Training
Post-doctorate in Computational Neuroscience (McGill University)
Post-doctorate in Molecular Imaging (Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal)
Concentration in Cognitive Science (University of Quebec in Montreal)
Combined Psy.D./Ph.D. in Psychology (University of Quebec in Montreal)
Research interests
My research interests focus on the use of brain imaging and computational neuroscience to understand the relationship between sleep and neurodegenerative diseases. I am particularly interested in isolated REM sleep behavior diosrder and synucleinopathies such as dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease.
Methodological approaches
Neuroimaging and computational neurosciences, magnetic resonance imaging, morphometry, connectomics, transcriptomics, molecular imaging, large cohorts.
Selected publications
Rahayel S, Tremblay C, Vo A, Misic B, Lehéricy S, Arnulf I, Vidailhet M, Corvol JC; ICEBERG Study Group; Gagnon JF, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Lewis S, Matar E, Martens KE, Borghammer P, Knudsen K, Hansen AK, Monchi O, Gan-Or Z, Dagher A; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Mitochondrial function-associated genes underlie cortical atrophy in prodromal synucleinopathies. Brain. 2023 Feb 24:awad044. doi: 10.1093/brain/awad044. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36826230.
Rahayel S, Tremblay C, Vo A, Zheng YQ, Lehéricy S, Arnulf I, Vidailhet M, Corvol JC, Gagnon JF, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Lewis S, Matar E, Ehgoetz Martens K, Borghammer P, Knudsen K, Hansen A, Monchi O, Misic B, Dagher A. Brain atrophy in prodromal synucleinopathy is shaped by structural connectivity and gene expression. Brain. 2022 Sep 14;145(9):3162-3178. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac187. PubMed PMID: 35594873.
Rahayel S, Mišić B, Zheng YQ, Liu ZQ, Abdelgawad A, Abbasi N, Caputo A, Zhang B, Lo A, Kehm V, Kozak M, Yoo HS, Dagher A, Luk KC. Differentially targeted seeding reveals unique pathological alpha-synuclein propagation patterns. Brain. 2022 Jun 3;145(5):1743-1756. doi: 10.1093/brain/awab440.
Rahayel S, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Mišić B, Tremblay C, Vo A, Lewis S, Matar E, Ehgoetz Martens K, Blanc F, Yao C, Carrier J, Monchi O, Gaubert M, Dagher A, Gagnon JF. A Prodromal Brain-Clinical Pattern of Cognition in Synucleinopathies. Ann Neurol. 2021 Feb;89(2):341-357. doi: 10.1002/ana.25962.
Tremblay C, Rahayel S, Vo A, Morys F, Shafiei G, Abbasi N, Markello RD, Gan-Or Z, Misic B, Dagher A. Brain atrophy progression in Parkinson’s disease is shaped by connectivity and local vulnerability. Brain Commun. 2021;3(4):fcab269. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab269.
Rahayel S, Gaubert M, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Carrier J, Monchi O, Rémillard-Pelchat D, Bourgouin PA, Panisset M, Chouinard S, Joubert S, Gagnon JF. Brain atrophy in Parkinson’s disease with polysomnography-confirmed REM sleep behavior disorder. Sleep. 2019 Jun 11;42(6). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsz062.
Rahayel S, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Génier Marchand D, Escudier F, Gaubert M, Bourgouin PA, Carrier J, Monchi O, Joubert S, Blanc F, Gagnon JF. Cortical and subcortical gray matter bases of cognitive deficits in REM sleep behavior disorder. Neurology. 2018 May 15;90(20):e1759-e1770. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000005523.
Rahayel S, Postuma RB, Montplaisir J, Bedetti C, Brambati S, Carrier J, Monchi O, Bourgouin PA, Gaubert M, Gagnon JF. Abnormal Gray Matter Shape, Thickness, and Volume in the Motor Cortico-Subcortical Loop in Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: Association with Clinical and Motor Features. Cereb Cortex. 2018 Feb 1;28(2):658-671. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx137.