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Research Success

MIST is in a strategic position

MIST is in a strategic position at the intersection of stress, trauma, and mental health research, exploring new treatments with the potential to significantly improve both local and global mental health outcomes.

Dr. David Park, PhD, FRSC

Director, The Hotchkiss Brain Institute

MIST has already begun making a significant impact in our community, and we owe much of our progress to your generous support. In 2022 Dr. Alexander McGirr, MD, PhD, a member of the MIST research team, conducted a groundbreaking clinical trial combining an antibiotic called D-Cycloserine (DCS) with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This combination resulted in groundbreaking improvement in depressive symptoms among individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Most importantly, it led to the rapid resolution of suicidal thoughts and other risk factors compared to stimulation alone. Now, thanks to your funding and philanthropic contributions, we are excited to announce that Dr. McGirr and his team are expanding upon this success. They will be repurposing the same antibiotic to enhance brain stimulation for patients at acute risk for suicide. This innovative treatment approach aims to intervene at a critical juncture, potentially offering life-saving assistance to those in urgent need.

Efficacy of Adjunctive D-Cycloserine to Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation for Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (a form of neurostimulation that is moderately effective for depression) when combined with D-cycloserine (shown to enhance neuroplasticity) is dramatically more effective in reducing depressive symptoms (importantly, including a reduction in suicidality).

Read the full study

Saliva Cortisol as a Biomarker of Injury in Youth Sport-Related Concussion

The stress hormone cortisol is significantly lower in pediatric ice hockey players after sports-related concussion (SRC), with females reporting more symptoms and greater symptom severity. This suggests that cortisol may be a prognostic biomarker to inform individualized sex-specific care after SRC.

Read the full study

Clinical trials

MIST clinical studies are discovering new treatments and solutions for post-concussion syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression.

Explore MIST clinical trials

Preclinical research

MIST foundational studies are uncovering fundamental mechanisms and brain markers that underlie stress and trauma-related mental health conditions.

Discover MIST preclinical research

Your philanthropic support means everything

MIST has raised nearly $5 million in just two years to fund our research and, with continued support from donors like you, we are forging ahead with innovative research and clinical trials to create impactful, life-saving change in the mental health arena. Help us reach our $10-million goal to further expedite our incredibly impactful research.

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