Danilo Bzdok

AI analysis of healthcare records reveals key factors in autism diagnosis

webfull — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:23:21 +0000

Scientists argue the criteria we use for diagnosing autism may need revision

Without clear and effective biological tests for autism based on genes, brain or blood measurements, diagnosis today still largely depends on clinical assessment. The standard way of doing this is by observing how the individual fits the criteria for autism listed in gold standard manuals like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5).

AI analysis challenges autism diagnosis criteria

webfull — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:11:03 +0000

An analysis of digital health records using large language models (LLMs) is challenging a long-held belief about the clinical identifiers of autism.

A new study led by researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of ��ϲ�� University and Mila Quebec AI Institute found that social communication factors may not be as important in identifying the condition as previously believed.

Making AI a partner in neuroscientific discovery

webfull — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 14:55:25 +0000

New paper argues that Large Language Models can reveal breakthroughs humans alone cannot

Largest ever psychedelics study maps changes of conscious awareness to neurotransmitter systems

webfull — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 15:22:46 +0000

Applying machine learning to a database of testimonials uncovers how drug-induced changes in subjective awareness are mechanistically rooted in the human brain

Psychedelics are now a rapidly growing area of neuroscience and clinical research, one that may produce much-needed new therapies for disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. Yet there is still a lot to know about how these drug agents alter states of consciousness.

Uncovering the relationship between lifestyle, personality and brain structure

webfull — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:00:09 +0000

Danilo Bzdok, a researcher at The Neuro, ��ϲ��’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, uses machine learning to identify patterns in human neurological and psychological data. One of his team’s recent studies analyzed personality profiles, demographic status and social lifestyle from a cohort of 40,000 UK Biobank middle aged participants. Their research focused on how these factors are related to each other and to brain structure.

Scientists show what loneliness looks like in the brain

webfull — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 12:01:24 +0000

Neural “signature” may reflect how we respond to feelings of social isolation

This holiday season will be a lonely one for many people as social distancing due to COVID-19 continues, and it is important to understand how isolation affects our health. A new study shows a sort of signature in the brains of lonely people that make them distinct in fundamental ways, based on variations in the volume of different brain regions as well as based on how those regions communicate with one another across brain networks.

Researchers awarded $2.7M to study loneliness and Alzheimer’s

webfull — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 18:25:39 +0000

Work will tell us how loneliness interacts with brain structure and function in normal aging and pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease

Two researchers from The Neuro, with collaborators from the StoP-AD Centre at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute and the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, will lead a research program centered on an emerging field of neuroscience thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Aging (NIH/NIA) in the USA.

CTV NEWS | Loneliness can directly impair immune system, increase risk of death: study

webfull — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 22:42:47 +0000

The findings, published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences earlier in June, show how social isolation can negatively affect the health of the brain as well as the immune system.“Social isolation, or a lack of social opportunity, gives rise to a sense of loneliness. Directly or indirectly, this feeling has many wide-ranging consequences for our psychological well-being as well as our physical health, even our longevity,” the study states.

The neurobiology of social distance

webfull — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:07:39 +0000

Never before have we experienced social isolation on a massive scale as we have during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. A new paper published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences explores the wide-ranging, negative consequences that social isolation has on our psychological well-being and physical health, including decreased life span.