Montréal charms visitors with its old-world architecture, lush park spaces, handsome cafés, and a feisty sense of carpe diem all its own. But Montréal is more than just a pretty face. Montréal is the education and research capital of Canada.
Ranking first in Canada for financial investment in university research, Montréal is home to the largest number of research centres in the country. Neuroscience is an area of local expertise, marking Montréal as one of the world’s most active hubs in the scientific study of the human nervous system.
Leading the way in neurological education
Montréal’s universities offer highly respected programs in Neuroscience and behaviour studies, with degrees available at McGill University, Université de Montréal, Concordia, and NeuroQAM at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Each offers extensive opportunities for international students and researchers, all contributing to the world’s Neuroscience communities.
McGill University
- The Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN) is staffed by over 170 teachers and researchers, with international students composing 33% of enrolments. IPN is the largest graduate neuroscience program in North America.
- Studies and specializations are offered at BSc, MSc, and PhD levels
- Home to the McGill Research Centre for Studies in Aging (renowned for their contributions in the fields of Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases), The Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, and CRBLM: The Centre for Research on Brain, Language and Music
- The Douglas Mental Health University Institute hosts over 300 international researchers and postdoctoral students, responsible for more than 200 publications per year, with a multi-million-dollar budget each year
- The Brain@McGill is one of the world’s largest organizations focused on structural and functional brain imaging
- The McGill Centre for Research in Neuroscience unites clinical practitioners with basic scientists in research group-based studies, funded by provincial, federal, and international sources.
- The Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health enables the application of a big-data, transdisciplinary approach to brain research: normative development, neurodegeneration, and mental illnesses. It unites cutting-edge neuroscience infrastructure and researchers from the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, the Jewish General Hospital’s Lady Davis Institute, and the Montréal Neurological Institute.
Université de Montréal
- Specialized PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology offered by the Department of Psychology
- Specialized MSc and PhD in Neurological Sciences offered by the Department of Physiology
- Home of Brams (the International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research), Le Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central (GRSNC), IRCM: the Montréal Clinical Research Institute, the Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, and the Centre de recherché de l’Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur (CRHSC)
- Université de Montréal offers specializations in molecular neurobiology, cellular neurobiology, neurological disease, and many other neuroscience-related fields.
Concordia University
- Specialization in Behavioral Neuroscience
- Home of the Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology
UQAM
- Offering BSc, MSC, and PhD degrees in neuropsychology
- Home of NeuroQAM, and the Cognitive Sciences Institute of UQAM
The neuro: a crown jewel of neuroscience
The Montréal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill — known across the globe as “the Neuro” — is a world leader in advanced patient care and brain research. Home to an internationally renowned group of researchers, the Neuro’s impact on neuroscience is inestimable.
Founded by Wilder Penfield in 1934, the Neuro has directly helped change humankind’s understanding of our brains and bodies. Some of the most celebrated figures in neuroscience (Brenda Milner and Nobel Prize winner David Hubel just two of a long list of Neuro luminaries) have added to the long list of achievements credited to the centre. These include:
- The development of Dr. Penfield’s revolutionary “Montréal Procedure” in the treatment of epilepsy, and the first to map primary somatosensory cortex;
- The pioneering development of the field of neuropsychology;
- The formative use and development of neuroimaging technologies including CAT and MRI;
- And the development of a comprehensive repository of brain imaging, including samples of neurological disorders from centre patients, and other genetic and clinical data.
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