Dr. William Hodos NACS Seminar: Dr. Avram Holmes

Multi-scale convergence of functional imaging and genomic signatures of psychiatric illness risk

The human brain is a multiscale system, shaped by complex and reciprocal interactions that link molecular and cellular processes with macroscale functional patterns amenable for study through in vivo imaging. Understanding how these levels interact to produce complex behaviors across health and disease requires an integrative approach. Here, my research centers on the study of large-scale functional brain networks, searching for organizational patterns that both reflect heritable variation and predict vulnerability for psychiatric illness.

For decades, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has provided detailed maps of brain connectivity. But descriptive maps alone are not enough. For fMRI to meaningfully contribute to progress in in the brain sciences, we need to develop research programs that link phenomena across levels, weaving functional imaging into a broader biological and computational context. In this talk, I will share two examples of our recent work in this space. First, I will discuss our efforts to link individual differences in whole-brain connectivity to dimensional symptom profiles across affective and psychotic illnesses. Second, I will explore how post-mortem gene expression data, particularly signals linked with inhibitory interneurons, inform our understanding of cortical specialization and functional diversity.

In doing so, I will highlight how, by integrating tools across scales, we can work to transform fMRI from a descriptive tool into a mechanistic bridge, connecting molecules to mind. This information can then be leveraged to understand individual variability in the diverse processing capabilities of the human brain and associated vulnerability for psychiatric illness onset.

Dr. Avram Holmes is a Professor at Rutgers University.

Dr. William Hodos NACS Seminars are free and open to the public.