Background¶
I am a computational neuroscientist interested in the interface between neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and psychiatry. I use machine learning to model cognitive processes especially visual inference and investigate how perturbations in these models can emulate psychiatric conditions. I utilize fMRI data as well as electronic medical records.
I am currently investigating neurological substrates of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and how they can affect physical health. My other research interests span computational neuroscience, healthcare informatics, and deep learning.
Originally from Alexandria, Egypt, I left as an electrical engineer in 2012 and have been traversing through different countries in search for good science and good human beings. I did my graduate studies in OIST (MSc.) and Kyoto University (PhD under the supervision of Prof. Yuki Kamitani). Before moving into Canada, I completed a Postdoc in Washington University in St. Louis.
When I’m not sciencing, I am either reading, playing sports (currently interested in calisthenics and bouldering but these can change anytime), travelling (visas permitting), walking and listening to music, or searching for a new fun activity.
I also appreciate a good conversation about politics, human rights, history, philosophy, and geography. In a parallel universe (or alternate timeline), I’m a news reporter covering hot events live from the field. I’m a pan-Arab, pan-African, and pan-World (if that’s a thing). When it comes to food, I’m very politically incorrect and biased so ask me at your own risk.
Project¶
Neurodegenerative diseases affect a large percentage of elderly Canadians and manifest in various cognitive and motor symptoms depending on the affected brain area. Neurodegenerative diseases and vascular disorders may lead to types of dementia due to the effect of blood supply to the brain on neuronal health. Due to the interconnectedness of the brain, there are usually many shared symptoms that could result from similar impairments in brain processing circuits. However, we do not fully understand how cardiovascular illness may predispose individuals to dementia at the level of brain function. Previous studies found that Alzheimer disease, the most common neurodegenerative disease and cause of dementia, is associated with localized problems in areas related to memory and planning. In this study, I plan to use large datasets of brain imaging data and computational modeling to uncover shared and unique patterns of brain function between neurodegenerative illness and cardiovascular disease. I will build statistical models to find the relationships between cognitive performance and brain structural and functional measures. By understanding the statistics of how brain structure and function differs as cognitive changes develop, we can reveal which brain circuits are being affected across multiple disorders. This can enable us to build a mathematical model that we can validate using real patient data. This model will replicate the neural activation changes associated with various impairments and will enable us to understand how brain regions communicate with each other and how breakdowns in communication, due to a number of factors including cardiovascular disease, may lead to dementia. This will allow us to discover the early signs of neurodegeneration, allowing earlier intervention. It will also serve as a tool to monitor the effectiveness of therapies and their potential side effects.