Dr. Linda Booij

Queen’s University researcher Linda Booij (Psychology) has earned the 2013 Young Investigator Award from the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CCNP). The award recognizes outstanding research contributions in the field of ¢, or how drugs affect the mind, by a young basic scientist or clinical investigator working in Canada.

“It is an honour to receive such an award for my first set of studies as an independent researcher,” says Dr. Booij, whose research focuses on serotonin and how it can affect the mind during the early stages of development.

Serotonin, which is manufactured in the brain, is a chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Dr. Booij’s research examines how early stress, in combination with genetic factors, could affect the serotonin system in humans. Her hypothesis is that early disruption in serotonin stability could impact the areas of the brain involved in emotion regulation, predisposing the individual to mental distress or abnormal behaviour when exposed to stressful events.

Dr. Booij is currently researching individuals with mood disorders and people prone to aggression problems. She is also a researcher at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in the Brain Disorders Axis and is a member of the clinical research unit on children’s psychosocial maladjustment.

The award was given at the 36th annual meeting of the CCNP in May.