Journal of Neurology and Neurological Disorders

Dr. Wayne Brake was hired as an Assistant Professor in Psychology in 2005. Prior to joining Concordia University, he was an Assistant Professor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Brake earned his Ph.D. in Neurological Sciences at McGill University and completed post-doctoral studies in Neuroendocrinology at The Rockefeller University in New York. Dr. Brake is the Director of the MA Graduate Program in Psychology as well as a Fellow of the Science College at Concordia University. Globally, Dr. Brake’s research addresses women’s health in the context of how hormonal status affects brain function and behavior. His NSERC funded research program examines the effects of the female ovarian hormone, estrogen, on brain dopamine physiology and learning and memory. This work has generated several important findings that have gained extensive interest from the press worldwide. A second line of research examines the critical link between ovarian hormones and the brain’s response to antipsychotic medication. Dr. Brake has active, ongoing collaborations with colleagues locally at the Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology as well as national and international collaborations including researchers at Cornell Medical School in the USA. In addition, he is a member of the editorial board of the international journal, Advances in Endocrinology.

The mechanisms by which the early environment in rodent models affects development of brain function and behavior. His lab investigates how birth complications and early maternal-infant relationships affect brain development; specifically the dopamine system. These studies are carried out to understand the mechanisms underlying disorders such as attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia as well as why, upon adulthood, some are more susceptible to the ill-effects of repeated stress and the incentive values of drugs of abuse.

Another line of research examines how ovarian steroids (e.g. estrogen) affect plasticity of the brain and subsequent behavior. Dr. Brake's lab employs behavioral tests, modern anatomical techniques and cutting edge methods to measure changes in neurochemistry to ultimately understand how our early environment and hormonal milieu shape our adult life.