题目：Normal and Abnormal Functional Human Brain Development during Infancy

报告人：Wei Gao, Ph.D

Wei Gao, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Director of Neuroimaging Research, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (joint appointment with University of California, Los Angeles coming), USA. Dr. Gao obtained his Ph.D. degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His research is in the area of early brain development and adult brain functioning, using imaging techniques. In infant study, he is currently interested in functional connectivity investigation of normal and abnormal brain growth trajectories for early identification of risks and intervention. In adult studies, he is interested in delineating the task-related dynamic reorganization of the brain under both normal and pathological conditions. Dr. Gao’s research is supported by multiple NIH-funded projects and the Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness.

时间：2015年08月11日 星期二 14:00-16:00

地点： 北师大脑成像中心308会议室（大会议室）

The infancy period, featuring the most dynamic brain growth, hosts both great opportunity for a normal brain development and high vulnerability for abnormal trajectories leading to different brain disorders. In this talk, I will first discuss our recent findings in normal functional brain development during infancy, highlighting intra-regional functional specialization, inter-regional functional integration, network orchestration/interaction, and whole brain system evolution. Subsequently, I will highlight some of our most recent progresses in the study of abnormal functional brain development during infancy due to either genetic risks (i.e., maternal psychiatric disorder), environmental risks (i.e., prenatal drug exposure), or actual brain diseases (i.e., autism). Conceptual and methodological issues/challenges that lie ahead as we seek to better understand the early functional brain development process will also be discussed.