Barr, Cathy, Ph.D.

Associate Professor - Department of Psychiatry

University of Toronto

Senior Scientist, Toronto Western Hospital Research Institute

Scientist, The Hospital For Sick Children

cbarr@uhnres.utoronto.ca

 

Genetics studies of neuropsychiatric disorders, behaviour, specific cognitive processes, and learning and memory

    The focus of my research is the genetic study of behaviour, specific aspects of cognition, and psychiatric and neurological disorders for which a genetic predisposition has been established, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood-onset anxiety disorders, childhood-onset depression, reading disabilities, and Tourette syndrome. Numerous studies have implicated an imbalance in the neurotransmitter systems or neurological development for these disorders. We are able to test specific candidate genes from these systems by screening these genes for DNA changes that may contribute to the genetic predisposition. We have identified a number of genes contributing to these disorders and molecular studies are in progress to understand the relationship of DNA variation in these genes to the development of the disorder. Our genetic studies originally focused on clinical samples but we have now extended our research to investigate relevant behavioural and cognitive phenotypes in the general population. For example, we are investigating cognitive markers (inhibition, working memory) associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as informative phenotypes for genetic studies using unaffected siblings, cognitive traits in general population samples (learning and memory, rapid automatized naming, a reading related skill), and population-based twin studies of behaviour and cognitive traits.

 

Technicians Karen Wigg Feng Yu Irina Burcescu Lissette Gomez

Graduate Students Jillian Couto

Postdoctoral Fellows Virginia Misener Knight Nancy Laurin

 

 

Undergraduates Lucia Capano Amandeep Takhar

Administrative Coordinator Kathryn Tzimika

 

 

Barr CL, Wigg KG, Pakstis AJ, Kurlan R, Pauls D, Kidd KK, Tsui L-C, Sandor P. Genome Scan for Linkage to Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics 88(4):437-445, 1999.

Barr CL, Wigg KG, Malone M, Schachar R, Tannock R, Roberts W, Kennedy JL. Linkage Study of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 88(6):710-713, 1999.

Barr CL, Wigg KG, Wu J, Zai C, Bloom S, Tannock R, Roberts W, Malone M, Schachar R, Kennedy JL. Linkage Study of Two Polymorphisms at the Dopamine D3 Receptor Gene and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. American Journal of Medical Genetics 96:114-117, 2000.