Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC, via a NSERC-UKRI call for proposals on quantum technologies)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Margot Taylor. Co-Principal Investigators: Dr. Ben Dunkley (SickKids), Prof. Matthew Brookes (University of Nottingham, UK), Prof. Krish Singh (Cardiff University, UK).
Date: 2025 – 2027
Summary: Adolescence is a critical period when experiences powerfully shape the development of neural circuits, including maturation of inhibitory neurotransmission, and therefore changing the ratio (or balance) between excitatory signaling and inhibitory signaling. This E-I balance is critical to healthy brain functioning, and an imbalance in these signals is associated with psychiatric and neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. In this study, we use OPM-MEG and biophysical models to measure changes in E-I balance across adolescence.