AI-Powered Breakthroughs Artificial intelligence is central to Bowers WBHI’s research advancements. Led by computational experts Poldrack, Nina Miolane, Ph.D., at UC Santa Barbara and Amy Kuceyeski, Ph.D., at Cornell University, the AI Core is producing innovations once thought impossible. A major breakthrough is “HerBrain,” the first AI-powered digital twin of a woman’s brain across the menstrual cycle, with future expansions for pregnancy and perimenopause. “The ability to simulate how a woman’s brain changes over time is a game changer,” said Miolane. “This technology could transform how we diagnose and treat conditions like postpartum depression, menopause-related cognitive decline, and Alzheimer’s disease.”
WE’RE USING THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF NEUROSCIENCE. BY BRINGING TOGETHER EXPERTS FROM ACROSS THE UC SYSTEM...WE’RE ABLE TO TACKLE COMPLEX CHALLENGES IN WOMEN’S BRAIN HEALTH IN A WAY THAT’S NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.
Image courtesy of Ann S. Bowers WBHI, UC Santa Barbara
Mapping the Mind From Maternity to Menopause In addition to the WBHI Brain Bank, the WBHI oversees moonshot projects that focus on key transitions across the lifespan, including pregnancy and menopause. Deep phenotyping and precision imaging approaches are giving scientists a window into these transformative periods in life. Neuroscientists, immunologists, molecular biologists, reproductive psychiatrists and AI experts are joining forces to learn more than ever about these transitions. The Maternal Brain Project led by a team of scientists including: Emily Jacobs, Ph.D. (UC Santa Barbara) Susana Carmona, Ph.D. (Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria, Madrid, Spain) Ina Stelzer, Ph.D. (UC San Diego) Sheila Shanmugan, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania) Liz Chrastil, Ph.D. (UC Irvine) Magdalena Martinez Garcia, Ph.D., (UC Santa Barbara) Winnie Orchard, Ph.D. (UC Santa Barbara) Together, they are mapping the brain from pre-conception through one year postpartum. The project's first paper, led by Ph.D. student Laura Pritschet, generated the first map of the human brain throughout pregnancy. Another paper out generates insights into early markers of risk for postpartum depression. Meanwhile, the Longitudinal Menopause Project, led by Suzanne Baker, Ph.D., of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Rachel BuckleyRachel Buckley, Ph.D., of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, will map the brain across menopause in women spanning the ages 45-65. “These initiatives are tackling some of the most critical and understudied areas in women’s brain health,” Jacobs said. “By taking a comprehensive, longitudinal approach, we’re gaining a deeper understanding of the unique experiences women go through in their lifetime.”
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