fcMRI correlates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and familial liability were studied in 24-month-olds at high (older affected sibling) and low familial likelihood for ASD. fcMRI comparisons of high-familial-likelihood (HL) ASD-positive (HLP, N = 23) and ASD-negative (HLN, N = 91), and low-likelihood ASD-negative (LLN, N = 27) 24-month-olds from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network were conducted, employing object oriented data analysis (OODA), support vector machine (SVM) classification, and network-level fcMRI enrichment analyses. OODA (alpha = 0.0167, 3 comparisons) revealed differences in HLP and LLN fcMRI matrices (p = 0.012), but none for HLP versus HLN (p = 0.047) nor HLN versus LLN (p = 0.225). SVM distinguished HLP from HLN (accuracy = 99

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. The acquisition of multimodal magnetic resonance-based brain development data is central to the study’s core protocol. However, application of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) methods in this population is complicated by technical challenges and difficulties of imaging in early life. Overcoming these challenges requires an innovative and harmonized approach, combining age-appropriate acquisition protocols together with specialized pediatric neuroimaging strategies. The HBCD MRI Working Group aimed to establish a core acquisition protocol for all 27 HBCD Study recruitment sites to measure brain structure, function, microstructure, and metabolites. Acquisition parameters of individual modalities have been matched across MRI scanner platforms for harmonized acquisitions and state-of-the-art technologies are employed to enable faster and motion-robust imaging. Here, we provide an overview of the HBCD MRI protocol, including decisions of individual modalities and preliminary data. The result will be an unparalleled resource for examining early neurodevelopment which enables the larger scientific community to assess normative trajectories from birth through childhood and to examine the genetic, biological, and environmental factors that help shape the developing brain.

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. The longitudinal collection of biological samples from over 7,000 birthing parents and their children within the HBCD study enables research on pre- and postnatal exposures (e.g., substance use, toxicants, nutrition), and biological processes (e.g., genetics, epigenetic signatures, proteins, metabolites) on neurobehavioral developmental outcomes. The following biosamples are collected from the birthing parent: 1) blood (i.e., whole blood, serum, plasma, buffy coat, and dried blood spots) during pregnancy, 2) nail clippings during pregnancy and one month postpartum, 3) urine during pregnancy, and 4) saliva during pregnancy and at in-person postnatal assessments. The following samples are collected from the child at in-person study assessments: 1) saliva, 2) stool, and 3) urine. Additionally, placenta tissue, cord blood, and cord tissue are collected by a subset of HBCD sites. Here, we describe the rationale for the collection of these biospecimens, their current and potential future uses, the collection protocol, and collection success rates during piloting. This information will assist research teams in the planning of future studies utilizing this collection of biological samples.

Abstract Introduction Since the re-discovery of the glymphatic system, there has been an increased interest in perivascular spaces (PVS) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics in relation to sleep. Enlarged PVS (ePVS) are associated with neurological disorders and sleep problems, and excessive extra-axial CSF (EA-CSF) volume is associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ePVS has not been studied in infancy in relation to autism, EA-CSF volume, or sleep problems. The objectives of this study, therefore, are to examine whether ePVS is 1) more prevalent in infants who later develop ASD, 2) related to EA-CSF volume, and 3) associated with later sleep problems. Methods The study was conducted on a prospective, longitudinal cohort from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS). Participants underwent neuroimaging at 6-, 12-, and 24-months of age, and parent-reported Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaires (CSHQ) were collected at a follow-up visit at school age (age range = 7-12 years, M = 10.0). A total of 311 participants were included: 47 infants at high familial likelihood for ASD who were later diagnosed with ASD (HL+), 180 high likelihood infants not diagnosed with ASD (HL-), and 84 low likelihood control infants (LL-). The CSHQ was available on a subset of 109 participants. Results Significant group differences in ePVS rates were found at 24 months of age (p=0.041), with 44.7% of the HL+ group having ePVS, compared to 26.7% in the HL- group (p=0.017) and 26.2% in the LL- group (p=0.031). ePVS at 24 months was associated with greater EA-CSF volume from 6-24 months (p=0.002) and greater sleep disturbances at school-age (p=0.006), regardless of ASD diagnosis. Conclusion The presence of ePVS during infancy was associated with ASD diagnosis, elevated EA-CSF volume, and more frequent sleep disturbances. Results suggest that infants with ePVS should be monitored for early signs of ASD and potential long-term sleep problems, particularly sleep disturbances. Further examination is needed to establish whether early ePVS is ASD-specific or an indication of early glymphatic system dysfunction that can put infants and children at risk for atypical brain development and later sleep problems. Support (if any)

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a fit-for-purpose exergaming intervention in youth (6–18 years old) with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and neurotypical controls. Background: The nature of how best to promote the recommended frequency of physical activity in youth with SMA is evolving. The use of active videogames for rehabilitation (exergaming) has a positive impact on motivation towards training, is flexible in scheduling, and has proven impact on enhancing strength, coordination, and mobility in other conditions. We have developed a home-based exergame (Tales from the Magic Keep™) specifically for youth with neuromuscular disorders in which functional upper limb and trunk movements are tracked by the Microsoft® Kinect Azure sensor. Design/Methods: We conducted a 4-week open label feasibility study across two Canadian sites. The exergaming intervention was used at home by participants at a target dose of 20 minutes four times a week. Feasibility of the game was determined by assessing adherence, acceptability, and need for game adaptation. Adherence was quantified by the motion detector from the Azure Microsoft Kinect Platform and verified against a weekly participant reported log. A Likert scale was used to evaluate the perceived value, experience, satisfaction, and need for adaptation regarding the exergame. Usability was assessed using the System Usability Scale. Results: Ten youth with SMA and five neurotypical controls were enrolled. Results of the feasibility study will be presented. Conclusions: Exergaming was found to be acceptable and enjoyable to youth with a wide range of abilities. Therapy gamification has the potential to increase physical activity in youth with SMA and other neuromuscular disorders. Disclosure: Dr. Oskoui has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an officer or member of the Board of Directors for the Association des Neurologues du Quebec. The institution of Dr. Oskoui has received research support from Biogen. The institution of Dr. Oskoui has received research support from Roche Genetech. The institution of Dr. Oskoui has received research support from Muscular Dystrophy Canada. The institution of Dr. Oskoui has received research support from Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Oskoui has received personal compensation in the range of $50,000-$99,999 for serving as a Methodologist with American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Oskoui has a non-compensated relationship as a Member of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee with Muscular Dystrophy Canada that is relevant to AAN interests or activities. The institution of Dr. Selby has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Roche. The institution of Dr. Selby has received research support from Biogen . The institution of Dr. Selby has received research support from Italfarmico. The institution of Dr. Selby has received research support from Reverogen. Mr. Herzig has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of F. Hoffmann - La Roche AG. Mr. Herzig has stock in F. Hoffmann - La Roche AG. Mr. Herzig has received personal compensation in the range of $5,000-$9,999 for serving as a Lecturer with FHNW. Mrs. Cardiff has nothing to disclose. Miss Cushen has nothing to disclose. Mr. Défossés has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gonorazky has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Novartis. Dr. Gonorazky has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Biogen. Dr. Gonorazky has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Roche. Dr. Gottowik has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of F. Hoffmann–La Roche Ltd. Renee Haldenby has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd. Mr. Jurisic has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Roche. Miss Karthigesu has nothing to disclose. Ms. Macintyre has nothing to disclose. The institution of Alex MacKenzie has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for biogen. Dr. Mah has nothing to disclose. Mr. McCullough has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Hoffmann-La Roche Limited. Mr. McCullough has stock in Roche Holding AG. Ms. Ng has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Ms. Opalka has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Transition Technologies PSC . Ms. Opalka has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Technical University of Lodz. Ms. Opalka has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Academic teacher with Technical University of Lodz. Ms. Opalka has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a PhD candidate with Technical University of Lodz. Mr. Openchowski has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Roche. Mr. Openchowski has stock in Roche. Svetlana Petkun has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.. The institution of Dr. Potter has received research support from Cambrooke Ajimoto. The institution of Dr. Potter has received research support from Nutricia. The institution of Dr. Potter has received research support from Biomarin. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Biogen. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Novartis. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Scientific Advisory or Data Safety Monitoring board for Ipsen. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving on a Speakers Bureau for Biogen. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received research support from MARS VR Labs. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received research support from CIHR. The institution of Dr. Sheriko has received research support from IWK Health. Ms. Smith has nothing to disclose. Dr. Strahm has received personal compensation for serving as an employee of F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Ms. Turgeon Desilets has nothing to disclose. Ms. Woof has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for ATOM. Ms. Woof has received personal compensation in the range of $50,000-$99,999 for serving as a Leader of Physiotherapy with BC Centre for Ability. Dr. Chen has nothing to disclose.

Importance Perivascular spaces (PVS) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are essential components of the glymphatic system, regulating brain homeostasis and clearing neural waste throughout the lifespan. Enlarged PVS have been implicated in neurological disorders and sleep problems in adults, and excessive CSF volume has been reported in infants who develop autism. Enlarged PVS have not been sufficiently studied longitudinally in infancy or in relation to autism outcomes or CSF volume. Objective To examine whether enlarged PVS are more prevalent in infants who develop autism compared with controls and whether they are associated with trajectories of extra-axial CSF volume (EA-CSF) and sleep problems in later childhood. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective, longitudinal cohort study used data from the Infant Brain Imaging Study. Magnetic resonance images were acquired at ages 6, 12, and 24 months (2007-2017), with sleep questionnaires performed between ages 7 and 12 years (starting in 2018). Data were collected at 4 sites in North Carolina, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Data were analyzed from March 2021 through August 2022. Exposure PVS (ie, fluid-filled channels that surround blood vessels in the brain) that are enlarged (ie, visible on magnetic resonance imaging). Main Outcomes and Measures Outcomes of interest were enlarged PVS and EA-CSF volume from 6 to 24 months, autism diagnosis at 24 months, sleep problems between ages 7 and 12 years. Results A total of 311 infants (197 [63.3%] male) were included: 47 infants at high familial likelihood for autism (ie, having an older sibling with autism) who were diagnosed with autism at age 24 months, 180 high likelihood infants not diagnosed with autism, and 84 low likelihood control infants not diagnosed with autism. Sleep measures at school-age were available for 109 participants. Of infants who developed autism, 21 (44.7%) had enlarged PVS at 24 months compared with 48 infants (26.7%) in the high likelihood but no autism diagnosis group ( P = .02) and 22 infants in the control group (26.2%) ( P = .03). Across all groups, enlarged PVS at 24 months was associated with greater EA-CSF volume from ages 6 to 24 months (β = 4.64; 95% CI, 0.58-8.72; P = .002) and more frequent night wakings at school-age ( F = 7.76; η 2 = 0.08; P = .006). Conclusions and Relevance These findings suggest that enlarged PVS emerged between ages 12 and 24 months in infants who developed autism. These results add to a growing body of evidence that, along with excessive CSF volume and sleep dysfunction, the glymphatic system could be dysregulated in infants who develop autism.

Background Sex differences in the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders are particularly evident in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Heterogeneous symptom presentation and the potential of measurement bias hinder early ASD detection in females and may contribute to discrepant prevalence estimates. We examined trajectories of social communication (SC) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in a sample of infant siblings of children with ASD, adjusting for age- and sex-based measurement bias. We hypothesized that leveraging a prospective elevated familial likelihood sample, deriving data-driven behavioral constructs, and accounting for measurement bias would reveal less discrepant sex ratios than are typically seen in ASD. Methods We conducted direct assessments of ASD symptoms at 6 to 9, 12 to 15, 24, and 36 to 60 months of age (total nobservations = 1254) with infant siblings of children with ASD (n = 377) and a lower ASD-familial-likelihood comparison group (n = 168; nobservations = 527). We established measurement invariance across age and sex for separate models of SC and RRB. We then conducted latent class growth mixture modeling with the longitudinal data and evaluated for sex differences in trajectory membership. Results We identified 2 latent classes in the SC and RRB models with equal sex ratios in the high-concern cluster for both SC and RRB. Sex differences were also observed in the SC high-concern cluster, indicating that girls classified as having elevated social concerns demonstrated milder symptoms than boys in this group. Conclusions This novel approach for characterizing ASD symptom progression highlights the utility of assessing and adjusting for sex-related measurement bias and identifying sex-specific patterns of symptom emergence.

OBJECTIVE Previous research has demonstrated that the amygdala is enlarged in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the precise onset of this enlargement during infancy, how it relates to later diagnostic behaviors, whether the timing of enlargement in infancy is specific to the amygdala, and whether it is specific to ASD (or present in other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as fragile X syndrome) are all unknown. METHODS Longitudinal MRIs were acquired at 6-24 months of age in 29 infants with fragile X syndrome, 58 infants at high likelihood for ASD who were later diagnosed with ASD, 212 high-likelihood infants not diagnosed with ASD, and 109 control infants (1,099 total scans). RESULTS Infants who developed ASD had typically sized amygdala volumes at 6 months, but exhibited significantly faster amygdala growth between 6 and 24 months, such that by 12 months the ASD group had significantly larger amygdala volume (Cohen's d=0.56) compared with all other groups. Amygdala growth rate between 6 and 12 months was significantly associated with greater social deficits at 24 months when the infants were diagnosed with ASD. Infants with fragile X syndrome had a persistent and significantly enlarged caudate volume at all ages between 6 and 24 months (d=2.12), compared with all other groups, which was significantly associated with greater repetitive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS This is the first MRI study comparing fragile X syndrome and ASD in infancy, demonstrating strikingly different patterns of brain and behavior development. Fragile X syndrome-related changes were present from 6 months of age, whereas ASD-related changes unfolded over the first 2 years of life, starting with no detectable group differences at 6 months. Increased amygdala growth rate between 6 and 12 months occurs prior to social deficits and well before diagnosis. This gradual onset of brain and behavior changes in ASD, but not fragile X syndrome, suggests an age- and disorder-specific pattern of cascading brain changes preceding autism diagnosis.

The Cuban Human Brain Mapping Project (CHBMP) repository is an open multimodal neuroimaging and cognitive dataset from 282 young and middle age healthy participants (31.9 ± 9.3 years, age range 18–68 years). This dataset was acquired from 2004 to 2008 as a subset of a larger stratified random sample of 2,019 participants from La Lisa municipality in La Habana, Cuba. The exclusion criteria included the presence of disease or brain dysfunctions. Participant data that is being shared comprises i) high-density (64–120 channels) resting-state electroencephalograms (EEG), ii) magnetic resonance images (MRI), iii) psychological tests (MMSE, WAIS-III, computerized go-no go reaction time), as well as iv,) demographic information (age, gender, education, ethnicity, handedness, and weight). The EEG data contains recordings with at least 30 minutes in duration including the following conditions: eyes closed, eyes open, hyperventilation, and subsequent recovery. The MRI consists of anatomical T1 as well as diffusion-weighted (DWI) images acquired on a 1.5 Tesla system. The dataset presented here is hosted by Synapse.org and available at https://chbmp-open.loris.ca .

The Tomographic Quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEGt) toolbox is integrated with the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) Neuroinformatics Ecosystem as a docker into the Canadian Brain Imaging Research Platform (CBRAIN). qEEGt produces age-corrected normative Statistical Parametric Maps of EEG log source spectra testing compliance to a normative database. This toolbox was developed at the Cuban Neuroscience Center as part of the first wave of the Cuban Human Brain Mapping Project (CHBMP) and has been validated and used in different health systems for several decades. Incorporation into the MNI ecosystem now provides CBRAIN registered users access to its full functionality and is accompanied by a public release of the source code on GitHub and Zenodo repositories. Among other features are the calculation of EEG scalp spectra, and the estimation of their source spectra using the Variable Resolution Electrical Tomography (VARETA) source imaging. Crucially, this is completed by the evaluation of z spectra by means of the built-in age regression equations obtained from the CHBMP database (ages 5-87) to provide normative Statistical Parametric Mapping of EEG log source spectra. Different scalp and source visualization tools are also provided for evaluation of individual subjects prior to further post-processing. Openly releasing this software in the CBRAIN platform will facilitate the use of standardized qEEGt methods in different research and clinical settings. An updated precis of the methods is provided in Appendix I as a reference for the toolbox. qEEGt/CBRAIN is the first installment of instruments developed by the neuroinformatic platform of the Cuba-Canada-China (CCC) project.

The Cuban Human Brain Mapping Project (CHBMP) repository is an open multimodal neuroimaging and cognitive dataset from 282 healthy participants (31.9 ± 9.3 years, age range 18–68 years). This dataset was acquired from 2004 to 2008 as a subset of a larger stratified random sample of 2,019 participants from La Lisa municipality in La Habana, Cuba. The exclusion included presence of disease or brain dysfunctions. The information made available for all participants comprises: high-density (64-120 channels) resting state electroencephalograms (EEG), magnetic resonance images (MRI), psychological tests (MMSE, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale -WAIS III, computerized reaction time tests using a go no-go paradigm), as well as general information (age, gender, education, ethnicity, handedness and weight). The EEG data contains recordings with at least 30 minutes duration including the following conditions: eyes closed, eyes open, hyperventilation and subsequent recovery. The MRI consisted in anatomical T1 and T2 as well as diffusion weighted (DWI) images acquired on a 1.5 Tesla system. The data is available for registered users on the LORIS database which is part of the MNI neuroinformatics ecosystem.

The way that parents communicate with their typically developing infants is associated with later infant language development. Here we aim to show that these associations are observed in infants subsequently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study had three groups: high-familial-risk infants who did not have ASD (n = 46); high-familial-risk infants who had ASD (n = 14); and low-familial-risk infants who exhibited typical development (n = 36). All-day home language recordings were collected at 9 and 15 months, and language skills were assessed at 24 months. Across all infants in the study, including those with ASD, a richer home language environment (e.g., hearing more adult words and experiencing more conversational turns) at 9 and 15 months was associated with better language skills. Higher parental educational attainment was associated with a richer home language environment. Mediation analyses showed that the effect of education on child language skills was explained by the richness of the home language environment. Exploratory analyses revealed that typically developing infants experience an increase in caregiver-child conversational turns across 9-15 months, a pattern not seen in children with ASD. The current study shows that parent behavior during the earliest stages of life can have a significant impact on later development, highlighting the home language environment as means to support development in infants with ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1784-1795. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: It has long been understood that caregiver speech supports language skills in typically developing infants. In this study, parents of infants who were later diagnosed with ASD and parents of infants in the control groups completed all-day home language recordings. We found that for all infants in our study, those who heard more caregiver speech had better language skills later in life. Parental education level was also related to how much caregiver speech an infant experienced.

The counterirritation phenomenon known as conditioned pain modulation, or diffuse noxious inhibitory control in animals, is of increasing interest due to its utility in predicting chronic pain and treatment response. It features considerable interindividual variability, with large subsets of pain patients and even normal volunteers exhibiting hyperalgesia rather than hypoalgesia during or immediately after receiving a conditioning stimulus. We observed that mice undergoing tonic inflammatory pain in the abdominal cavity (the conditioning stimulus) display hyperalgesia, not hypoalgesia, to noxious thermal stimulation (the test stimulus) applied to the hindpaw. In a series of parametric studies, we show that this hyperalgesia can be reliably observed using multiple conditioning stimuli (acetic acid and orofacial formalin), test stimuli (hindpaw and forepaw-withdrawal, tail-withdrawal, hot-plate, and von Frey tests) and genotypes (CD-1, DBA/2, and C57BL/6 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats). Although the magnitude of the hyperalgesia is dependent on the intensity of the conditioning stimulus, we find that the direction of effect is dependent on the effective test stimulus intensity, with lower-intensity stimuli leading to hyperalgesia and higher-intensity stimuli leading to hypoalgesia.

Pain memories are hypothesized to be critically involved in the transition of pain from an acute to a chronic state. To help elucidate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of pain memory, we developed novel paradigms to study context-dependent pain hypersensitivity in mouse and human subjects, respectively. We find that both mice and people become hypersensitive to acute, thermal nociception when tested in an environment previously associated with an aversive tonic pain experience. This sensitization persisted for at least 24 hr and was only present in males of both species. In mice, context-dependent pain hypersensitivity was abolished by castrating male mice, pharmacological blockade of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or intracerebral or intrathecal injections of zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP) known to block atypical protein kinase C (including the protein kinase Mζ isoform). In humans, men, but not women, self-reported higher levels of stress when tested in a room previously associated with tonic pain. These models provide a new, completely translatable means for studying the relationship between memory, pain, and stress.

Data sharing is becoming more of a requirement as technologies mature and as global research and communications diversify. As a result, researchers are looking for practical solutions, not only to enhance scientific collaborations, but also to acquire larger amounts of data, and to access specialized datasets. In many cases, the realities of data acquisition present a significant burden, therefore gaining access to public datasets allows for more robust analyses and broadly enriched data exploration. To answer this demand, the Montreal Neurological Institute has announced its commitment to Open Science, harnessing the power of making both clinical and research data available to the world (Owens, 2016a,b). As such, the LORIS and CBRAIN (Das et al., 2016) platforms have been tasked with the technical challenges specific to the institutional-level implementation of open data sharing, including: Comprehensive linking of multimodal data (phenotypic, clinical, neuroimaging, biobanking, and genomics, etc.) Secure database encryption, specifically designed for institutional and multi-project data sharing, ensuring subject confidentiality (using multi-tiered identifiers). Querying capabilities with multiple levels of single study and institutional permissions, allowing public data sharing for all consented and de-identified subject data. Configurable pipelines and flags to facilitate acquisition and analysis, as well as access to High Performance Computing clusters for rapid data processing and sharing of software tools. Robust Workflows and Quality Control mechanisms ensuring transparency and consistency in best practices. Long term storage (and web access) of data, reducing loss of institutional data assets. Enhanced web-based visualization of imaging, genomic, and phenotypic data, allowing for real-time viewing and manipulation of data from anywhere in the world. Numerous modules for data filtering, summary statistics, and personalized and configurable dashboards. Implementing the vision of Open Science at the Montreal Neurological Institute will be a concerted undertaking that seeks to facilitate data sharing for the global research community. Our goal is to utilize the years of experience in multi-site collaborative research infrastructure to implement the technical requirements to achieve this level of public data sharing in a practical yet robust manner, in support of accelerating scientific discovery.

Event Abstract Back to Event Open Science at the Montreal Neurological Institute - LORIS & CBRAIN Samir Das1*, Tristan Glatard1, Leigh MacIntyre1 and Alan Evans1 1 Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Canada Data sharing is becoming more of a requirement as technologies mature, and global research and communication diversifies. As a result, researchers are looking for practical solutions, not only to enhance scientific collaborations, but also to acquire larger amounts of data, and to access particular datasets. In many cases, acquisition realities present a significant burden, therefore gaining access to public datasets allows for more robust analyses and greater exploratory data mining. To answer this demand, the Montreal Neurological Institute has announced the mission of Open Science, harnessing the power of making both clinical and research data available to the world (Owens, 2016). As such, the LORIS and CBRAIN (Das et al., 2015) platforms have been tasked with the technical challenges specific to the institutional-level implementation of public data sharing, including: 1) Comprehensive linking of multimodal data (clinical, genomics, imaging, phenotypic, demographic, etc.) 2) Secure database encryption, specifically designed for institutional and multi-project data sharing, ensuring patient and subject confidentiality (using multi-tiered identifiers). 3) Querying capabilities with multiple levels of single study and institutional permissions, allowing public data sharing for all consented subject data. 4) Configurable pipelines and flags to facilitate acquisition and analysis, as well as access to High Performance Computing clusters for immediate processing. 5) Robust Quality Control mechanisms usable as covariates in analysis. 6) Long term storage (and web access) of data, resulting in little attrition (i.e. lost data). 7) Enhanced web-based visualization of imaging, genomics, and phenotypic data, allowing for real-time viewing and manipulation of data from anywhere in the world. 8) Mobile data access capabilities with responsive viewing. 9) Numerous modules for data filtering, summary statistics, and personalized and configurable dashboards. The goal of Open Science at the Montreal Neurological Institute will be a concerted undertaking that seeks to facilitate data sharing on a global scale. Our goal is to utilize the years of experience in multi-site collaborative research to implement the technical requirements to achieve this level of public data sharing in a practical, yet robust manner. Acknowledgements This work has been made possible with the support of NIH (http://nih.gov), CANARIE (http://www.canarie.ca), Compute Canada (http://www.computecanada.ca), the Irving Ludmer Family Foundation and the Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health (https://www.mcgill.ca/statisticalgenetics/ludmer-centre), the Montreal Neurological Institute (http://mnni.mcgill.ca), and the LORIS (http://loris.ca) and CBRAIN (http://mcin-cnim.ca/neuroimagingtechnologies/cbrain/) References Brian Owens, Montreal institute going ‘open’ to accelerate science, Science Magazine, January 21, 2016, DOI: 10.1126/science.aae0265 Samir Das, Tristan Glatard, Leigh C. MacIntyre, Cecile Madjar, Christine Rogers, Marc-Etienne Rousseau, Pierre Rioux, Dave MacFarlane, Zia Mohades, Rathi Gnanasekaran, Carolina Makowski, Penelope Kostopoulos, Reza Adalat, Najmeh Khalili-Mahani, Guiomar Niso, Jeremy T. Moreau, Alan C. Evans, The MNI data-sharing and processing ecosystem, NeuroImage, Volume 124, Part B, 1 January 2016, Pages 1188-1195, ISSN 1053-8119, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.08.076. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811915008009) Keywords: Open Science, data sharing, infrastructure, Databases as Topic, High performance computing Conference: Neuroinformatics 2016, Reading, United Kingdom, 3 Sep - 4 Sep, 2016. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: General neuroinformatics Citation: Das S, Glatard T, MacIntyre L and Evans A (2016). Open Science at the Montreal Neurological Institute - LORIS & CBRAIN. Front. Neuroinform. Conference Abstract: Neuroinformatics 2016. doi: 10.3389/conf.fninf.2016.20.00056 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 01 May 2016; Published Online: 18 Jul 2016. * Correspondence: Mr. Samir Das, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Montreal, QC, h3A 2t4, Canada, samir@bic.mni.mcgill.ca Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Samir Das Tristan Glatard Leigh MacIntyre Alan Evans Google Samir Das Tristan Glatard Leigh MacIntyre Alan Evans Google Scholar Samir Das Tristan Glatard Leigh MacIntyre Alan Evans PubMed Samir Das Tristan Glatard Leigh MacIntyre Alan Evans Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Neuroimaging has been facing a data deluge characterized by the exponential growth of both raw and processed data. As a result, mining the massive quantities of digital data collected in these studies offers unprecedented opportunities and has become paramount for today's research. As the neuroimaging community enters the world of "Big Data", there has been a concerted push for enhanced sharing initiatives, whether within a multisite study, across studies, or federated and shared publicly. This article will focus on the database and processing ecosystem developed at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) to support multicenter data acquisition both nationally and internationally, create database repositories, facilitate data-sharing initiatives, and leverage existing software toolkits for large-scale data processing.

Chronic pain is often associated with sexual dysfunction, suggesting that pain can reduce libido. We find that inflammatory pain reduces sexual motivation, measured via mounting behavior and/or proximity in a paced mating paradigm, in female but not male laboratory mice. Pain was produced by injection of inflammogens zymosan A (0.5 mg/ml) or λ-carrageenan (2%) into genital or nongenital (hind paw, tail, cheek) regions. Sexual behavior was significantly reduced in female mice experiencing pain (in all combinations); male mice similarly treated displayed unimpeded sexual motivation. Pain-induced reductions in female sexual behavior were observed in the absence of sex differences in pain-related behavior, and could be rescued by the analgesic, pregabalin, and the libido-enhancing drugs, apomorphine and melanotan-II. These findings suggest that the well known context sensitivity of the human female libido can be explained by evolutionary rather than sociocultural factors, as female mice can be similarly affected.

Provoked vestibulodynia, the most common form of vulvodynia (unexplained pain of the vulva), is a prevalent, idiopathic pain disorder associated with a history of recurrent candidiasis (yeast infections). It is characterized by vulvar allodynia (painful hypersensitivity to touch) and hyperinnervation. We tested whether repeated, localized exposure of the vulva to a common fungal pathogen can lead to the development of chronic pain. A subset of female mice subjected to recurrent Candida albicans infection developed mechanical allodynia localized to the vulva. The mice with allodynia also exhibited hyperinnervation with peptidergic nociceptor and sympathetic fibers (as indicated by increased protein gene product 9.5, calcitonin gene-related peptide, and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 immunoreactivity in the vaginal epithelium). Long-lasting behavioral allodynia in a subset of mice was also observed after a single, extended Candida infection, as well as after repeated vulvar (but not hind paw) inflammation induced with zymosan, a mixture of fungal antigens. The hypersensitivity and hyperinnervation were both present at least 3 weeks after the resolution of infection and inflammation. Our data show that infection can cause persistent pain long after its resolution and that recurrent yeast infection replicates important features of human provoked vulvodynia in the mouse.