Paul Sandor

Affilations

Staff Psychiatrist, UHN
Director, TouretteSyndrome Neurodevelopmental Clinic, TWH, UHN
Director, Neurpsychiatric Studies, Youthdale Treatment Centers, Toronto

Research Synopsis

Dr. Paul Sandor's research interest has focused on genetics, neurobiology and clinical pharmacology of Tourette Syndrome (TS") and related disorders. We are refining and extending the fMRI paradigm to determine how it may apply to various subsets of TS patients with/without OCD and/or ADHD. We are pursuing fMRI strategies to elucidate the neural pathways involved in motor control and also using a novel paradigm involving eye-blinking in TS patients and controls. Our current program of research includes continued collection of suitable trio and sib-pair families with TS to confirm and refine the results of the above-mentioned first set of sib-pairs. We are members of the International Genetics of Tourette Syndrome Consortium sponsored by the U.S. Tourette Syndrome Association and funded by NIMH and NINDS. We are pursuing a study of sleep and aggressive behavior in TS patients in collaboration with Dr. C. Shapiro, as wellas studying the sleep architecture in TS patients and its modulation during treatment with a variety of treatment agents.

Another focus is the study of predisposing and protective environmental and neurobiological factors contributing to childhood onset, neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders e.g. depression.