By transmitting sound to the fingers, this technology could help people with hearing loss and support musicians in their daily practice.

Listening to music with your hands may sound like science fiction, but a team at Université Laval is working on some very special gloves. They are capable of transmitting sounds as vibrations directly to the fingers using small speakers. “You could put the piano on the thumb and the flute on the little finger,” explains Andréanne Sharp, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CERVO Research Center, who leads the project.

The technology, developed in collaboration with Professor Jérémie Voix from the École de technologie supérieure (ETS), relies on activating brain areas associated with each finger to add a “tactile cue” to hearing. The musical experience is not the same as listening with our ears, the professor notes. She compares the sensation of the gloves to placing your hands on a speaker and feeling vibrations through your body.

The gloves could be used by people with hearing loss as a complement to hearing aids or cochlear implants. “It can sometimes be difficult for them to clearly understand speech or music in noisy environments, even with their devices,” says Professor Sharp, an audiologist by training and a musician by passion.

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A study conducted at Université Laval highlights how compulsive video game use can exacerbate certain symptoms of psychosis and interfere with treatment.

In individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis—such as hallucinations or social withdrawal—co-occurring conditions may emerge and hinder recovery. Video game addiction is one such factor. The research underscores its prevalence in this population and emphasizes the importance of systematic screening to ensure appropriate, tailored interventions.

The study was led by Maxime Huot-Lavoie under the supervision of Marc-André Roy and Marie-France Demers, both affiliated with the Centre de recherche CERVO and the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec.

The level of these molecules in the blood is linked to cognitive decline in people who have not yet received a diagnosis.

Once the diagnosis is made, it is too late to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. That is why identifying the earliest signs of cognitive decline is crucial. A team from Université Laval examined blood-based biomarkers and identified two promising molecules, according to a study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Exploring the metabolic pathway

The scientists studied molecules associated with metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension, which are linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. “We wanted to see how these metabolic biomarkers behaved in relation to cognitive changes,” explains Frédéric Calon, explains professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and researcher at the Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec – Université Laval, who led the study

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A research team has revealed how this protein worsens the damage caused by a stroke—a discovery that could improve brain recovery.

High levels of the protein DKK1 (Dickkopf-1) in the bloodstream of people who have suffered a stroke are associated with a poor short- and long-term prognosis. A team from Université Laval has uncovered the protein’s mechanism of action and its role in stroke severity. The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, thus opens the door to new therapeutic approaches.

The protein DKK1 blocks specialized brain mechanisms that help regulate vascular stability and inflammation. “It really sits at the intersection of inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and brain function, which is why we were interested in studying it,” explains Ayman ElAli, professor in the Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre, who led the study

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A study reveals how physical activity and a favorable living environment stimulate the production of a protein essential to vascular health, reducing the harmful effects of stress and preventing depression.

A research team at Université Laval may have identified why physical exercise and living under favorable socioeconomic conditions reduce the risk of depression. In laboratory animals exposed to chronic social stress—one of the main causes of depression—physical activity and an enriched environment helped maintain the integrity of the blood–brain barrier in brain regions associated with mood and emotional regulation. The findings, recently published in Nature Communications, highlight the key role played by a brain protein, Fgf2, in this protective mechanism and its potential as a biomarker for mood disorders.

“The blood–brain barrier has multiple lines of defense made up of different types of cells that are not tightly joined together. What seals the gaps between the cells in the first line is the protein claudin-5. Without it, the barrier loses its impermeability,” explains the study’s lead author, Caroline Ménard, rofessor at the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CERVO Research Centre.

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A research team has developed a new drug that blocks antibodies involved in a disease related to multiple sclerosis.

A study published today in the journal PNAS demonstrates that it may be possible to slow the progression of certain autoimmune diseases using drugs that interfere with the antibodies responsible for these conditions. In mice affected by an autoimmune neurological disease, such a drug reduced symptom severity and restored some functions, including mobility.

“This proof of concept paves the way for a new range of treatments for autoimmune diseases,” says the study’s lead investigator, Luc Vallières , Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Centre.

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A team has developed a protocol to more objectively assess the functional consequences of intolerance to loud sounds.

Intolerance to loud sounds — hyperacusis — has a subjective nature that complicates both diagnosis and research on this auditory disorder. Indeed, clinicians must rely on self-assessments from affected individuals to determine how much the condition interferes with their daily activities. However, an experimental protocol developed by researchers at Université Laval could help reduce some of this subjectivity, suggests an article recently published in the scientific journal Hearing Research.

Hyperacusis is believed to affect between 4% and 17% of the adult population. “It is increasingly recognized as an auditory disorder, even though there is no scientific consensus regarding its definition,” notes the study’s lead author, Philippe Fournier, professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences and researcher at the Interdisciplinary Research Center on Rehabilitation and Social Integration at Université Laval.

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What if amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were also a metabolic disease? This is the question raised by a research team led by Chantelle Sephton, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and researcher at the CERVO Research Centre. Their work using a mouse model suggests that the way nervous system cells use energy contributes to the death of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

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Professor Matthias Pepin and postdoctoral fellow Roxane Hoyer explain attention-deficit disorder, its growing prevalence, and its effects in the entrepreneurial world.

As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, an expert in entrepreneurial mindset and a neuroscience researcher teamed up to analyze an intriguing fact: the slightly higher incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among entrepreneurs.
Matthias Pepin, professor in the Faculty of Business Administration, and Roxane Hoyer, postdoctoral fellow in the Faculty of Medicine, examine the effects that ADHD can have on an entrepreneurial journey.

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Doctoral student Michelle Janusz, the first member of the community to advance this far in this science-communication competition, shares her creative process for captivating the public.

Michelle Janusz, a PhD student in electrical engineering at Université Laval, won second place at the national finals of the Three Minute Thesis competition, the English-language counterpart of Ma thèse en 180 secondes. The event, organized by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, was held on November 6 in Ottawa.

This achievement qualifies her for the North American grand finale, which will take place in Washington, D.C., on December 6 as part of the annual Council of Graduate Schools conference. She is the first Université Laval contestant ever to reach this stage of the competition.

Her presentation, titled “Silencing the Alarm: A New Approach to Chronic Pain,” compares chronic pain signals to a faulty alarm system. In it, she explains her project: an implant that uses light to activate and deactivate specific nerves in the spinal cord to stop the transmission of pain signals.

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