Abstract

Abstract: Variability in the spatial layout of human brain functional networks on the anatomic cortex is an understudied phenotype, particularly for imaging-genetic studies looking to understand the genetic basis of fMRI networks. Early results show that the individual-specific topography of Person-specific Functional Networks (PFNs) is strongly associated with domains of psychopathology and cognition, including during the period of adolescence. PFNs capture individualized aspects of brain function that have unique associations with clinical and developmental outcomes, compared to standard fMRI approaches. Standard fMRI approaches measure activity in these same functional networks but fail to incorporate the variation in functional network topography that exists among individuals. Targeting PFNs may accelerate the discovery of genetic contributions to the organization of brain function, leading to mechanistic insights into genetic risks for behavioral health conditions related to brain function.

Bio: Aaron Alexander-Bloch, MPhil, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, where he serves as the Director of the Brain-Gene Development Lab. He studied philosophy at Harvard College, then computational biology and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. He completed his medical training at UCLA followed by psychiatry residency at Yale. In the Brain-Gene Development Lab, Dr. Alexander-Bloch leads a multi-disciplinary team of computational scientists focused on the integration of brain imaging, genomics and clinical data to probe neurodevelopment and its disruption in mental illness. He works as an Attending Psychiatrist at the Penn First Episode Psychosis Clinic, and he is co-Director for neuroscience education for the Penn Psychiatry Residency. He is the recipient of multiple awards and federally funded grants for his research, including three active R01s as principal investigator through the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.