Brain imaging for fun and profit

1. Brain imaging for fun and profit Daniel Marcus, PhD Director, Neuroinformatics Research Group @ Washington University School of Medicine

2. Outline • Brain imaging 101 • Brain imaging & emerging technologies • Brain imaging for hackers

3. 100 billion neurons in the human brain 100 trillion synapses in the human brain Neuron is the basic computational unit in the brain

4. Neurons are organized into circuits in the cerebral cortex

5. Neuron  Network  Whole brain

6. Brain imaging: single neuron In vivo microscopy Misgeld & Kerschensteiner, 2006

7. Brain imaging: neuronal networks Transgenics & fluorescence microscopy Livet, et al. Nature (2007)

8. Brain imaging: whole brain • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) • Structural MRI • Functional MRI • Functional connectivity MRI • Computed tomography (CT) • Positron emission tomography (PET) • EEG, MEG, MRS, SPECT, DTI,…

9. Structural MRI • Essential in clinical care. • Radiologists perform qualitative “lightbox” reads. • Most psychiatric and neurological disorders are invisible to reading radiologists.

10. Aging of the brain 80s aging gracefully 80s with mild Alzheimer’s 20s http://www.oasis-brains.org

11. Brain volume declines with age Marcus et al., 2007

12. Advanced structural methods Van Essen et al., 2006 Csernansky et al., 2005

13. fMRI

14. fMRI depends on functional localization

15. The sad tale of Phineas Gage “[P]ossessed a well-balanced mind, and was looked upon by those who knew him as a shrewd, smart businessman, very energetic and persistent” “fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires, at times pertinaciously obstinate, yet capricious and vacillating...” Harlow, J.M. (1868)

17. Natural History Museum, London

18. Another sad tale “A preexisting strong interest in pornographydating back to adolescence...” “An increasing interest in pornography... acquiredan expanding collection of pornographic magazines and increasinglyfrequented Internet pornography sites.” “Much of this prurientmaterial emphasized children and adolescents and was specificallytargeted to purveyors of child pornography. He also solicitedprostitution, which he had not previouslydone.” “Despite his strong desire to avoid prison, he couldnot restrain himself from soliciting sexual favors from staffat the rehabilitation center.” Burns and Swerdlow, 2003

19. Another sad tale

20. Anatomy of an fMRI study Test (in scanner) Study Buckner & Wheeler, 2001

21. Anatomy of an fMRI study Old New - = Buckner & Wheeler, 2001

22. Applications of fMRI • Discovery of basic brain function • Discovery of brain dysfunction in disease • Evaluation of treatment efficacy • Sketchy things

23. http://www.noliemri.com

24. “This is your brain on politics”, NY Times, Nov. 11, 2007

25. Voters sense both peril and promise in party brands. • Emotions about Hillary Clinton are mixed. • The gender gap may be closing. • Mitt Romney shows potential. • In Rudy Giuliani versus Fred Thompson, the latter evokes more empathy. • John Edwards has promise — and a problem. • Barack Obama and John McCain have work to do.

27. Where are the language areas? Where are the motor areas?

29. With fMRI, patients must perform an action, which is unreliable in clinic.

30. Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) requires NO task. Highly reliable.

33. Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) requires NO task.

35. Emerging technology: quantitative radiology Quantitative analysis fcMRI brain scan. Doctor receives report. Patient visits doctor. Doctor orders fcMRI. Doctor makes dx. and plans treatment. Quantitative report provides diagnostic measures, guides treatment, assesses response.

36. Emerging technology: digital lab on the cloud Input: Raw MRI scans Output: Quantitative reports

37. Emerging technology: Patient-driven care Microsoft HealthVault

38. Emerging technology: Patient-driven care Google Health (prototype)

39. Brain imaging for hackers • Get yourself some brain images • Get yourself some brain analysis tools • Discover something, invent something

40. Get your own brain scanned • Buy a scanner and install it in your basement

41. Get your own brain scanned • Buy a scanner and install it in your basement • Inflict severe brain injury

42. Get your own brain scanned • Buy a scanner and install it in your basement • Inflict severe brain injury • Volunteer for a study • Contact local research centers • Ask for your scans (“I’ve brought a blank CD with me. Will you please copy the DICOM files of my scans onto it?”)

43. Use open access data • Neuron: Neuron Database @ Yale Sense Lab • Gene expression: Allen Brain Atlas • Structural MRI: Open Access Structural Imaging Series (OASIS), mBIRN Data Repository • Functional MRI: fMRI Data Center, fBIRN Data Repository • Functional connectivity MRI: Brainscape

44. oasis-brains.org

45. brainscape.org

46. Get yourself some tools Slicer, Caret, AFNI, Freesurfer, SPM, FSL, ImageJ Neuron  Network  Whole brain Genesis Neuron Ed Boyden, Thursday 11:50 “Synthetic Neurobiology: Towards Engineering Brain Circuits for Health and Human Augmentation” See also NITRC (http://www.nitrc.org/)

47. Automated brain extraction How many networks are in the brain Methods for distinguishing differences between populations Predicting disease and aptitude Data sharing Individual differences in performance (“gifted”, “savant”) Neuroethics “Deidentifying” images Bridging the spatial divide Security and privacy Data mining Some unsolved problems

48. Start hacking.

49. Brain imaging: gene expression Lein et al. Nature (2007)

50. Functional Brain Imaging and Brain Blood Flow Veber den Kreislauf des Blutes in Menschlichen Gehirn (Concerning the circulation of the blood in the human brain) Verlag von Viet & Company: Leipzig, 1881 Angelo Mosso