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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.

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:09:33
Speaker: : Sean Hill

The state of the field regarding the diagnosis and treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) is discussed. Current challenges and opportunities facing the research and clinical communities are outlined, including appropriate quantitative and qualitative analyses of the heterogeneity of biological, social, and psychiatric factors which may contribute to MDD.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:29:28

This is the first of two workshops on reproducibility in science, during which participants are introduced to concepts of FAIR and open science. After discussing the definition of and need for FAIR science, participants are walked through tutorials on installing and using Github and Docker, the powerful, open-source tools for versioning and publishing code and software, respectively.

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:20:58

This lesson continues with the second workshop on reproducible science, focusing on additional open source tools for researchers and data scientists, such as the R programming language for data science, as well as associated tools like RStudio and R Markdown. Additionally, users are introduced to Python and iPython notebooks, Google Colab, and are given hands-on tutorials on how to create a Binder environment, as well as various containers in Docker and Singularity.

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:16:04

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. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:22:06
Speaker: : Daniel Buchman

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. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:06:35
Speaker: : Laura Sikstrom

This lesson contains both a lecture and a tutorial component. The lecture (0:00-20:03 of YouTube video) discusses both the need for intersectional approaches in healthcare as well as the impact of neglecting intersectionality in patient populations. The lecture is followed by a practical tutorial in both Python and R on how to assess intersectional bias in datasets. Links to relevant code and data are found below. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 52:26

This lesson delves into the opportunities and challenges of telepsychiatry. While novel digital approaches to clinical research and care have the potential to improve and accelerate patient outcomes, researchers and care providers must consider new population factors, such as digital disparity. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:20:28
Speaker: : Abhi Pratap

In this lesson, while learning about the need for increased large-scale collaborative science that is transparent in nature, users also are given a tutorial on using Synapse for facilitating reusable and reproducible research. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:15:12
Speaker: : Abhi Pratap

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. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:28:16
Speaker: : Dan Felsky

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. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration:
Speaker: : Dan Felsky

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. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:29:08

This lesson explains the fundamental principles of neuronal communication, such as neuronal spiking, membrane potentials, and cellular excitability, and how these electrophysiological features of the brain may be modelled and simulated digitally. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:20:42
Speaker: : Etay Hay

This is a continuation of the talk on the cellular mechanisms of neuronal communication, this time at the level of brain microcircuits and associated global signals like those measureable by electroencephalography (EEG). This lecture also discusses EEG biomarkers in mental health disorders, and how those cortical signatures may be simulated digitally.

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:11:04
Speaker: : Etay Hay

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. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:47:22

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. 

Difficulty level: Intermediate
Duration: 1:28:14

This lesson gives a description of the BrainHealth Databank, a repository of many types of health-related data, whose aim is to accelerate research, improve care, and to help better understand and diagnose mental illness, as well as develop new treatments and prevention strategies. 

 

This lesson corresponds to slides 46-78 of the PDF below. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:12:25
Speaker: : Joanna Yu

This lesson describes not only the need for precision medicine, but also the current state of the methods, pharmacogenetic approaches, utility and implementation of such care today.

 

This lesson corresponds to slides 1-50 of the PowerPoint below. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:24:30
Speaker: : Dan Felsky

This lecture discusses what defines an integrative approach regarding research and methods, including various study designs and models which are appropriate choices when attempting to bridge data domains; a necessity when whole-person modelling. 

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:28:14
Speaker: : Dan Felsky

This lecture provides an introduction to the course "Cognitive Science & Psychology: Mind, Brain, and Behavior".

Difficulty level: Beginner
Duration: 1:06:49