The Virtual Brain - What Is It?

Randy McIntosh, Ph.D. has been a scientist at the Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre at the University of Toronto since 1994 and, since the start of 2022, is the new Director of the Simon Fraser University Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology in Burnaby British Columbia - just outside of Vancouver.

Randy obtained his PhD in 1992 from the University of Texas at Austin in Psychology and Neuroscience and did a postdoc at the NIH with Barry Horwitz until 1994. His group uses neuroimaging and computational modeling to understand the dynamics of healthy brains as well as those from many different clinical populations, lending insight and providing potential biomarkers through comparing his dynamic brain models with empirical data. He is also part an international consortium called the TheVirtualBrain which is an open science neuroinformatics platform for modeling the brain. Along with the exciting news of Randy’s new position, he has also just published a two part book called A Complex Journey - which is a sci-fi novel that delves into the complexity of the brain.

Discussion:

In this discussion we talk about his research in modeling brain dynamics, and specifically about this ambitious yet increasingly impactful project involving The Virtual Brain. We also delve into the different kinds of brain modeling approaches and what these different models provide. Lastly we talk about his new position as well as his new institute’s unique goals of more effectively translating neuroscience to all inclusive clinical care for individuals.