Neuroplasticity could drastically change the way mental illness is treated: doctor

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to re-organize itself and grow. Researchers at the QEII Health Sciences Centre are working to change the lives of those living with mental illness through this process.

Psychiatrist Dr. Jackie Kinley is running a group-based psychotherapy session. It's part of a special clinical program at the QEII’s mental health day treatment program.

“It used to be thought that the brain was static and you were born with what you had, and now we realize that actually your brain has potential that we can harness,” says Kinley.

In this case, that potential is in helping to treat mental illness. The intensive six week program involves patients who are severely ill and have not responded to other methods of treatment.

Dr. Kinley calls the program transdiagnostic.

“We don't think about DSM disorders in the same way. We don't label people. We actually just look at you, try to figure out with you what your current level of functioning is and then we help you to try to build from that point on,” says Kinley.

To help understand the building process, Dr. Kinley and her colleagues are investigating a specific neural hormone.

“We're doing some research on brain drive neurotrophic factor, which is a protein in the brain. Levels of that protein relates to different forms of mental illness,” says Dr. Sandra Reyno, research psychologist.

Dr. Reyno says those protein levels can be affected by psychotherapy.

“We're measuring levels of brain drive neurotrophic factor, pre and post treatment, to see how that changes from participating in our program,” says Reyno.

“A lot of the medications and ECT and different things, some of the ways they think these interventions work is through increasing this hormone. What we've started to do is investigate if psychotherapy, if working with folks in groups, if working with folks feelings actually has the same impact,” says Kinley.

Reyno and Kinley are also exploring the different networks and pathways in the brain.

“What we're finding is that abnormal activation and difference in the integration of these networks appears to relate to different mental health symptoms,” says Reyno.

“So if you can strengthen somebody's neural pathways so that when they're under stress and when they're anxious, or tense, or when they're not feeling well, so they can actually learn how to regulate emotions, how to settle themselves, ground themselves, then they're at less risk of actually getting ill,” says Kinley.

Dr. Kinley says using this research and one's ability to rewire the brain has the potential to drastically change the way mental illness is treated.

“Instead of using medications to help control people's moods, people's thoughts and feelings, we can actually activate different brain regions and they can harness their own internal pharmacy. Your body has a tremendous capacity to heal and grow under the right conditions and circumstances,” says Kinley.

Dr. Kinley says the outcomes from this program have been promising. Many people, off work and not functioning well at the beginning, do much better at the end of the six weeks.