurgery for epilepsy — an effective and well-known treatment — is currently 18 years. “There is an access problem, and we need to address that.”

He would like to see neuromodulation for mental illness move from research studies to first-line treatment. Currently, he says the risks associated with neuromodulation are low and approaching zero. And treatment times are shrinking from weeks to minutes. These developments would make neuromodulation safer and more accessible.

Learn about Dr. Nir Lipsman’s research in this short video. Video production: SandBay Entertainment.

If you missed the prize ceremony, you can view it here.

The Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada has been providing grants to Canadian medical schools for research in the fields of cardiology, oncology, and psychiatry since 2005. The Foundation collects data in the form of answers to questionnaires. The Foundation is pleased to announce that the results have now been published in the Journal of Investigative Medicine.

Can we make a difference in a person’s lifelong mental health if we reach them early enough? That’s the thinking behind the research being done by Dr. Rudolf Uher, the winner of this year’s The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research, an annual $100,000 award that celebrates one of the most promising young mental health researchers in Canada and helps fund innovative and progressive studies.

The Royal receives $1M from Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada to establish The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research

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OTTAWA, ONTARIO (April 9, 2015) – The Royal has received a $1 million gift from The Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada to establish a new annual research prize to recognize excellence in mental health research in Canada. The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research will award $100,000 to an early-career researcher (or a team of up to three researchers) each year.

“Mental illness is a huge burden on our society; it affects individuals and families on a deep personal level and it costs our economy billions of dollars every year. Research in the field of mental health is of critical importance. We want to encourage Canada’s outstanding young researchers to pursue discovery and innovation that will lead to breakthroughs in mental health care. This is why we have partnered with the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation to create The Royal Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research” – George Weber, President and CEO of The Royal.

The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research is an annual national prize to recognize and support Canadian early-career researchers with a focus in the area of mental health and encourage them to continue to pursue their research in Canada. The prize will recognize those with a demonstrated track record of excellence in clinical research, innovative thinking, collaboration, imagination and originality. The competition will occur once a year for at least 10 years.

“Mental Health is an increasingly important area that needs more resources, that’s why the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation has supported the creation of The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research. Together with The Royal, we want to nurture new talent so that the field of mental health research continues to grow, bringing better health to Canada and the world.” – Dr. Chris Carruthers, Chair of the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada

This is the second $1 million gift that The Royal has received from the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation in support of mental health research. In 2014, the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation partnered with DIFD and The Royal to create the DIFD Mach-Gaensslen Chair in Suicide Prevention Research. Together these gifts demonstrate and strong and ongoing commitment to promote discovery in the field of mental health and encouraging doctors to make research an ongoing part of their careers.

“The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Every day we are increasing our understanding of the brain yet it still holds many mysteries. There are brilliant young researchers in Canada capable of unlocking these mysteries and improving the lives of people with mental illness. The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research will help to push their research forward and broaden our understanding of the mind.” – Dr. Zul Merali, President and CEO of The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research.

The competition for 2015 is now open and the deadline for applications is July 15. Researchers can view the prize criteria and submit their applications at www.theroyal.ca/research. The first recipient of The Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research will be announced in Ottawa this Fall.

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About the Mach-Gaensslen Foundation

The Mach-Gaensslen Foundation of Canada honours the lives of Vaclav F. Mach, a successful businessman, and his wife, Dr. Hanni Gaensslen (MD) by supporting research related to the fields of cardiology, oncology, and psychiatry. Since 2000 the Foundation has donated more than $3 million dollars to medical student research initiatives and other research projects at universities and hospitals across Canada in order to promote discovery and encourage young doctors to make research an ongoing part of their careers.