mood disorder

Many patients with depression struggle to return to their full level of functioning in work and other areas of life. These poor functional outcomes in depression may be related to cognitive difficulties, as patients demonstrate problems with memory, attention, and problem solving. We however lack treatments for these difficulties. Cognitive training, consisting of tasks to target cognitive deficits, has been tested but shows inconsistent results in depression.      

Individuals vary widely in the aspects of the world they perceive and remember: some filter their environments through rose coloured glasses to perceive sources of pleasure, while others are attuned to signs of threat. Such affective biases in attention influence memory and characterize mood disorders and pathological responses to trauma as well as addictive behaviours. Yet much remains to be learned about neural mechanisms underlying such biases, and the factors that influence their development and potential for change.

Dr. Mackay’s program of research aims to explore the effects of ethnicity on certain critical junctures in cardiac care: seeking treatment in an Emergency Department when having symptoms of acute coronary syndrome; decision-making regarding revascularization or other treatment for coronary artery disease; outcomes following revascularization procedures (i.e., angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery); and discharge from acute care of cardiac patients who have screened positive for depression.