Connectomes Related to Psychiatric Diseases
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Ulrike Dydak, Uzay Emir, Qiyong Gong

Wednesday, 20 June 2018

Session Number: MIS-23

Overview
This Symposium was proposed by the Psychiatric MR Spectroscopy & Imaging study group.

Psychiatric disorders are related to substantial personal, public, and economic burdens and are responsible for nearly 13% of the global burden of disease in terms of disability-adjusted life years, and a staggering 32% of years lived with disability. Multiple lines of research have resulted in the identification of potential dysfunctions in psychiatric diseases. The development and research application of newer imaging modalities, such as mapping the “human connectome” employing MRI, are opening new avenues to study brain mechanisms underlying psychological processes non-invasively in the living brain. The Human Connectome Project (HCP) focuses on gathering population-based MRI data from healthy young adults to compare with subject cohorts at risk for or suffering from brain disorders. This has eventually allowed us to better understand differences in people with conditions that may affect brain wirings such as psychiatric disorders. Thus, the proposed symposium has a specific emphasis on exploring the value of HCP for studying psychiatric disorders. The format will include three topical presentations describing the use of current HCP protocols in psychiatric disorders, with the aim to bridge the gap between recent technical developments and their applications in psychiatric disorders. Relevant abstracts from members will be reviewed by the current governing committee for inclusion into the program as proffered presentations.

Target Audience
Basic scientists/physicians using MRI in psychiatry research and psychiatrists interested in possibilities of various imaging methods in psychiatry.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe the most consistent and promising neuroimaging findings in psychiatric disorders; 
- List currently available, established or emerging HCP markers for psychiatric disorders; 
- List the advantages and challenges of HCP; and 
- Name methodologies and techniques appropriate for assessing neurochemical, structural and functional integrity in psychiatric disorders.