Dr. Krista Lanctôt is a clinical pharmacologist, professor at the university of Toronto, a Senior Scientist in the Brain Sciences Research Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, the Head of Neuropsychopharmacology Research, and the Executive Director of the Medical Outcomes and Research in Economics Research Centre. Her important research includes the treatment of apathy and agitation in AD investigating the efficacy and safety of various antidepressants, anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, and cannabinoids. Her recently published, positive study of nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, was awarded the “Most Impactful Paper of 2019” at AAIC in August this year, by ISTAART. The results of the study have led to funding by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation for a phase 3, placebo-controlled trial of nabilone to treat agitation in AD, which is expected to be initiated shortly. Dr. Lanctôt is leader of CCNA’s Team 11 which is the cohort for the Treatment and Prevention of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms.
Another important contribution has been Dr. Lanctôt’s participation in Clinical Practice Guidelines for dementia and post-stroke cognitive impairment. She has participated in, and/or chaired several consensus conferences in these areas and her publications related to the pharmacological management of Alzheimer’s Disease from the Canadian Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia (CCCDTD) are used frequently by specialists and primary care physicians to treat dementia patients.