Biography

Dr. Schweizer’s area of interest is in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, focusing on understanding the neural bases for human cognitive and real-world functioning using experimental cognitive paradigms, neuroimaging and neuropsychology. A better understanding of the complex neural systems supporting various cognitive and real-world functions and their breakdown after brain damage (e.g. Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Alzheimer’s Disease) is essential in educating physicians, patients and families and critical in designing effective treatment strategies. Dr. Schweizer and his team have developed a novel and fully immersive driving simulator and touch tablet placed in a 3.0 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) system. The MRI compatible equipment can capture brain activity during real world tasks. Dr. Schweizer and his group are also investigating novel approaches to image processing and data analysis in functional neuroimaging, in order to improve the reliability and interpretability of fMRI findings, particularly in clinical and aging populations. Dr. Schweizer is an Ontario Early Researcher Award holder and is supported by a New Investigator Award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and research awards from the Ministry of Transportation Ontario and other National peer-reviewed funding agencies including Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

Recent Publications

  1. Rashidi-Ranjbar, N, Churchill, NW, Black, SE, Kumar, S, Tartaglia, MC, Freedman, M et al.. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and brain morphology in patients with mild cognitive impairment, cerebrovascular disease and Parkinson disease: A cross sectional and longitudinal study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2024;39 (3):e6074. doi: 10.1002/gps.6074. PubMed PMID:38491809 .
  2. D'Souza, GM, Churchill, NW, Guan, DX, Khoury, MA, Graham, SJ, Kumar, S et al.. Interaction of Alzheimer Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury on Cortical Thickness. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. ;38 (1):14-21. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0000000000000607. PubMed PMID:38285961 .
  3. Churchill, NW, Roudaia, E, Jean Chen, J, Gilboa, A, Sekuler, A, Ji, X et al.. Persistent post-COVID headache is associated with suppression of scale-free functional brain dynamics in non-hospitalized individuals. Brain Behav. 2023;13 (11):e3212. doi: 10.1002/brb3.3212. PubMed PMID:37872889 PubMed Central PMC10636408.
  4. Teller, N, Chad, JA, Wong, A, Gunraj, H, Ji, X, Goubran, M et al.. Feasibility of diffusion-tensor and correlated diffusion imaging for studying white-matter microstructural abnormalities: Application in COVID-19. Hum Brain Mapp. 2023;44 (10):3998-4010. doi: 10.1002/hbm.26322. PubMed PMID:37162380 PubMed Central PMC10258529.
  5. Churchill, NW, Roudaia, E, Chen, JJ, Gilboa, A, Sekuler, A, Ji, X et al.. Effects of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome on the functional brain networks of non-hospitalized individuals. Front Neurol. 2023;14 :1136408. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1136408. PubMed PMID:37051059 PubMed Central PMC10083436.
  6. Churchill, NW, Graham, SJ, Schweizer, TA. Perfusion Imaging of Traumatic Brain Injury. Neuroimaging Clin N Am. 2023;33 (2):315-324. doi: 10.1016/j.nic.2023.01.006. PubMed PMID:36965948 .
  7. Ahangari, N, Fischer, CE, Schweizer, TA, Munoz, DG. Cognitive resilience and severe Alzheimer's disease neuropathology. Aging Brain. 2023;3 :100065. doi: 10.1016/j.nbas.2023.100065. PubMed PMID:36911256 PubMed Central PMC9997171.
  8. Wang, S, Kennedy, SH, Salomons, TV, Ceniti, AK, McInerney, SJ, Bergmans, Y et al.. Resting-state neural mechanisms of capability for suicide and their interaction with pain - A CAN-BIND-05 Study. J Affect Disord. 2023;330 :139-147. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.147. PubMed PMID:36878406 .
  9. Dawson, J, Johnston, S, Marshall, S, Schweizer, TA, Reed, N, Devos, H et al.. Return to Driving Following Concussion: A Research Priority. J Head Trauma Rehabil. ;38 (3):277-278. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000849. PubMed PMID:36727787 .
  10. Valcic, M, Khoury, MA, Kim, J, Fornazzari, L, Churchill, NW, Ismail, Z et al.. Correction: Valcic et al. Determining Whether Sex and Zygosity Modulates the Association between APOE4 and Psychosis in a Neuropathologically-Confirmed Alzheimer's Disease Cohort. Brain Sci. 2022, 12, 1266. Brain Sci. 2022;13 (1):. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13010064. PubMed PMID:36672138 PubMed Central PMC9831142.
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Affiliations & Other Activities

  • Scientist, Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital
  • Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine (Neurosurgery), University of Toronto
  • Associate Professor, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), University of Toronto