Dr. Tomáš Paus

Anne and Max Tanenbaum Professor and Chair of Population Neuroscience Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

Senior Scientist Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry University of Toronto

Research Focus

Dr. Paus is an expert in mapping the human brain in health and disease using a variety of tools, including positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electro-encephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Over the past five years, Dr. Paus has initiated or joined several large-scale studies of brain maturation and cognitive & behavioural development during adolescence, thus pioneering a new discipline of population neuroscience that operates at an intersection of epidemiology, genetics and neuroscience.

Some of the specific areas of current interest include hormonal influences on the maturation of white matter (axon rather than myelin) during male puberty, effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy and drug experimentation during adolescence, and processing of social cues in faces and bodies in the context of conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Academic Appointments

• 2010–Present: Anne and Max Tanenbaum Professor and Chair of Population Neuroscience, Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2010–Present: Senior Scientist , Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2010–Present: Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2010–Present: Special Professor in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Nottingham
• 2005–Present: Adjunct Professor, Departments of Neurology & Neurosurgery and Psychology, McGill University
• 2005–2009: Professor and Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Schools of Psychology and Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham
• 2002–2004: Associate Professor, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University
• 2002–2004: Associate Professor (Adjunct), Department of Psychology, McGill University
• 1999–2002: Assistant Professor (Adjunct) , Department of Psychology, McGill University
• 1997–2002: Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University
• 1995–1997: Lecturer, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, McGill University

Reviewership

Editorial Board

• 2009–Present: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (Member)
• 2007–Present: Brain Stimulation (Member)
• 2006–Present: Social Neuroscience (Associate Editor)
• 2000–Present: Human Brain Mapping (2002-present: Associate Editor)

Distinctions and Awards

• 2010: Elected Fellow, Association for Psychological Science
• 2009: Gold Medal , Masaryk University, Czech Republic
• 2006: Elected President, International Society for Behavioural Neuroscience
• 2005: Wolfson Merit Award, Royal Society
• 2002: Killan Scholar, MNI
• 2001: Elected to the Governing Council, Organization for Human Brain Mapping
• 1999: Scholarship Award, MRC (Canada)
• 1995: Elected membership, International Neuropsychology Symposium

Research Projects

External

• 2010–2015: ALSPAC STUDY: Axon, Testosterone and Mental Health during Adolescence

  Sponsors: National Institutes of Health, U.S.A.

  This research combines two approaches: population and experimental neuroscience. Taking advantage of an existing birth cohort cohort of adolescents in Bristol, England (ALSPAC), we investigate, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the relationship between testosterone trajectories during adolescence and structural properties of white matter. We also use MRI and electron microscopy to test experimentally the effect of testosterone treatment on structural and functional properties of white matter in experimental animals (rats).

• 2008–2013: SAGUENAY YOUTH STUDY: Long-term consequences of prenatal exposure to maternal cigaretete smoking on brain structure, function and mental health in adolescence: role of genes and environment in brain development

  Sponsors: CIHR

  The primary objective of this research program is to determine long-term consequences of an adverse intrauterine environment, namely prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking, on brain structure and function, psychosocial adaptation and academic achievement, and mental health in adolescents. It is a part of a multi-disciplinary program that studies two major systems (i.e. brain and cardiovascular/metabolic systems) in two different species (humans and rats). State-of-the-art tools are used to measure phenotypes of interest in both species, including computational analysis of magnetic resonance images (MRI), experimental tests of cognitive function, and non-invasive and comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular functions and obesity measures. The search for genes of various complex traits is facilitated by working with a geographically isolated population, namely that of the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.

• 2006–2011: IMAGEN STUDY: Reinforcement-related behaviour in normal brain function and psychopathology

  Sponsors: European Union FP6

  The goal of this project is to identify the neurobiological and genetic basis of individual differences, during adolescence, in brain responses to reward, punishment and emotional cues, and to assess their relevance for mental disorder such as addiction. This is a multicentre functional and structural genetic-neuroimaging study of a cohort of 2,000 14-year old adolescents. We will assess association with markers of genes chosen from existing genomic information, and from our studies of animals selected for extreme phenotypes of impulsivity and other relevant behavioural traits.

• 2002–2004: SANTA FE STUDY: A longitudinal study of brain development during adolescence

  Sponsors: Santa Fe Institute Consortium

  We were part of The Santa Fe Institute Consortium, a group that had initiated a longitudinal study of brain development during infancy and adolescence. We studied changes in brain anatomy using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), brain physiology using Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI, and behaviour, with the emphasis on social cognition and language.

Advisory Boards

• 2009–Present: Advisory Committee of the NSF Centre for Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE)
• 2008–Present: Advisory Board of NUTRIMENTHE, an EU-FP7 Project (Chair)
• 2008–Present: Scientific Advisory Board (Member), MIND Research Network, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.
• 2007–Present: Scientific Advisory Board (Member), Program in Perinatal Determinants of Brain & Mental Health, University of Lethbridge