Using The Virtual Brain to Trace Trajectories of Brain Health in Ageing Summary

Event Details

Lecture Title: Using The Virtual Brain to Trace Trajectories of Brain Health in Ageing

Summary: We introduced The Virtual Brain (TVB) to the neuroscience community a decade ago. It was the first platform for creating large-scale simulations of human brain networks and has continued to evolve as a community project, extending to multiple basic and clinical applications and extensions to models of rodent and macaque brains. A singular feature of TVB is that the brain models can be constructed from an individual’s neuroimaging data, giving a great degree of specificity. This is especially relevant in studies across the lifespan, where the biophysical parameters of the model have a direct neurophysiological interpretation (e.g., neural excitation/inhibition). This feature of TVB results in great prediction of cognitive function across age-groups, and by connecting potential trajectories between groups, may provide new information on paths that reflect good brain health. We can extend this to age-related dysfunction, such as dementia, opening a potential for early detection of problematic trajectories and developing mitigation strategies.

Speaker Biography: Dr. Randy McIntosh holds a PhD in psychology and neuroscience with a strong background in statistics. His research journey began at the Rotman Research Institute, University of Toronto, where he developed a keen interest in understanding aging and cognition. Through international collaborations, they created The Virtual Brain (thevirtualbrain.org), a groundbreaking platform that unites global research efforts. His vision encompasses two key objectives: 1) integrating their modeling platform into clinical decision-making processes and 2) establishing a user-friendly cloud-based system for brain modeling in research, clinical applications, and education. He recently joined Simon Fraser University, where his research will play a pivotal role in the new Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology.

Participants may attend the seminar in-person at the Rudy North Lecture Theatre in the Centre for Brain Health at UBC, or virtually via Zoom. Zoom details for virtual attendance can be found below. A light lunch will be provided for all those attending in-person.

Please register here for the seminar.