AI to find individual brain development patterns in children and teens
Interpretable Deep Learning for Analyzing Brain Development Heterogeneity with Personalized Functional Networks Across Multi-Site Data
This project uses advanced AI on brain scans from young people to find personalized brain-network patterns linked to thinking and mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11233994 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze functional MRI brain scans collected from multiple sites to identify personalized functional networks in children and adolescents. They will use self-supervised deep learning to find distinct groups of brain patterns (biotypes) and apply methods to make data from different scanners comparable. The team will build interpretable models that connect those personalized networks to cognition and emerging psychopathology. The tools will be validated on large multi-site datasets and shared with other researchers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children or adolescents who have functional brain MRI scans or who receive care at centers that collect such scans, especially those with concerns about cognition, behavior, or early mental health symptoms.
Not a fit: Individuals without brain imaging data or adults with conditions unrelated to youth brain development are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help clinicians detect brain patterns tied to learning, behavior, or mood problems earlier and move toward more personalized care for young people.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies have used AI on brain connectivity to link patterns with behavior, but combining multi-site harmonization, personalized 'biotypes', and interpretable deep models is a relatively new and advancing approach.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fan, Yong — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Fan, Yong
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.