McPsyt Lab
Ongoing Research
DeeP-DD: Deep Phenotyping and Digitalization at Douglas
DeeP-DD aims to advance mental health research by integrating digital phenotyping methods, including passive smartphone and wearable data, with traditional clinical assessments. The project seeks to establish reliable digital markers for psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, psychosis, bipolar disorder, and depression. By evaluating the feasibility and clinical utility of digital measures, the project aims to develop standardized reporting tools that can improve patient monitoring and decision-making in psychiatric care. The study collects data on sleep, movement, phone usage, and real-time symptom tracking using ecological momentary assessments (EMA), offering a comprehensive approach to understanding mental health trajectories.
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Project Leads: Tihare Zamorano, Mariza Markessinis
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Affective CH: Investigating Emotional Responses
Affective CH investigates how negative and positive affective states influence the formation of conditioned hallucinations through maladaptive prior beliefs in individuals at clinical high risk or experiencing early psychosis. Using a modified version of the Conditioned Hallucinations (CH) task—which pairs auditory stimuli (positive, neutral, or negative words) with visual cues—the study introduces affective manipulations such as the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) or emotionally valenced audiovisual stimuli to examine changes in prior weighting and hallucination rates.
Project Leads: Timothy Friesen, BSc., Deven Parekh, MSc.
Personalized Accelerated Neuromodulation for Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia
This multi-site study, conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, CERVO, and IUSMM, investigates a personalized accelerated neuromodulation treatment for negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Using advanced imaging and high-dose transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we aim to enhance motivation, social engagement, and cognitive function. This randomized, sham-controlled trial will assess both the efficacy and feasibility of this innovative treatment approach, with the goal of improving outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
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Project Lead: Ashley Choucroun, MSc
Contact: ashley.choucroun.comtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Co PI: Lena Palaniyappan MD, PhD, Olivier Roy, MD, Stéphane Potvin
Social Determinants of Health in Digital Phenotyping
This systematic review explores how Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)—such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, and access to healthcare—influence the effectiveness and fairness of digital phenotyping in mental health research. Digital phenotyping uses tools like smartphones, wearables, and voice analysis to collect real-time, passive data on individuals’ behavior and symptoms. While promising, these technologies risk producing biased or incomplete insights if they fail to account for individuals’ diverse social contexts. This review aims to identify which SDoH have been integrated into digital phenotyping studies, how they influence data interpretation, and how future research can better incorporate them. Ultimately, the goal is to develop practical guidelines for integrating SDoH into data collection and analysis processes, improving both equity and accuracy in digital mental health care.
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Project Leads: Tihare Zamorano, MSc, Ashley Choucroun, MSc, Parnia Akhavansaffar, Bsc
Co PI: Jai Shah MD, FRCPC, Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS, FRSC​​
Gamespace
Gamespace is a modular, narrative-driven video game designed to assess and monitor cognitive functioning in individuals with psychiatric conditions, particularly psychosis. Developed in collaboration with computer scientists, the project embeds validated computational tasks within an open-world environment to improve ecological validity and engagement. Gamespace is designed to support remote monitoring, relapse prevention, and research in computational psychiatry.​​​
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Project Leads: David Benrimoh, M.D., M.Sc., M.Sc., FRCPC, Albert Powers, M.D., Ph.D, Jérôme Waldispühl
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Ashley Choucroun, MSc