Gustavo Turecki

Gustavo Turecki

Gustavo Turecki
Born (1965-05-11) May 11, 1965
Residence Canada
Nationality Canadian
Organization McGill University; Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Known for Research on: Suicide, epigenetics, depression
Awards ACNP Joel Elkes Award (2015); AFSP Research Career Award (2012); Radio-Canada Scientist of the Year Award (2009); NARSAD Oxley Foundation Investigator Award (2009); AFSP Distinguished Investigator Award (2009 & 2006), Heinz Lehmann Award, CCNP (2012).

Gustavo Turecki, MD, PhD (born May 11, 1965) is an award-winning Canadian psychiatrist and professor at McGill University. He is a William Dawson Scholar and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry,[1] and works at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, where he heads both the McGill Group for Suicide Studies[2] and the Depressive Disorders Program. He is also the director of the FRQS Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders,[3] and the co-director of the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank.[4]

As a clinician and neuroscientist, his research focuses on examining the influence of life experiences on brain function, and their relationship to depression and suicide risk. Among his major contributions, published in more than 300 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters,[5] is the first description of the long-term impact of childhood abuse on the brain, particularly how it affects the activity of key genes involved in stress-response.

Personal history

Turecki was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina on May 11, 1965. He is married and has three children. He trained in medicine at the Escola Paulista de Medicina (Federal University of São Paulo|Universidad Federal de São Paulo), in Brazil, and further specialized in psychiatry, completing his residency in 1994. He then moved to Montreal, Canada, to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience at McGill University (Montréal, QC), where he studied molecular genetics under the supervision of Dr. Guy Rouleau. After completing his PhD in 1999, Turecki established himself both as a clinician, at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, and as a researcher. He is currently a Full Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics at McGill University. His research focuses on molecular changes taking place in the brain of depressed individuals and on suicide risk.

Turecki continues to be active as a clinician at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, where he heads the Depressive Disorders Program, a third-line clinical program focused on treating patients with major depressive disorder.

His dual role as a researcher and a clinician has allowed him to bridge the gap between basic neuroscience research and clinical work, and continues to add strength to his research programs.

Scientific contributions

Turecki’s research career spans several fields, including genetics, epigenetics, neuroscience, psychiatry, and clinical and behavioral research, with a consistent focus on determining the influence of experience on brain function, mood disorders, and suicide.

Turecki initially became interested in genetics during his residency in psychiatry, when he also completed a MSc in psychiatric epidemiology and genetics (UNIFESP). While pursuing his PhD research at McGill, Turecki’s attention was drawn to the influence of genes on behavior, particularly in the context of psychiatric illness. His forays into independent research led him to focus increasingly on biological factors contributing to susceptibility to suicide, and its relationship to depression and personality traits. One key aspect of his research is the integration of multiple levels of inquiry, which has contributed to the uniquely multidisciplinary character of his work, incorporating neuroanatomy, genomics, and bioinformatics, and ranging from molecular to clinical studies.

Turecki’s neurobiological work has focused strongly on the processes underlying depression and suicide. A defining moment in his career came from a collaboration with Michael Meaney and Moshe Szyf, in which they uncovered that early-life adversity epigenetically regulates the glucocorticoid receptor gene, a key component of response to stress.[6] This groundbreaking study helped to reconcile the longstanding debate about the relative influences of genes and environment on behaviour (‘nature vs. nurture’ debate), and garnered international attention, leading to Turecki’s selection as the scientist of the year by Radio Canada/Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2009, along with Meaney and Szyf. Turecki’s further research on the human brain explored the epigenetic control of genes related to stress-response systems, such as the hypothalamus- pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, particularly in association with childhood abuse and suicide.[7][8] The promising results obtained in studying the epigenetic control of the HPA axis prompted Turecki to study the role of epigenetics in another pathway, the polyamine stress response, which his team had already shown to be linked to suicide risk.[9] More recently, and in parallel to the classic epigenetic studies focusing on DNA and histone methylation, Turecki’s focus has expanded to non-coding RNAs and their involvement in depression and suicide,[10] as well as in response to antidepressants.[11]

Turecki also conducts work aiming at refining the depression and suicide phenotype. His clinical work focuses on depression. He leads the Depressive Disorders Program, a clinical group that treats patients affected with major depression and integrates research projects into clinical practice. Two key aspects of this work are exploring how impulsive-aggressive behaviours contribute to suicide risk,[12] and implementing novel protocols and standards in the field.

Turecki’s ongoing research endeavours have a strong impact on international neuropsychiatric research. His clinical intervention protocols have helped to improve patient care, and his laboratory has become an international leader in the investigation of the neurobiology of suicide, focusing on functional genomics, epigenetics and other molecular factors. His contributions in creating and managing the Suicide Brain Bank within the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank[13] has allowed researchers from around the world to access unique and valuable human tissues.

Recognition of work

Turecki is currently an FRQS Chercheur National.[14] His contributions have also been recognized through numerous prizes and awards.

Selected publications

Neurobiology studies

Clinical and behavioural studies of depression and suicide

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Research | Department of Psychiatry - McGill University". mcgill.ca. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  2. ↑ "McGill Group for Suicide Studies". mgss.ca. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  3. ↑ "Quebec Network on Suicide, Mood Disorders and Related Disorders RQSHA". reseausuicide.qc.ca. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  4. ↑ "The Brain Bank | The Douglas Bell Canada Brain Bank". douglasbrainbank.ca. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  5. ↑ "g turecki[Author] - PubMed - NCBI". ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  6. ↑ McGowan P, Sasaki A, D’Alessio ACD, Dymov S, Labonté B, Szyf M, Turecki G*, Meaney M*. Epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor in human brain associates with childhood abuse. Nat Neurosci 2009;12(3):342-8.
  7. ↑ Labonté B, Suderman M, Maussion G, Navaro L, Yerko V, Mahar I, Bureau A, Mechawar N, Szyf M, Meaney MJ, Turecki G*. Genome-wide epigenetic regulation by early-life trauma. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2012;69(7):722-31.
  8. ↑ Labonte B, Yerko V, Gross J, Mechawar N, Meaney MJ, Szyf M, Turecki G*. Differential Glucocorticoid Receptor Exon 1(B), 1(C), and 1(H) Expression and Methylation in Suicide Completers with a History of Childhood Abuse. Biol Psychiatry 2012;72(1):41-8.
  9. ↑ Gross JA, Fiori LM, Labonté B, Lopez JP, Turecki G*. Effects of promoter methylation on increased expression of polyamine biosynthetic genes in suicide. J Psychiatr Res 2013;47(4):513-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.11.016.
  10. ↑ Lopez JP, Fiori LM, Gross JA, Labonte B, Yerko V, Mechawar N, Turecki G*. Regulatory role of miRNAs in polyamine gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of depressed suicide completers. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2013;17(1):23-32. doi: 10.1017/S1461145713000941
  11. ↑ Lopez JP, Lim R, Cruceanu C, Crapper L, Fasano C, Labonte B, Maussion G, Yang JP, Yerko V, Vigneault E, El Mestikawy S, Mechawar N, Pavlidis P, Turecki G*. miR-1202 is a primate-specific and brain-enriched microRNA involved in major depression and antidepressant treatment. Nat Med 2014 Jun 8. doi:10.1038/nm.3582. [Epub ahead of print]
  12. ↑ McGirr A, Renaud J, Bureau A, Seguin M, Lesage A, Turecki G*. Impulsive-aggressive behaviours and completed suicide across the life cycle: a redisposition for younger age of suicide. Psychol Med 2008;38(3):407-17.
  13. ↑ http://douglasbrainbank.ca
  14. ↑ http://www.frqs.gouv.qc.ca/fr/financement/resultats/2012-2013/pdf/Chercheurs%20nationaux%202012-13.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.mcgill.ca/provost/distinguished/wds
  16. ↑ fr:Scientifique de l'année (Société Radio-Canada)
  17. 1 2 http://ici.radio-canada.ca/emissions/rdi_week_end/2009-2010/Entrevue.asp?idDoc=101300
  18. ↑ http://www.quebecscience.qc.ca/les-10-decouvertes-2009/Une-epine-dans-la-tete
  19. ↑ https://ccnp.ca/Awards/PastWinners
  20. ↑ https://www.afsp.org/research/research-connection/gene-expression-in-the-brain-and-suicide
  21. ↑ http://grahamboeckhfoundation.org/news/dr-turecki-2014-recipient-dr-samarthji-lal-award
  22. ↑ http://www.quebecscience.qc.ca/10-decouvertes-2014/8-Cette-molecule-qui-nous-deprime
  23. ↑ "Elkes Past Winners - ACNP". www.acnp.org. Retrieved 2016-02-11.

External links

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