Dr. Stephen Laviolette
Conducted pre-clinical trials for CanaQuest, Neuroscientist, Professor, Western University - Translational Neuropsychiatry Expert, Founder, Laviolette Lab
Dr. Steven Laviolette is a globally recognized neuroscientist and professor at Western University, where he leads a translational research program at the intersection of neurobiology, pharmacology, and psychiatric disease. With over two decades of preclinical and translational neuroscience experience, Dr. Laviolette’s work focuses on uncovering the molecular and circuit-level mechanisms driving complex neuropsychiatric conditions, including depression, schizophrenia, PTSD, anxiety, and addiction.
As the founder of the Laviolette Lab, his team employs a systems-level approach combining in vivo neuronal electrophysiology, behavioural neuropharmacology, molecular signaling analysis, and neurodevelopmental models to explore how the brain processes emotion, cognition, and reward under the influence of various psychoactive compounds and environmental exposures. A major emphasis of his research investigates how phytochemicals derived from cannabis—such as cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—modulate specific brain circuits and receptor systems (dopaminergic, GABAergic, serotonergic, and cannabinoid) to influence fear memory, emotional regulation, and cognitive function.
Dr. Laviolette has made pioneering contributions to understanding the long-term neurological effects of adolescent exposure to cannabinoids, opioids, and nicotine, identifying novel molecular targets and signaling pathways for the development of next-generation therapeutics. His lab’s discoveries have laid the groundwork for cannabinoid-based interventions targeting mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr. Laviolette’s scientific excellence has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the CIHR New Investigator Fellowship, the NARSAD Young Investigator Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, the Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation New Investigator Award, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Leader’s Opportunity Fund. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as Neuropsychopharmacology, Journal of Neuroscience, Biological Psychiatry, and Cerebral Cortex.
Beyond his academic role, Dr. Laviolette serves on peer review panels for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is affiliated with the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran’s Health Research. He is a former Chair of the Ontario Mental Health Foundation’s Review Committee and a widely sought advisor in cannabinoid pharmacotherapy research.
Dr. Laviolette earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Pharmacology from the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), solidifying his expertise in both fundamental brain research and translational drug development.