Neuroinformatics

Overview

We seek to use neuroimaging data to inform genetic analysis to uncover the genetic signature of these disorders. If we have an understanding of the core regions that are important for different processes, it could be possible to map these behavioral maps onto maps of gene expression, and generate hypotheses about the genetic signature of a behavior. These hypotheses can then be tested by looking for these patterns in genetic data.

Specific Aims

We will identify the genetic signature of behavioral traits by 1) assessing significant overlap in findings in the literature for a particular term, 2) creating a brain map that represents these findings, 3) overlaying this brain map on the Allen Brain Atlas to identify genes expressed significantly above background, and 4) testing hypotheses with actual expression data. We will also assess 276 structural brain metrics and use machine learning to reveal groups with common brain structure.