BIOSTATISTICAL RESEARCH CORE

Mclean Hospital, Belmont MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The Biostatistical Research Core (BRC) will continue to serve the six projects through applications of[unreadable] classical, modern, and newly-emerging quantitative methods for experimental design and analysis of[unreadable] empirical findings. In addition, the BRC will work with the Computational and Animal Behavioral Cores to[unreadable] develop new computational and biostatistical technologies for the projects. The BRC will also serve to[unreadable] integrate the efforts of all three cores. The major continuing challenge of the BRC is to push biostatistical[unreadable] interactions with the projects beyond mere confirmation of their expectations towards the discovery of[unreadable] previously undetected signals hidden in noisy data. With the Benes project and the Animal Behavioral Core,[unreadable] the BRC will apply mixed-effects Poisson analyses of variance models to test the hypotheses that GABA[unreadable] blockade and reduced NMDA receptor function in hippocampal CA sectors can result in aspects of cognitive[unreadable] dysfunction found in schizophrenia by assessing the significance of Treatment X Environment interactions in[unreadable] the novelty detection study. Computer-intense Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods will[unreadable] also be employed. In a combined analysis, the DISH experiments will employ similar yet weighted Poisson[unreadable] models with silver grain NR2A densities as weights for the counts of GAD67-positive hippocampal[unreadable] interneurons. We will also apply our existing semi-automatic algorithms for detection of Fos bodies. With the[unreadable] Lisman project and the Computational Core, we will apply MCMC technology to revise prior connectivitymorphology[unreadable] probability mappings based on existing literature by new data likelihoods obtained from studies[unreadable] in the Benes project to yield updated posterior probability mappings. The Greene project and the Animal[unreadable] Behavioral Core will benefit from our longitudinal mixed-effects logistic regression models applied to their[unreadable] odor familiarity and recognition study. The BRC will serve as consultant to the Coyle, Yurgelun-Todd and[unreadable] Goff projects on an as needed basis. Further biostatistical applications include tests to distinguish between[unreadable] local spatial heterogeneity (different neuronal densities in different regions) and spatial dependence[unreadable] (correlations between neuronal locations) and Poisson random field methods to detect features of 3D brain[unreadable] cell assemblies at multiple levels of spatial resolution.