Symposium VII: Precision Brain Mapping For Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Chair: Arielle Keller, Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Moderator: Damien Fair, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Speakers:
1. Arielle Keller: “Personalized Functional Brain Network Topography Reflects Childhood Environments and Cognition”
2. Deanna Greene: “Interindividual Variability of Functional Brain Network Organization in Childhood Revealed by Precision Functional Mapping”
3. Julia Moser: “Precision Functional Imaging in Infants Using Multi-Echo fMRI at 7T”
4. Charles Lynch: “Precision Mapping of Functional Brain Networks in Individuals with Depression”
Interviewee: Dr. Arielle Keller, Ph.D.
Interviewer: Matt Mattoni, M.A.
Dr. Arielle Keller is an incoming Assistant Professor in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Connecticut. She obtained her Ph.D. from Stanford University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
What is your symposium about?
Our symposium is all about discovering what makes each of our brains unique! Historically, brain imaging research has operated under the assumption that all our brains are alike, so when we take a brain image (e.g. using MRI) we can use a common atlas to locate each person’s brain regions across the cortex. However, it turns out that this assumption is actually false! Functional brain regions that make up large-scale networks like the default mode or fronto-parietal networks actually vary pretty dramatically from person to person in their exact size, shape, and spatial location. This means that when we use a group-averaged atlas to find each person’s brain regions, we are likely missing important information by mislabeling which brain area is which.
There are two reasons why this problem is particularly important to resolve for developmental cognitive neuroscientists: First, group-averaged brain atlases are typically defined in adult populations, making this approach especially problematic for studies of infant, child and adolescent development. Recent studies have shown that, not only is brain organization highly variable in youth, it also tends to change over the course of development. Second, many of the cognitive functions that are the focus of developmental cognitive neuroscience research rely on brain networks that tend to be the most variable across individuals of all large-scale brain networks. Recent studies have shown that variability in the spatial organization of networks supporting cognition is directly associated with cognitive task performance, suggesting that the spatial arrangement of brain networks might be just as functionally important as measures like brain activity or connectivity. This is why we’re excited to bring together this symposium focused on recent developments, challenges, and the future potential of person-specific brain mapping in developmental cognitive neuroscience.
Who are the speakers? What diverse viewpoints do they bring?
We are so thrilled to have an awesome lineup of speakers for our symposium! Our speakers come from a diverse range of backgrounds and career stages. Appropriately for our discussion of personalized neuroscience, each of our speakers’ unique brains will bring a unique perspective to the topic, including the use of a wide range of methodological approaches in different age groups addressing a variety of clinical, cognitive, and developmental applications.
Dr. Deanna Greene from UC San Diego will present hot-off-the-press results from precision functional mapping in a unique dataset of densely-sampled children, discuss challenges and strategies for acquiring such a dataset, and highlight new directions for the field. Dr. Julia Moser from the University of Minnesota will present initial results from performing precision functional mapping in infants, showcasing recent methodological advancements for researchers to perform precision mapping in developmental populations.
Dr. Chuck Lynch from Weill Cornell Medicine will focus on functional brain network organization in adolescence as a possible marker of risk for developing depression, with implications for our understanding of the origins and behavioral significance of individual variation in the size, shape, and spatial location of functional brain networks. I’ll then present recent results showing that the functional topography of individually-defined brain networks reflect individual differences in childhood environments and cognitive abilities. We’ll close the session with a panel discussion led by Dr. Damien Fair, where we will encourage audience participation!
What was your goal in organizing this symposium?
My goal in organizing this symposium is to highlight the importance of this topic for developmental cognitive neuroscience research and to present the Flux community with concrete tools and strategies for implementing personalized neuroscience approaches in their own work. I was also really excited to bring together an awesome group of speakers, many of whom I look up to as role models in the field! This dream team really brings a unique set of perspectives that I hope will make for valuable discussion to move the field forward.
How did this symposium come about?
I personally think that precision brain mapping for developmental cognitive neuroscience is still in its infancy (pun intended)! I also think that this topic is one of the most fun and exciting research avenues to explore, because it addresses a fundamental question about what makes us unique as individuals. There are so many open questions about how our brains come to be as unique as they are during development and we’re only just beginning to scratch the surface in looking for answers!
This is my first time organizing/chairing a symposium and I am truly overjoyed for the opportunity to bring these outstanding scientists together. I was so happy when each of the invited speakers responded enthusiastically to the idea - even the one who I invited by blurting the idea out across a busy hallway - and I’m really looking forward to everyone’s talks!
What else are you looking forward to at Flux?
I can’t wait for #Flux 2024! It’s going to be so much fun to reunite with friends and colleagues and meet new scientists in the field as Flux continues to grow! In addition to this symposium, I’m also really excited for the session on “Dis/Ability, Accessibility, and Inclusion: Shifting the focus from individuals to systems” led by Dr. Monica Ellwood-Lowe and Dr. Maira Karan that I’ve helped to organize with the Flux Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee. This is sure to be an engaging session on another important topic for the field, so I hope to see a great turnout!