Upcoming Events
-
Oct2Virtual and In Person12:00pm - 1:00pmStatistics Seminar and Charles K. Colver Lectureship Series | Miguel Hernán, Ph.D.
School of Public Health, 121 South Main Street, Rm 245More InformationMiguel Hernán, Ph.D.,
Kolokotrones Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthTalk Title: AI for causal inference in health research. What can we learn from data and how much learning can we automate?
Abstract: The tools now referred to as AI may assist, or replace, health researchers who learn from data. This talk describes a taxonomy of learning tasks in science and explores the relationship between two of them: prediction (pattern recognition) and counterfactual prediction (causal inference). Researchers predict counterfactually by using a combination of data and causal models of the world. In contrast, AI tools developed for prediction using only data are being increasingly used for counterfactual prediction. This raises questions about the meaning of the term AI, the origin of causal models, and the future of causal inference research in the health sciences.
Light refreshments will be provided. *
-
Oct212:00pm - 1:30pm
Developmental Brown Bag Speaker Series: Ashley Thomas
Metcalf Research Building, Rm 305More InformationMichael S. Goodman ’74 Memorial Seminar Series
The Developmental Brown Bag (DBB) is a speaker series dedicated to investigating developmental origins, trajectories and mechanisms. Speakers consider development from a cognitive, social, and cultural perspective.
Speaker: Ashley Thomas, Harvard University
Title: Intuitive Theory of Social Relationships
Abstract:
Every day, we recognize social relationships and use knowledge about social relationships to inform our behavior. For example, we recognize that it is acceptable to eat off our spouse’s plate, but unacceptable to eat off our employer’s plate. We may laugh at our boss’s joke to maintain our deferential relationship or do a favor for a coworker to maintain a cooperative one. Previous research on social cognitive development has largely focused on infants’ and children’s social reasoning either at the microscale of an individual person’s actions, thoughts, and beliefs (e.g., ‘theory of mind’), or at the macroscale, of societal groups and social categories (e.g., ingroups and outgroups, gender, or race). My research program is situated between these scales, focusing on how humans think about relationships between individuals which we depend on for our survival and wellbeing. In this talk I will consider findings from developmental psychology and propose that throughout our lives, our representations of social relationships are intuitive theories. I propose three central components of this intuitive theory: evaluating whether a relationship exists; categorizing it into a model (i.e., type, schema, concept) and computing its strength (i.e., intensity, pull, or thickness). Following Relational Models Theory (Fiske, 1991, 2004), I propose that from infancy, humans recognize relationships that belong to three models: communal sharing (where people see themselves as one), authority ranking (where people see themselves as ranked), and equality matching (where people see themselves as separate and track reciprocity). A single relationship can be organized according to any of these models depending on the context, but relationships tend to use a dominant model. The other component is a relationship’s strength and can be thought of as a continuous representation of obligations (the extent to which certain actions are expected and morally evaluated), and commitment (the likelihood that people will continue the relationship). In communal sharing relationships this may be felt as attachment, in authority ranking relationships it may be felt as allegiance or loyalty, and in equality matching relationships it may be felt as trust. One hypothesis regarding strength is that the stronger a connection, the less interchangeable the person or people. These representations, and the assumption that others share them, allow us to form, maintain and change social relationships by informing how we interpret and evaluate the actions of others and plan our own.
-
Oct4More Information
The Annual Dr. Henrietta Leonard Visiting Professor Academic Grand Rounds*
Somos Esenciales/We are Essential: Community-led and Academic Partnered Research for Advancing Mental Health Equity
Lisa R. Fortuna, MD, MPH, MDiv
Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Neurosciences
University of California, Riverside
School of Medicine
Wednesday, October 4, 2023◊ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
• PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED: https://cme-learning.brown.edu/DPHB-23-24
Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be better able to:• Consider increasing opportunities for engaging with community in mental health services research and for driving health equity policy
• Describe principles for co-design of mental health innovations, including digital interventions aimed at improving mental health disparities
• Discuss the health equity model for designing mental health services that consider social and structural determinants of mental health
Financial Relationship Disclosure: Dr. Fortuna has no financial relationships to disclose.
This activity is not supported by a commercial entity ~ For more information, please contact [email protected] -
Oct43:00pm - 4:30pmRichard B. Millward Colloquium: Christopher Baldassano
Metcalf Research Building, Rm Friedman Auditorium (101)More InformationSpeaker: Christopher Baldassano (Columbia University)
Title: Using prior knowledge to build neural representations, make predictions, and encode memories
Abstract: Our everyday experiences consist of familiar sequences of events in familiar contexts, and we use our memories of the past to understand the present and make predictions about the future. This prior knowledge can consist of specific past episodes, multiple memories linked together, or schematic mental models that have been distilled from many past experiences. I will present recent work from my lab, using a combination of behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging methods, on the mechanisms by which we can use knowledge of temporal structure to generate predictions, organize experiences into events, and construct durable memories. Our studies employ stories, movies, virtual reality, and games, allowing participants to draw on their knowledge of the world or build detailed expertise in controlled yet naturalistic domains. These studies argue for a central role of top-down and anticipatory processes in constructing high-level representations of events in the brain and creating durable sequence memories.
-
Oct54:00pmNSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Stacey Glasgow; University of CA, San Diego
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium; Room 220More InformationTitle: Defining Transcriptional Parallels Between Gliogenesis and Gliomagenesis
Host: Dr. Judy Liu
-
Oct104:00pm - 5:30pmCenter for the Neurobiology of Cells and Circuits Seminar: “Spatial Organization Of Lipid Metabolism Tunes Signal Transduction In Drosophila Photoreceptors”- Raghu Padinjat MBBS, Ph.D
Biomedical Center (BMC), Rm Room 291 (Eddy Auditorium)More InformationSpeaker: Raghu Padinjat, MBBS, Ph.D, Professor & Dean of Research, National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR
Summary: The ability to detect and respond to stimuli is a key feature of sensory systems. In order to do so, sensory neurons must tune their detection and transduction mechanisms to match environmental states. Drosophila photoreceptors are polarized sensory neurons in which the apical plasma membrane is expanded and specialised to optimize photon absorption leading to sensory transduction. Signal transduction is underpinned by G-protein coupled phospholipase C activation leading to the rapid hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate (PIP2) and ending with the activation of calcium permeable TRP channels. Following PIP hydrolysis, this lipid is resynthesized by a series of biochemical reactions that are distributed both on the apical plasma membrane as well as membranes in the photoreceptor cell body. The mechanism by which these two sets of reactions in physically distinct sub-cellular locations are coupled remains unresolved. Photoreceptors contain membrane contact sites (MCS), regions of close proximity between the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. I will describe our work, using genetic and physiological studies in Drosophila, on the structural organisation of these MCS, the function of several proteins localised to these and how MCS organisation is tuned to ongoing photoreceptor function in this specialised cell type.
A reception with light refreshments will follow.
-
Oct11More Information
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Grand Rounds
The Impact of Climate Change on Pediatric Mental Health
Joshua Wortzel, MD, MPhil, MS(Ed)
Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellow
R-25 Research Track
Wednesday, October 11, 2023◊ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
• PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED: https://cme-learning.brown.edu/2023-2024-Child-Adolescent
Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be better able to:
• Describe the relationship of temperature with the prevalence of mental health disorders
• Review the neuropsychiatric sequelae of nutritional deficiencies and vector-borne illnesses secondary to climate change
• Discuss the traumatic and existential impacts of climate change on pediatric mental health
Financial Relationship Disclosure: Dr. Wortzel has no financial relationships to disclose -
Oct11Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Virtual Advance RI-CTR Introduction to NVivo Workshop (Mac Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Grace Smith.
This workshop will be on Wednesday, October 11th from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM with an optional Q&A from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM. This workshop will be a general overview and introduction on the NVivo software and its potential uses. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
If you have any questions contact [email protected].
Trainers: Rochelle Rosen, PhD and Grace Smith, MA
-
Oct121:00pm - 2:00pmCarney Lunch: “Multimodality of Beliefs and Attention” - Spencer Kwon, Ph.D.
Carney Institute, 164 Angell Street, Rm Innovation Zone, 4th FloorMore InformationTitle: “Multimodality of Beliefs and Attention” - Spencer Kwon, Ph.D.
Summary: We document two new facts about the distributions of answers in famous statistical problems: they are i) multi-modal and ii) unstable with respect to irrelevant changes in the problem. We offer a model in which, when solving a problem, people represent each hypothesis by attending “bottom up” to its salient features while neglecting other, potentially more relevant, ones. Only the statistics associated with salient features are used, others are neglected. The model unifies biases in judgments about i.i.d. draws, such as the Gambler’s Fallacy and insensitivity to sample size, with biases in inference such as under- and overreaction and insensitivity to the weight of evidence. The model makes predictions about how changes in the salience of specific features should jointly shape the prevalence of these biases and measured attention to features, but also create entirely new biases. We test and confirm these predictions experimentally. Bottom-up attention to features emerges as a unifying framework for biases conventionally explained using a variety of stable heuristics or distortions of the Bayes rule.
Seating is limited! Please RSVP before 4:00 p.m. on October 4.
-
Oct124:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Bench to Bedside: Dr. John Gaitanis MD, Brown Univeristy, Hasbro Children’s Hospital; Dr. Wendy Wan, Neuropace Inc.
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Room 220More InformationTitle: EEG; Past, Present and Future
Host: Eric Morrow, MD PhD
-
Oct16PLEASE REGISTER HEREMore InformationThe Center for Translational Neuroscience at Brown University is organizing a symposium on autism and rare genetic disorders for October 16, 2023 (9AM-5PM) at 70 Ship Street.
We have engaged an interdisciplinary group of national and international speakers who will participate in this in person long-day symposium. As a highlight of the program, we have assembled a panel of different stakeholders in ASD and Rare Genetic disorders to discuss key questions in the field. This symposium will have a broad appeal to the neuroscience community at large.
More information can be found at our website: here
Please click the link to register below!
-
Oct1612:00pm - 1:30pm
Developmental Brown Bag Speaker Series: Iris Berent
Metcalf Research Building, Rm 305More InformationMichael S. Goodman ’74 Memorial Seminar Series
The Developmental Brown Bag (DBB) is a speaker series dedicated to investigating developmental origins, trajectories and mechanisms. Speakers consider development from a cognitive, social, and cultural perspective.
Speaker: Iris Berent, Northeastern University
Title: Can We Get Human Nature Right?
Abstract: Few questions in science are as controversial as human nature. At stake is whether our basic concepts and emotions are all learned from experience, or whether some are innate. Here, I demonstrate that reasoning about innateness is biased by the basic workings of the human mind.
Psychological science suggests that newborns possess core concepts of “object” and “number”. Laypeople, however, believe that newborns are devoid of such notions, but that they can innately recognize emotions. Moreover, people presume that concepts are learned, whereas emotions (along with sensations and actions) are innate.
I trace these beliefs to two tacit psychological principles: intuitive Dualism and Essentialism. Essentialism guides tacit reasoning about biological inheritance and suggests that innate traits reside in the body; per intuitive Dualism, however, the mind seems ethereal, distinct from the body. It thus follows that, in our intuitive psychology, concepts (which people falsely consider as disembodied) must be learned, whereas emotions, sensations and emotions (which are considered embodied) are likely innate; these predictions are in line with the experimental results.
In this talk, I demonstrate how these intuitive biases taint our understanding of human nature, derail science, and quite possibly, give rise to the “hard problem” of consciousness. -
Oct1811:00am - 12:00pmCCBS Special Seminar: “How Executive Functions Support Reinforcement Learning” - Anne Collins, Ph.D.
Carney Institute, 164 Angell Street, 4th Floor, Rm Innovation ZoneMore InformationSpeaker: Anne Collins, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley
Summary: Details forthcoming...
Lunch will be provided after the seminar.
-
Oct194:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Myriam Heiman; Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Room 220More InformationTitle: Single-Cell Dissection of the Human Motor and Prefrontal Cortices in ALS and FTLD
Host: Dr. Anne Hart
-
Oct23Virtual and In Person12:00pm - 1:00pmStatistics Seminar Series | Xinghua (Mindy) Shi, Ph.D.
School of Public Health at Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02912, Rm 245More InformationXinghua Mindy Shi, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor, Department of Computer and
Information Sciences
Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine at Temple University.Talk Title: Trustworthy Machine Learning for Biomedicine
Abstract: Recent biomedical data deluge has fundamentally transformed biomedical research into a data science frontier. The unprecedented accumulation of biomedical data presents a unique yet challenging opportunity to develop novel methods leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to further our understanding of biology and advance medicine. In this talk, I will first introduce the cutting-edge research in characterizing human genetic variation and its functional impact within the scope of the Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium. I will then present recent development in trustworthy machine learning including our work on secure and privacy preserving machine learning for biomedicine.
Light refreshments will be provided. *
-
Oct23Virtual12:00pm - 1:30pm
Developmental Brown Bag Speaker Series: Liran Samuni
Metcalf Research Building, Rm 305More InformationMichael S. Goodman ’74 Memorial Seminar Series
The Developmental Brown Bag (DBB) is a speaker series dedicated to investigating developmental origins, trajectories and mechanisms. Speakers consider development from a cognitive, social, and cultural perspective.
Speaker: Liran Samuni, Harvard University
Title: Cooperation and competition in chimpanzees and bonobos
Abstract: More than any other species, humans exhibit an extraordinary capacity for cooperation that transcends social boundaries, spanning from close relationships with family and friends to extensive networks that include distant acquaintances and even strangers. Cooperation and our tendency for mutual reliance are thought to support our prolonged life-histories to allow humans to expand across the globe. However, the same capacity for cooperation can also fuel intergroup conflict and violence, resulting in discriminatory and prejudicial behavior. Studying the evolutionary roots of the interplay between cooperation and competition is key to understand the social dynamics of current human societies.
In this talk I will present some of my research on the mechanisms underlying violence and cooperation among our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, as a window into our evolutionary past. These two species share similar life-histories and social environments but exhibit significant differences in patterns of dominance, social relationships, and out-group attitudes. By leveraging and evaluating the similarities and differences between them, I will present some work on the role of social relationships and mutual reliance in informing cooperation and competition in the two species. -
Oct26Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Advance RI-CTR NVivo Virtual Drop In Session (Mac Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Grace Smith.
The drop-in session will be on Thursday, October 26th from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. This is an open session where you may ask Dr. Rosen or Grace Smith specific questions about the NVivo software and its applications to your study.
You can also join the drop-in session to learn from the questions asked by others. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance RI-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
If you have any questions contact [email protected].
Trainers: Rochelle Rosen, PhD and Grace Smith, MA
-
Oct264:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor; Columbia University
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Room 220More InformationTitle: Behaviors and Neural Circuits for pleasure and pain mice
Host: Dr. Gilad Barnea
-
Oct3012:00pm - 1:30pm
Developmental Brown Bag Speaker Series: Michelle Leichtman
Metcalf Research Building, Rm 305More InformationMichael S. Goodman ’74 Memorial Seminar Series
The Developmental Brown Bag (DBB) is a speaker series dedicated to investigating developmental origins, trajectories and mechanisms. Speakers consider development from a cognitive, social, and cultural perspective.
Speaker: Michelle Leichtman, University of New Hampshire
Title: Memory for Educational Episodes: A Developmental Perspective
Abstract: Memory in educational contexts typically connotes semantic processes required to learn facts and concepts. But episodic memories of one-point-in-time events may also play a deceptively important role in academic performance. In this talk, I explore the nature of specific memories of learning events, how they are scaffolded across early development, and the characteristics that may play a role in their persistence over time.
-
Nov24:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Niccolo Zampieri; Max-Delbrueck Center of Berlin
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Room 220More InformationTitle: Spinal circuits for postural control
Host: Dr. Alexander Jaworski
-
Nov9Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Virtual Advance RI-CTR Introduction to NVivo Workshop (PC Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Ryan Lantini.
This workshop will be on Thursday, November 9th from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM with an optional Q&A from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM. This workshop will be a general overview and introduction on the NVivo software and its potential uses. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
If you have any questions contact [email protected].
Trainers: Rochelle Rosen, PhD and Ryan Lantini, MA
-
Nov94:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Erika Holzbaur; University of Pennsylvania
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz AuditoriumMore InformationTitle: TBA
Host: Dr. Rajan Thakur
-
Nov20Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Virtual Advance RI-CTR NVivo Virtual Drop In Session (PC Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Ryan Lantini.
The drop-in session will be on Monday, November 20th from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. This is an open session where you may ask Dr. Rosen or Ryan Lantini specific questions about the NVivo software and its applications to your study.
You can also join the drop-in session to learn from the questions asked by others. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance RI-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
If you have any questions contact [email protected].
Trainers: Rochelle Rosen, PhD and Ryan Lantini, MA
-
Nov304:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Bench to Bedside: Dr. Edward D. Huey, MD; Brown University, Butler Hospital
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Room 220More InformationTitle: TBA
Host: Eric Morrow, MD PhD
-
Dec6Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Virtual Advance RI-CTR Introduction to NVivo Workshop (Mac Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Gracie Smith.
This workshop will be on Wednesday, December 6th from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM with an optional Q&A from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM. This workshop will be a general overview and introduction on the NVivo software and its potential uses. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance RI-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
If you have any questions contact [email protected].
Trainers: Rochelle Rosen, PhD and Grace Smith, MA
-
Dec74:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. James Simmons; Brown University
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Rm. 220More InformationTitle: TBA
Host: Neuroscience Graduate Program
-
Dec13Register Here!More InformationJoin us for the Virtual Advance RI-CTR NVivo Virtual Drop In Session (Mac Based) with Dr. Rochelle Rosen and Grace Smith.
The drop-in session will be on Wednesday, December 13th from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. This is an open session where you may ask Dr. Rosen or Grace Smith specific questions about the NVivo software and its applications to your study.
You can also join the drop-in session to learn from the questions asked by others. To learn more about NVivo and other qualitative resources, please go to the Advance RI-CTR Qualitative Research Resources page: https://advancectr.brown.edu/resources/qualitative-research-resources.
*Note: If you have confidential study questions, please complete a service request form at https://advancectr.brown.edu/schedule-service-consultation.
Please contact [email protected] with questions
-
Dec144:00pm
NSGP Seminar Series Presents Dr. Ellie Heckscher; University of Chicago
Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, Rm Marcuvitz Auditorium, Rm. 220More InformationTitle: How to build motor circuits starting from stem cells
Host: Tariq Brown, Neuroscience Graduate Student
