Lectures and seminars CBB seminar: Seeing the Brain Through Networks

Titel: Seeing the Brain Through Networks

Talare: Dr. Joana Pereira

Brain connectivity is a fundamental process that shapes cognition and pathology across aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Advances in biofluid markers, neuroimaging, and graph-theoretical modelling now allow for a more comprehensive understanding of these changes.

In this talk, Dr. Pereira will present findings from three complementary approaches:

1. Biofluid markers – highlighting proteomic findings on synaptic and axonal loss in Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementias.
2. Neuroimaging and molecular connectomics – including connectivity analyses of neuromodulatory nuclei such as the locus coeruleus, and the role of tau pathology in network alterations.
3. Graph theory and deep learning – using BRAPH 2, an open-source software for network analysis, to explore individual morphological networks and disease progression.

Together, these approaches provide new insights into how network disruptions contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration. Understanding these mechanisms is key to improving how brain diseases are studied, how their progression is tracked, and how new ways to support brain health during aging may be explored.

Before the seminar, a limited number of sandwiches and drinks will be served on a “First come – first served” basis starting 12:00. Show up early and network!