Research – Brain Science Empowered by Donors
Research: Brain Science Powered by Donors
Baycrest is home to the Rotman Research Institute, one of the world's leading centres for the study of aging and the brain. Our scientists are working to prevent, detect, treat and care for dementia, and donors make that work possible.
- #1in Canada for researcher intensity, four years running
- $1M+in research funding attracted per scientist
- 14,700+research participants
- 135+ongoing research studies
- 400+researchers in the national dementia network headquartered at Baycrest
Sources: Research Infosource, Canada's Top 40 Research Hospitals 2025; Baycrest Academy for Research and Education 2023 to 2025 Impact Report.
What your support makes possible
Prevention
At the Kimel Family Centre for Brain Health & Wellness, the world's first research-based community centre for dementia prevention, members receive a personalized plan to lower their risk. In 2025, 382 people took part in the Centre's research, and preliminary data show a significant reduction in dementia risk and improvements in cognition within the first six months.
Early detection
The earlier we spot changes in the brain, the more we can do. Baycrest scientists are testing new ways to detect cognitive decline sooner, including eye tracking, everyday speech patterns and AI-supported tools built from clinical data.
Treatment
Baycrest's Anne & Allan Bank Centre for Clinical Research Trials gives people with memory loss access to emerging treatments. It was recognized as Canada's highest-enrolling site for dementia clinical trials for the second year in a row. In October 2025, Health Canada approved lecanemab, the first medication in Canada shown to slow Alzheimer's progression in people with early-stage symptoms. Research like ours is how the next treatments get here.
Care
Research also changes daily life for people living with dementia and their families. Baycrest scientists recently shed new light on paratonia, a long-overlooked physical symptom of advanced dementia, and helped build the award-winning Driving and Dementia Roadmap to support families through one of the hardest conversations they face.
Leading the national effort
Baycrest is the scientific headquarters of the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, the largest network of dementia researchers in Canada, with more than 400 researchers. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research recently approved $20 million over five years for its third phase, focused on prevention, treatment and quality of life.
Recent discoveries
- Your eyes reveal how you remember. Baycrest researchers found that eye movements increase about half a second before people recall specific details of real-life events, a finding that could lead to more sensitive brain health assessments.
- Sights and sounds are stored differently. A 2026 study found that visual memories tend to keep fine detail, while memories of sound are more likely to keep the overall meaning of an experience.
- A hidden symptom, finally named. Baycrest research on paratonia is helping care teams recognize and respond to a condition that affects many people with advanced dementia.
Your gift fuels the next breakthrough
Every major advance at Baycrest started with a question, a scientist and someone willing to fund the answer. Your support helps our researchers move faster from discovery to real change for people living with dementia and their families.
Support brain health research
