Neil Rector, University of Toronto

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of Toronto profile.

Psychiatry (including psychotherapy)Mental health and wellbeing

Latest papers

A Brief Intervention for the Treatment of Anxiety in Pregnancy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (The TAP Study).
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics · 2026
Modeling Effort-Based Decision Making: Individual Differences in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging · 2023
Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes Following Benzodiazepine Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2020

All 6 publications

Latest funding

Family Accommodation Reduction in Adult Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
CIHR · 2025 · Co-investigator
$937,124
Mindfulness-Based Interventions for OCD: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Biological Predictors of Outcome
CIHR · 2020 · Nominated PI
$722,924
The efficacy of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial
CIHR · 2016 · Supervisor
$135,000

All 8 grants and awards

6 publications.

01

A Brief Intervention for the Treatment of Anxiety in Pregnancy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (The TAP Study).

Grigoriadis S, Sharma N, Dennis CL, Vigod SN, Rector N, Richter P, Bodley J, Fleming K, Barret J, Kiss A, Levitt A, Selchen S

Psychotherapy and psychosomatics2026

DOI: 10.1159/000551731 PMID: 41911085

02

Modeling Effort-Based Decision Making: Individual Differences in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder.

Saperia S, Felsky D, Da Silva S, Siddiqui I, Rector N, Remington G, Zakzanis KK, Foussias G

Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.05.009 PMID: 37290745

03

Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes Following Benzodiazepine Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Grigoriadis S, Graves L, Peer M, Mamisashvili L, Ruthirakuhan M, Chan P, Hennawy M, Parikh S, Vigod SN, Dennis CL, Steiner M, Brown C, Cheung A, Dawson H, Rector N, Guenette M, Richter M

Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie2020

DOI: 10.1177/0706743720904860 PMID: 32148076

04

Functional connectivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder and its subtypes.

Ravindran A, Richter M, Jain T, Ravindran L, Rector N, Farb N

Psychological medicine2020

DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719001090 PMID: 31120006

05

Benzodiazepine Use During Pregnancy Alone or in Combination With an Antidepressant and Congenital Malformations: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Grigoriadis S, Graves L, Peer M, Mamisashvili L, Dennis CL, Vigod SN, Steiner M, Brown C, Cheung A, Dawson H, Rector N, Guenette M, Richter M

The Journal of clinical psychiatry2019

DOI: 10.4088/jcp.18r12412 PMID: 31294935

06

Validity of an Internet version of the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire

Akbar N, Honarmand K, Kou N, Levine B, Rector N, Feinstein A

Multiple Sclerosis Journal201011 citations

DOI: 10.1177/1352458510379615

Family Accommodation Reduction in Adult Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Co-investigatorCIHR2025Project Grant

Principal investigators: Rowa, Karen A; Soreni, Noam

Keywords: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy; Family Accommodation; Family Intervention; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Quality Of Life; Randomized Controlled Trial

$937,124

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for OCD: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Biological Predictors of Outcome

Nominated PICIHR2020Project Grant

Principal investigators: Rector, Neil A; McCabe, Randi E

Keywords: Cognition; Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy; Compulsions; Eeg; Genes; Mindfulness; Obsessions; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Treatment

$722,924

The efficacy of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial

SupervisorCIHR2016CIHR Fellowship

Principal investigators: MacDonald, Danielle

Keywords: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Randomized Controlled Trial; Treatment Efficacy; Treatment Mechanisms

$135,000

Neurodevelopmental Risk for Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period

Nominated PICIHR2015Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Rector, Neil A; Richter, Margaret A

Keywords: Anxiety Disorders; Cognition; Genetics; Mood Disorders; Neurodevelopmental; Perinatal; Personality; Vulnerability

$1,005,787

The Impact of Perinatal Anxiety on Mothers and Babies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Co-investigatorCIHR2014Knowledge Synthesis Grant

Principal investigators: Graves, Lisa; Grigoriadis, Sophie

Keywords: Antidepressant Medication; Anxiety; Delivery Outcomes; Infant Outcomes; Knowledge Translation; Maternal Outcomes; Meta-Analysis; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Systematic Review

$97,400

An Examination of Structured Physical Exercise in OCD: Treatment Efficacy, Additive Benefits to CBT, and Cognitive Correlates of Change

Nominated PICIHR2013Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Rector, Neil A; Richter, Margaret A

Keywords: Bdnf; Cbt; Cognition; Compulsions; Exercise; Memory; Obsessions; Ocd; Treatment; Val66met

$362,414

Neurodevelopmental Risk for Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period

Nominated PICIHR2010Team Grant - Maternal Health: From Pre-conception to the Empty Nest-LOI

Principal investigators: Rector, Neil A; Kennedy, James L; Richter, Margaret A

Keywords: Anxiety Disorders; Health Care Utilization; Knowledge Translation; Maternal Mental Health; Mood Disorders; Neurodevelopmental; Postpartum; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Vulnerability

Vulnerability and resilience to posttraumatic intrusions

Co-investigatorSSHRC2007Standard Research Grants

Principal investigators: Laposa, Judith M.

Keywords: traumatic events; cognitive processing; emergency room workers; vulnerability and prevention; resilience

$101,494

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Nutritional Sciences
Children, Youth and Families
Rotman Research Institute
Research Imaging Center
Medicine
Other

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Cindy-Lee Dennis

Nutritional Sciences

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Amy Cheung

Children, Youth and Families

2 shared papers, latest 2020

Nadine Akbar

Centre for Urban Health Solutions

1 shared papers, latest 2010

Daniel Felsky

Department of Psychiatry

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Peggy Richter

Department of Psychiatry

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Gary Remington

Research Imaging Center

1 shared papers, latest 2023

Brian Levine

Rotman Research Institute

1 shared papers, latest 2010

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2020

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Psychiatry (including psychotherapy) Dear Professor Rector, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "A Brief Intervention for the Treatment of Anxiety in Pregnancy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (The TAP Study)." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for OCD: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Biological Predictors of Outcome" (2020), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Neil Rector

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

A Brief Intervention for the Treatment of Anxiety in Pregnancy: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (The TAP Study).

Modeling Effort-Based Decision Making: Individual Differences in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder.

Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes Following Benzodiazepine Exposure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Functional connectivity in obsessive-compulsive disorder and its subtypes.

Benzodiazepine Use During Pregnancy Alone or in Combination With an Antidepressant and Congenital Malformations: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Validity of an Internet version of the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire

Family Accommodation Reduction in Adult Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for OCD: Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Biological Predictors of Outcome

The efficacy of mindfulness based cognitive therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Neurodevelopmental Risk for Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period

The Impact of Perinatal Anxiety on Mothers and Babies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

An Examination of Structured Physical Exercise in OCD: Treatment Efficacy, Additive Benefits to CBT, and Cognitive Correlates of Change

Neurodevelopmental Risk for Anxiety and Mood Disorders in Pregnancy and the Post-Partum Period

Vulnerability and resilience to posttraumatic intrusions

Frequent collaborators

Margaret Richter

Sophie Grigoriadis

Cindy-Lee Dennis

Amy Cheung

Arun Ravindran

Anthony Levitt

Nadine Akbar

Daniel Felsky

Myuri Ruthirakuhan

Peggy Richter

Gary Remington

Kimia Honarmand

George Foussias

Brian Levine