Xihan Zhang et al.’s new paper out now in Nature Neuroscience: “The cell-type underpinnings of the human functional cortical connectome” Read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01812-2 Xihan links functional macroscale organization in the human brain (connectivity networks and gradients) with biological microscale organization (cell-type distribution). Her work reveals that functional organization of human cortex is reflected in the spatial variability of different cell types. She examines associations between the spatial abundance of cell-types with functional gradients and networks across the cortical sheet. She shows functional networks have unique cell-type distribution fingerprints, and ML models can predict FC-network affiliation of post-mortem cortical tissue through these fingerprints alone.

Ashlea Segal et al.’s new paper is out now in Trends in Cognitive Sciences: “Embracing variability in the search for biological mechanisms of psychiatric illness” Read it here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2024.09.010 Embracing variability is essential to uncover the biological mechanisms of psychiatric illness. This paper highlights four key issues that limit progress in the field and suggest ways to address them: (1)  Group means (based on current diagnostic definitions) are NOT representative of individuals —> Normative models offer a framework to characterise individual variability by providing personalised brain maps (2)Brain regions do NOT operate in isolation but as part of an interconnected network —> Network-based analytical approaches, such as lesion network mapping, provide insights into the broader network context (3) There is NO one-to-one mapping between a disorder and its pathophysiological mechanism —> Integrating information across spatial and temporal scales, in both biology and behaviour, allows for a more nuanced many-to-many explanation (4) Diagnostic categories are NOT the appropriate phenotypic resolution —> Deep precision phenotyping of symptomatology leads to a more granular understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms By addressing these issues, we can make significant strides in understanding psychiatric illnesses. Embracing variability and using advanced analytical approaches will pave the way for more personalised

New paper out now in Science Advances: “Generalizable and replicable brain-based predictions of cognitive functioning across common psychiatric illness” By Sidhant Chopra and Holmes Lab Read it here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adn1862 This paper demonstrates using ‘meta-matching’ technique to build reliable, generalizable and interpretable models of cognitive functioning without 1000s of subjects/patients. The key takeaway is You don’t need your own big data to make robust & generalizable brain-based behavioural predictions, especially for cognition. Methods like meta-matching (https://nature.com/articles/s41593-022-01059-9) are effective across diverse small clinical samples.

New paper out now in Biological Psychiatry “Brainwide Anatomical Connectivity and Prediction of Longitudinal Outcomes in Antipsychotic-Naïve First-Episode Psychosis” by Sidhant Chopra, Holmes Lab and collaborators at Monash University and Turner Institute. This new work shows widespread lower structural brain connectivity in people with first-episode psychosis (pre-antipsychotics). Alterations affect all large-scale systems and can predict changes in functional outcomes up to 1 year after. Read it here: https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(24)01483-5/fulltext

New paper: “Dopamine D2/3 receptor densities may underlie the functional architecture of cocaine use.” By Jocelyn Ricard and Holmes Lab Read it now in Nature Communications Biology: https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-06836-9 Here, we show that the spatial topography of dopamine receptor densities may underlie the patterns of functional connectivity in cocaine use disorder we can assess through fMRI.

We are so excited to welcome Dr Amber Howell to the lab as a new postdoctoral fellow! Amber researches how dynamic brain interactions arise from the structural architecture of the brain, spanning species and cortical/sub-cortical structures. Click here to view her published works: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=NiFsGm8AAAAJ&hl=en. Welcome, Amber!

Rowena Chin @ChinERowena has won a NUS Postdoctoral Research award! Dr Chin is officially a Young NUS Fellow for 2024. We’re so proud of you, Rowena!

Massive CONGRATS to Dr Sid Chopra who is starting a new position as McKenzie Research Fellow at Orygen (@orygen_aus) and the Univ of Melbourne. We’re so excited to see what you do next, Sid! But of course, you will be missed at the Holmes Lab.