Alain Dagher

Dr. Alain Dagher is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and a core faculty member at the Montreal Neurological Institute (The Neuro). He leads the Dagher Lab within The Neuro's Neuroimaging and Neuroinformatics Research Group and provides clinical care through the Movement Disorders Programme.

His research focuses on basal ganglia function in appetitive behaviors, employing PET and fMRI to study dopamine dynamics in Parkinson's disease, addiction (smoking, gambling), obesity, and stress responses. Key interests include reward processing, motivation mechanisms, and neural correlates of decision-making, with emphasis on how dopamine mediates responses to food, drugs, and psychological stressors.

His publication record (2000-2009) reveals consistent innovation in neuroimaging methodologies and translational applications, particularly in dopamine system quantification during behavioral tasks. Major themes include addiction neurobiology, obesity mechanisms, and Parkinson's disease pathophysiology, characterized by interdisciplinary approaches bridging clinical neurology, cognitive psychology, and advanced imaging.

Dr. Dagher secures funding from CIHR, FRSQ, NIDA, Parkinson Society of Canada, and industry partners including Unilever PLC. Recent recognition includes CIHR grants awarded in February 2025 as one of six principal investigators at The Neuro. His lab trains graduate students in neuroimaging techniques and behavioral neuroscience methodologies.

The Dagher Lab operates within The Neuro's Neuroimaging and Neuroinformatics Research Group, collaborating with the Azrieli Centre for Autism Research and contributing to open science initiatives through the Tanenbaum Open Science Institute. His team integrates PET/fMRI with psychological paradigms to investigate real-time neural responses to rewards and stressors.