Multimodal Neuroimaging Techniques in Developmental and Diseased Brain

Speaker:        Dr. Xiujuan Geng
                University of Hong Kong

Title:          "Multimodal Neuroimaging Techniques in Developmental and
                 Diseased Brain"

Date:           Wednesday, 7 February 2018

Time:           11:00am - 12 noon

Venue:          Room 3598 (via lift 27/28), HKUST

Abstract:

Medical imaging technologies have been developing rapidly with great
potentials to unravel mysterious of human organs including the brain, the
most complicated system in the known universe. Thanks to the availability
of the hardware such as MRI, EEG, MEG, Optical imaging, etc., we are able
to image and record brain structures and functions. With massive 3D, 4D
data from different modalities, how to process, analyze and extract the
useful information, and how to utilize it to understand the neural system
under various conditions become to very challenging tasks.

In this talk, I will present examples of how advanced medical imaging
techniques can help to answer neuroscience questions. I will mainly focus
on multimodal MRI methodologies to investigate brain developmental
trajectories and neurobiological basis of mental disorders. Methodologies
cover the following topics: multi-contrast and unbiased group-wise image
registration techniques to detect structural and functional differences
between normal and diseased populations; dynamic functional modeling to
explore neural functional pathways; high angular order models for studying
brain white matter tracts; surface based analyses to study cortical
structures; image processing techniques including segmentation, machine
learning, etc. to quantify micro structures such as blood vessels. With
advanced imaging techniques, we have successfully characterized brain
developmental patterns in normal and perturbed stages and discovered
neural networks that may predict disease treatment outcomes.


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Biography:

Dr. Geng, Xiujuan has received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer
Engineering from University of Iowa, M.S. in Mathematics and Statistics
from University of Minnesota, and B.S. in Electronic and Information
Engineering from Xi'an Jiaotong University. She works as a research
assistant professor in Hong Kong since 2013. Her major research interests
include multimodal neuroimaging analyses, medical imaging methodology
development, and applications in investigating neural basis of brain
development and mental disorders. Dr. Geng has published over 60
publications in journals and conferences. She is currently holding an NSFC
grant as the PI and GRF grants as a PI. She has research collaborations
with universities and hospitals both in-state and world-wide. She has also
been actively involved in the research community, serving as a regular
reviewer for well-esteemed journals and conferences and member of various
neuroimaging societies.