Novel functional and anatomical imaging approaches for the nervous system studies

Invited Speakers: Diana Cash, PhD and Michel Mesquita, PhD 

BRAIN Centre, King’s College London and L&M DataScience GmbH 

Description of the general focus of the symposium: 

The symposium “Novel functional and anatomical imaging approaches for the nervous system studies” will showcase complementary imaging strategies that together enable a multi-scale view of the nervous system, from cellular activity to whole-brain organisation. The common theme is the integration of advanced optical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods with robust analysis pipelines that make these techniques reproducible and transferable between laboratories. The first part will focus on functional imaging using genetically encoded calcium indicators such as GCaMP, combined with high-speed optical microscopy. These approaches allow monitoring of activity in defined neuronal populations with high temporal resolution and can be aligned with behavioural paradigms and disease models to dissect circuit-level mechanisms. In parallel, light-sheet microscopy, including mesoSPIM implementations, will be presented as a powerful tool for three-dimensional anatomical mapping in cleared brain and spinal cord tissue, enabling quantitative analysis of connectivity, vascular architecture and activity markers across large volumes. The second part will highlight recent developments in MRI-based analysis frameworks for neuroscience. Particular emphasis will be placed on methods for accurate co-registration of MRI with optical imaging readouts and spatially resolved omics data. Such integration is crucial for linking macroscopic measures of structure, perfusion and function to the underlying cellular and molecular landscape. Finally, the symposium will address automation and standardisation of image analysis across modalities. This includes the design of reusable, containerised workflows, harmonised quality control procedures and FAIR-compliant data management strategies that facilitate data sharing and meta-analyses. Together, the contributions will provide a coherent overview of how novel functional and anatomical imaging approaches can be combined into unified experimental pipelines, and will be relevant for basic, preclinical and translational researchers aiming to implement state-of-the-art imaging in their studies of the nervous system. 

Pharmacological fMRI and standardised cloud-based workflows for translational neuroimaging 

Brief description of the talk: 

This joint talk will present an integrated view of pharmacological functional MRI (ph-fMRI) and cloud-based analysis platforms as complementary tools for translational neuroscience and CNS drug development. Drawing on experience from the BRAIN Centre’s preclinical imaging programmes, the first part will outline how ph-fMRI can be used to map systems-level drug effects across circuits implicated in neurodegeneration, pain, neuroinflammation, trauma and stroke. The emphasis will be on study-design principles (choice of paradigms, anaesthesia versus awake imaging, dosing strategies and longitudinal readouts), as well as on the derivation of robust imaging biomarkers that support mechanism-of-action studies and back-translation between animal models and human cohorts.  

The second part will focus on the standardisation and scaling-up of such imaging approaches using cloud-native infrastructures. Using the neuroPhINDr platform as an example, the talk will describe how MRI and corroborative modalities (such as EEG and optical readouts) can be embedded in harmonised, AWS-hosted workflows that combine automated preprocessing, multimodal registration and integrated quality-control metrics. Project-level dashboards for tracking recruitment, data acceptance and pipeline performance will be highlighted as practical tools for managing complex, multi-centre studies.  

Throughout the presentation, particular attention will be paid to reproducibility and FAIR data principles, including the use of containerised analysis environments, standardised data structures and transparent reporting. By linking sophisticated ph-fMRI methodology with rigorously engineered, cloud-based pipelines, the talk will illustrate a realistic route towards more consistent, sharable and clinically relevant neuroimaging in both academic and industry settings.