This lesson is a general overview of overarching concepts in neuroinformatics research, with a particular focus on clinical approaches to defining, measuring, studying, diagnosing, and treating various brain disorders. Also described are the complex, multi-level nature of brain disorders and the data associated with them, from genes and individual cells up to cortical microcircuits and whole-brain network dynamics. Given the heterogeneity of brain disorders and their underlying mechanisms, this lesson lays out a case for multiscale neuroscience data integration.

This lesson gives an in-depth introduction of ethics in the field of artificial intelligence, particularly in the context of its impact on humans and public interest. As the healthcare sector becomes increasingly affected by the implementation of ever stronger AI algorithms, this lecture covers key interests which must be protected going forward, including privacy, consent, human autonomy, inclusiveness, and equity. 

This lesson describes a definitional framework for fairness and health equity in the age of the algorithm. While acknowledging the impressive capability of machine learning to positively affect health equity, this talk outlines potential (and actual) pitfalls which come with such powerful tools, ultimately making the case for collaborative, interdisciplinary, and transparent science as a way to operationalize fairness in health equity. 

This lesson describes the fundamentals of genomics, from central dogma to design and implementation of GWAS, to the computation, analysis, and interpretation of polygenic risk scores. 

This lesson contains the slides (pptx) of a lecture discussing the necessary concepts and tools for taking into account population stratification and admixture in the context of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The free-access software Tractor and its advantages in GWAS are also discussed. 

This lesson is an overview of transcriptomics, from fundamental concepts of the central dogma and RNA sequencing at the single-cell level, to how genetic expression underlies diversity in cell phenotypes. 

This lesson describes the principles underlying functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), tractography, and parcellation. These tools and concepts are explained in a broader context of neural connectivity and mental health. 

This lesson breaks down the principles of Bayesian inference and how it relates to cognitive processes and functions like learning and perception. It is then explained how cognitive models can be built using Bayesian statistics in order to investigate how our brains interface with their environment. 

This lesson corresponds to slides 1-64 in the PDF below. 

This lecture covers a lot of post-war developments in the science of the mind, focusing first on the cognitive revolution, and concluding with living machines.

This lesson goes over the basic mechanisms of neural synapses, the space between neurons where signals may be transmitted. 

Whereas the previous two lessons described the biophysical and signalling properties of individual neurons, this lesson describes properties of those units when part of larger networks. 

This lesson goes over some examples of how machine learners and computational neuroscientists go about designing and building neural network models inspired by biological brain systems. 

This lesson describes spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), a biological process that adjusts the strength of connections between neurons in the brain, and how one can implement or mimic this process in a computational model. You will also find links for practical exercises at the bottom of this page. 

This lesson explores how researchers try to understand neural networks, particularly in the case of observing neural activity. 

This lesson discusses a gripping neuroscientific question: why have neurons developed the discrete action potential, or spike, as a principle method of communication? 

This lecture will provide an overview of neuroimaging techniques and their clinical applications.

This lecture provides an overview of depression (epidemiology and course of the disorder), clinical presentation, somatic co-morbidity, and treatment options.

In this lesson, you will learn about how genetics can contribute to our understanding of psychiatric phenotypes.

This lecture provides an overview of some of the essential concepts in neuropharmacology (e.g. receptor binding, agonism, antagonism), an introduction to pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, and an overview of the drug discovery process relative to diseases of the central nervous system. 

In this lesson, you will hear about the current challenges regarding data management, as well as policies and resources aimed to address them.