Neural networks models of brain disease, plasticity and rehabilitation

[Javier Ropero]

Dear Colleagues:

Connectionist models for understanding brain disease (from trauma and
degenerative illnesses to psychiatric disorders) constitute a new paradigm
of enormous relevance that is shyly looking for its place in the medical
arena. As the organizer of a KES2003 session on neural networks and brain
disease, I would like to invite you  to discuss with us about this
interesting field of research by submitting your contribution. I would be
very grateful if you could let know another interested researchers about
this session.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

With my best wishes

Javier Ropero



7th International Conference on
Knowledge-Based Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems
3, 4 & 5 September 2003, St Anne's College, University of Oxford, U.K.

Call for Papers : Neural  networks models of brain disease, plasticity and
rehabilitation

Topic
Neural networks models that were originally intended for engineering
purposes  are recently becoming  a useful paradigm for understanding the
human brain. The more biological the neural network, the more the number of
its possible malfunctions that are similar to those in the real brain. As a
consequence neural networks malfunction can be used as a metaphor for brain
disease. These diseases range from brain injure like haemorrhage to
psychiatric disorders like delusions [1], schizophrenia or  bipolar and
obsessive-compulsive disorders [2]. Drug addiction, alcohol abuse or even
criminal tendencies can, in principle, be modelled by neural networks.
Helped by computational neural models it is possible to find new approaches
to healing and rehabilitation. Plasticity is a property of the human brain
that potentially allows brain damaged persons to return to normality by
means of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation methods can be benefited by knowing
and applying the laws of brain plasticity previously tested in neural
networks. Conversely, brain disease is a prelude of the failures that
complex brain-like machines could undergo in the next decades.

[1] Ropero Peláez, J. (2000) Towards a neural network based therapy for
hallucinatory disorders. Neural Networks, 2000 Special Issue, 13(2000),
1047-1061.
[2] Neural networks and psychopathology - connectionist models in practice
and Research.  Edited by Dan J. Stein and Jacques Ludik. Cambridge
University Press