95. Emily Finn: Neural fingerprinting, 'naturalistic' stimuli, and taking time before starting a PhD
Mar 2, 2024
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Discover the concept of 'neural fingerprinting' and using naturalistic stimuli in neuroimaging. Listen to insights on writing good scientific articles, taking time off before starting a PhD, and advice for PhD students. Explore the impact of unconventional research paths, juggling work-life balance, and transitioning from PhD to postdoc.
Brain connectivity fingerprinting identifies individuals based on unique brain connectivity patterns, considering anatomical differences and functional variations.
Resting state scans reveal intrinsic brain functional connections beyond task-based activation patterns, enhancing understanding of brain organization.
Privacy concerns arise with brain connectivity fingerprinting, balancing individual identification potential with data sharing for research and clinical applications.
Effective time management and task prioritization are crucial for balancing productivity and personal well-being in professional pursuits.
Deep dives
Evolution of Task Paradigms in FMRI Research
In the evolution of fMRI research paradigms, the first wave consisted of well-controlled tasks like finger tapping and visual stimuli to validate the bold contrast method. Then, the second wave shifted focus to resting state scans, where spontaneous fluctuations were measured to understand functional brain organization beyond task-based activation patterns.
Importance of Spontaneous Fluctuations in Resting State Scans
Resting state scans revealed co-activations similar to task-based findings, such as motor or working memory networks, even when participants weren't engaged in specific tasks. This demonstrated the intrinsic functional connections in the brain and provided insights into functional organization beyond controlled task settings.
Considerations in Brain Connectivity Fingerprinting
Brain connectivity fingerprinting involves identifying individuals based on unique brain connectivity patterns. These patterns are distributed across various brain regions, with some networks showing slightly higher identification accuracy. Considerations include the interplay of individual anatomical differences and functional connectivity variations across different brain states.
Ethical Implications of Data Sharing in fMRI Studies
While brain connectivity fingerprinting raises privacy concerns, fMRI data sharing protocols prioritize anonymization and de-identification to safeguard participant privacy. The challenge lies in balancing the potential for individual identification with the need for data sharing to advance scientific research and potential clinical applications.
Advancing Brain Research Beyond Resting State
There is a shift towards moving beyond resting state analyses to explore brain functional organization. It was highlighted that resting state analysis places the burden on interpretation due to lack of experimental design, leading to gaining insights for future research. The recommendation is to transition into a new wave of experimental design combining elements of experimental tasks and signaling a shift towards more naturalistic tasks.
Critique on Naturalistic Stimuli Terminology
The discussion focused on the limitations of the term 'naturalistic stimuli' when referring to stimuli like movies or stories used in neuroscience experiments. The argument raised is that these stimuli are intentionally crafted, challenging the notion of naturalism. The importance of understanding the deliberate choices made in creating such stimuli was emphasized to enhance relevance and appropriateness.
Flexible Analysis of Movie Data
Movies provide rich data sources for brain research due to their diverse features. The analysis can involve extracting various features from the movie content, such as luminance or emotional tone, and correlating them with brain activities. The approach allows for nuanced investigations into how different brain regions respond to complex stimuli, aiding in the understanding of brain cognition and responses.
Balancing Productivity and Prioritization
The importance of managing time and productivity effectively was highlighted, emphasizing the need to focus on tasks that align with personal and professional goals. The recommendation includes prioritizing tasks efficiently and recognizing the balance between maximizing output and maintaining personal well-being. Advice was given to seek a balance between productivity and self-care to prevent burnout and promote long-term success.
Emily Finn is an assistant professor at Dartmouth College. We talk about her research on neural fingerprinting, naturalistic stimuli, how Emily got into science, the year she spent in Peru before her PhD, advice for writing well, and much more.
There are occasional (minor) audio disturbances when Emily's speaking. Sorry about that, still trying to figure out where they came from so that it won't happen again.
BJKS Podcast is a podcast about neuroscience, psychology, and anything vaguely related, hosted by Benjamin James Kuper-Smith.
Timestamps 0:00:00: Supportive peer review 0:03:25: Why study linguistics? 0:11:05: Uncertainties about doing a PhD/taking time off 0:18:05: Emily's year-and-a-half in Peru 0:25:17: Emily's PhD 0:29:34: Neural fingerprints 0:49:25: Naturalistic stimuli in neuroimaging 1:24:01: How to write good scientific articles 1:30:55: A book or paper more people should read 1:34:58: Something Emily wishes she'd learnt sooner 1:39:20: Advice for PhD students/postdocs
Byrge & Kennedy (2019). High-accuracy individual identification using a “thin slice” of the functional connectome. Network Neuroscience. Burkeman (2021). Four thousand weeks: Time management for mortals. Finn, ... & Constable (2014). Disruption of functional networks in dyslexia: a whole-brain, data-driven analysis of connectivity. Biological psychiatry. Finn, Shen, ... & Constable (2015). Functional connectome fingerprinting: identifying individuals using patterns of brain connectivity. Nature Neuroscience. Finn, ... & Constable (2018). Trait paranoia shapes inter-subject synchrony in brain activity during an ambiguous social narrative. Nature Communications. Finn, ... & Bandettini (2020). Idiosynchrony: From shared responses to individual differences during naturalistic neuroimaging. NeuroImage. Finn & Bandettini (2021). Movie-watching outperforms rest for functional connectivity-based prediction of behavior. NeuroImage. Finn (2021). Is it time to put rest to rest?. Trends in cognitive sciences. Finn & Rosenberg (2021). Beyond fingerprinting: Choosing predictive connectomes over reliable connectomes. NeuroImage. Grall & Finn (2022). Leveraging the power of media to drive cognition: A media-informed approach to naturalistic neuroscience. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Hasson, ... & Malach (2004). Intersubject synchronization of cortical activity during natural vision. Science. Hedge, Powell & Sumner (2018). The reliability paradox: Why robust cognitive tasks do not produce reliable individual differences. Behavior research methods. Sava-Segal, ... & Finn (2023). Individual differences in neural event segmentation of continuous experiences. Cerebral Cortex.
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