2021 Honourary Lifetime Membership Award

Saskatchewan

Spotlight on Dr. Darrel Mousseau's long-standing dedication to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan.

Dr. Darrel Mousseau standing beside a researcher who is seated at a desk.

Dr. Darrel Mousseau was presented the Honourary Lifetime Membership Award during the Alzheimer Society’s of Saskatchewan’s 2021 Annual General Meeting.   

Dr. Mousseau served as the Saskatchewan Research Chair in Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia from 2010 to 2020 at the University of Saskatchewan.  The Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia initiative was a $2M research project funded by the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan (ASOS) and the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.  Mousseau personally secured an additional $4M in funding for the project.

Mousseau’s research identifies a connection between molecules associated with depression and Alzheimer’s Disease.  Dr. Mousseau’s work also links a certain class of antidepressant drugs to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. 

Furthermore, Dr. Mousseau’s research shows significant variations between molecules in male and female brains.  Mousseau now believes that Alzheimer’s disease progresses differently in men and women, indicating the need for more diversified treatment options. 

“We have clearly shown differences in the human male and female brain, and these differences speak to the potential for different disease processes between the sexes,” says Mousseau.  “There is likely no ‘one size fits all’ therapeutic for regulating amyloid levels in males and females and knowing this will help us to understand that we need to develop different therapeutics for each sex.”

Dr. Mousseau first got involved with the ASOS as a board member in 2008.  Since then, he has continued to support the Society’s mission by speaking at Society events, mentoring post-doctoral dementia researchers, and serving on the Alzheimer Society of Canada’s biomedical peer review panel.

Mousseau is the Director of the Cell Signaling Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan. His work remains integral to neurodegeneration and to advancing treatment for people experiencing dementia.  The Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan is proud to recognize Dr. Darrel Mousseau’s contributions to Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia with the 2021 Honourary Lifetime Membership Award.

For a list of all 2021 AGM award recipients, please click here