Machine Learning to Advance Human Genome-Wide Association Studies.

Machine learning, including deep learning, reinforcement learning, and generative artificial intelligence are revolutionising every area of our lives when data are made available. With the help of these methods, we can decipher information from larger datasets while addressing the complex nature of biological systems in a more efficient way. Although machine learning methods have been introduced to human genetic epidemiological research as early as 2004, those were never used to their full capacity.

Using the virtual brain to reveal the role of oscillations and plasticity in shaping brain's dynamical landscape.

Spontaneous brain activity, that is, activity in the absence of controlled stimulus input or an explicit active task, is topologically organized in multiple functional networks (FNs) maintaining a high degree of coherence. These "resting state networks" are constrained by the underlying anatomical connectivity between brain areas. They are also influenced by the history of task-related activation.

The role of alpha-rhythm states in perceptual learning: insights from experiments and computational models.

During the past two decades growing evidence indicates that brain oscillations in the alpha band (~10 Hz) not only reflect an "idle" state of cortical activity, but also take a more active role in the generation of complex cognitive functions. A recent study shows that more than 60% of the observed inter-subject variability in perceptual learning can be ascribed to ongoing alpha activity. This evidence indicates a significant role of alpha oscillations for perceptual learning and hence motivates to explore the potential underlying mechanisms.

Own-species bias in the representations of monkey and human face categories in the primate temporal lobe.

Face categorization is fundamental for social interactions of primates and is crucial for determining conspecific groups and mate choice. Current evidence suggests that faces are processed by a set of well-defined brain areas. What is the fine structure of this representation, and how is it affected by visual experience? Here, we investigated the neural representations of human and monkey face categories using realistic three-dimensional morphed faces that spanned the continuum between the two species.

Visual neuroscience: face-encoding mechanisms revealed by adaptation.

Faces convey a great variety of information, for example about the species, gender, age, identity and even mood or intentions. A recent study sheds light on the neural mechanisms for encoding a face's gaze direction.