Alain Dagher
@alaindagher.bsky.social
Neurology and brain imaging.
ORCID: 0000-0002-0945-5779
ORCID: 0000-0002-0945-5779
Pinned
lol. No one who has done time in Canadian Academia has any illusion that it’s a meritocracy.
It is interesting when I've had this discussion in 🇨🇦, there is a large contingent who think strict panel ranking is inherently "fair" and anything that deviates from that (other criteria, tiered decisions) is inherently "unfair." It's a good example of the quantitative fallacy.
November 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
lol. No one who has done time in Canadian Academia has any illusion that it’s a meritocracy.
I asked nano banana in Gemini 3.0 to make a diagram explaining two-sample MR with an arrow indicating pleiotropy. This is what it came up with. Not great - and what on earth is "pleizorotty"?
November 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I asked nano banana in Gemini 3.0 to make a diagram explaining two-sample MR with an arrow indicating pleiotropy. This is what it came up with. Not great - and what on earth is "pleizorotty"?
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Why does your brain shrink in Parkinson’s? Word shrink in this case refers to measurable loss of brain tissue (atrophy), which reflects thinning of cortex/loss of volume in key brain regions. New paper shows widespread atrophy following brain’s wiring diagram and local biological vulnerabilities.
November 17, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Why does your brain shrink in Parkinson’s? Word shrink in this case refers to measurable loss of brain tissue (atrophy), which reflects thinning of cortex/loss of volume in key brain regions. New paper shows widespread atrophy following brain’s wiring diagram and local biological vulnerabilities.
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
Obituary – Jonathan Smallwood
www.cbs.mpg.de
November 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
New paper with @statsepi.bsky.social and @deevybee.bsky.social in which we show there's really no evidence for a link between the gut microbiome and autism www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Conceptual and methodological flaws undermine claims of a link between the gut microbiome and autism
Claims that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism regularly appear in
the scientific literature and popular press. Mitchell et al. critically examine influential
studies underpinning these...
www.cell.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
New paper with @statsepi.bsky.social and @deevybee.bsky.social in which we show there's really no evidence for a link between the gut microbiome and autism www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Ying-Qiu Zheng, Saad Jbabdi, et al:
An image quality transfer approach for localising deep brain stimulation targets
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
An image quality transfer approach for localising deep brain stimulation targets
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Ying-Qiu Zheng, Saad Jbabdi, et al:
An image quality transfer approach for localising deep brain stimulation targets
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
An image quality transfer approach for localising deep brain stimulation targets
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Happy to share our review "Investigating hierarchical critical periods in human neurodevelopment” in @npp-journal.bsky.social! We examine neurobiological, environmental & behavioral evidence for human critical periods in sensory and association cortex +discuss new research directions rdcu.be/eMkVU 🧵
November 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Happy to share our review "Investigating hierarchical critical periods in human neurodevelopment” in @npp-journal.bsky.social! We examine neurobiological, environmental & behavioral evidence for human critical periods in sensory and association cortex +discuss new research directions rdcu.be/eMkVU 🧵
When they came after young women wearing a hijab, Lionel Carmant said nothing because his daughter does not wear a hijab. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Quebec bill would extend religious symbols ban to school support workers, force students to uncover faces | CBC News
The Quebec government is putting forward a bill that would extend the province's ban on the wearing of religious symbols to support staff in schools, and prohibit students from having their faces cove...
www.cbc.ca
October 31, 2025 at 5:30 PM
When they came after young women wearing a hijab, Lionel Carmant said nothing because his daughter does not wear a hijab. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
🚨New in Lancet Neurology: Autopsy study of aducanumab in #Alzheimer’s shows superficial cortical Aβ cleared, but deeper persists. ARIA showed inflammation+ microinfarcts in leptomeningeal/penetrating vessels. Some path is PET-invisible. @drneurochic.bsky.social
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lxn85FFzL...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lxn85FFzL...
October 16, 2025 at 10:33 AM
🚨New in Lancet Neurology: Autopsy study of aducanumab in #Alzheimer’s shows superficial cortical Aβ cleared, but deeper persists. ARIA showed inflammation+ microinfarcts in leptomeningeal/penetrating vessels. Some path is PET-invisible. @drneurochic.bsky.social
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lxn85FFzL...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lxn85FFzL...
I have really enjoyed this book.
October 16, 2025 at 6:39 PM
I have really enjoyed this book.
Reposted by Alain Dagher
In 2018, Charles Murray challenged me to a bet: "We will understand IQ genetically—I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks—but we’ll know basically what’s going on." It's now 2025, and I claim a win. I write about it in The Atlantic.
Your Genes Are Simply Not Enough to Explain How Smart You Are
Seven years ago, I took a bet with Charles Murray about whether we’d basically understand the genetics of intelligence by now.
www.theatlantic.com
October 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
In 2018, Charles Murray challenged me to a bet: "We will understand IQ genetically—I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks—but we’ll know basically what’s going on." It's now 2025, and I claim a win. I write about it in The Atlantic.
Francois Legault and Simon Jolin-Barrette are vying to become the Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin of Quebec.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Quebec tables draft constitution to affirm its 'distinct national character,' premier says | CBC News
The constitution, filed at the National Assembly on Thursday and lambasted by opposition parties as a piece of political theatre filed without proper consultation, includes language asserting Quebec’s...
www.cbc.ca
October 10, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Francois Legault and Simon Jolin-Barrette are vying to become the Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin of Quebec.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
I hate this place.
October 8, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I hate this place.
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Excited to share that our work introducing the Reproducible Brain Charts (RBC) data resource is now published in Neuron!! 🎉
📚 Read the paper: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lpaF3BtfH...
🧠 Explore the RBC dataset: reprobrainchart.github.io
📚 Read the paper: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lpaF3BtfH...
🧠 Explore the RBC dataset: reprobrainchart.github.io
(1/18) Now out on BioRxiv‼️ Reproducible Brain Charts: An open data resource for mapping brain development and its associations with mental health | doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Funded by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Funded by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Reproducible Brain Charts: An open data resource for mapping brain development and its associations with mental health
Major mental disorders are increasingly understood as disorders of brain development. Large and heterogeneous samples are required to define generalizable links between brain development and psychopat...
doi.org
September 22, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Excited to share that our work introducing the Reproducible Brain Charts (RBC) data resource is now published in Neuron!! 🎉
📚 Read the paper: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lpaF3BtfH...
🧠 Explore the RBC dataset: reprobrainchart.github.io
📚 Read the paper: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lpaF3BtfH...
🧠 Explore the RBC dataset: reprobrainchart.github.io
Reposted by Alain Dagher
📅 Save the Date: Oxford 2026 Glymphatic Research Symposium!
• Dates: March 30th, March 31st, April 1st 2026.
• Keynote speakers: Maiken Nedergaard & Jonathan Kipnis.
• Venue: Keble College, Oxford, UK.
• Registration link to follow
Looking forward to seeing you there! 🧠
• Dates: March 30th, March 31st, April 1st 2026.
• Keynote speakers: Maiken Nedergaard & Jonathan Kipnis.
• Venue: Keble College, Oxford, UK.
• Registration link to follow
Looking forward to seeing you there! 🧠
September 12, 2025 at 2:59 PM
📅 Save the Date: Oxford 2026 Glymphatic Research Symposium!
• Dates: March 30th, March 31st, April 1st 2026.
• Keynote speakers: Maiken Nedergaard & Jonathan Kipnis.
• Venue: Keble College, Oxford, UK.
• Registration link to follow
Looking forward to seeing you there! 🧠
• Dates: March 30th, March 31st, April 1st 2026.
• Keynote speakers: Maiken Nedergaard & Jonathan Kipnis.
• Venue: Keble College, Oxford, UK.
• Registration link to follow
Looking forward to seeing you there! 🧠
How can one volunteer?
www.montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...
www.montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...
McGill University to open ‘satellite campuses’ outside Canada, president says
Deep Saini framed the planned satellite operations as an extension of McGill’s Quebec base, describing the university as “a locally anchored, globally pre-eminent university.”
www.montrealgazette.com
September 17, 2025 at 11:30 PM
How can one volunteer?
www.montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...
www.montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Network spreading and local biological vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
doi.org/10.1038/s420...
How do brain network structure and local biological features shape the spatial patterning of atrophy in ALS? @asafarahani.bsky.social investigates ⤵️
doi.org/10.1038/s420...
How do brain network structure and local biological features shape the spatial patterning of atrophy in ALS? @asafarahani.bsky.social investigates ⤵️
September 16, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Network spreading and local biological vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
doi.org/10.1038/s420...
How do brain network structure and local biological features shape the spatial patterning of atrophy in ALS? @asafarahani.bsky.social investigates ⤵️
doi.org/10.1038/s420...
How do brain network structure and local biological features shape the spatial patterning of atrophy in ALS? @asafarahani.bsky.social investigates ⤵️
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Huge thanks to Sanjay Kalra and the CALSNIC team, J Hansen, @vincebaz.bsky.social @goliashf.bsky.social L Collins @dadarmahsa.bsky.social @alaindagher.bsky.social !!
code: github.com/netneurolab/...
code: github.com/netneurolab/...
GitHub - netneurolab/Farahani_ALS: Network spreading and local biological vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Network spreading and local biological vulnerability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - netneurolab/Farahani_ALS
github.com
September 16, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Huge thanks to Sanjay Kalra and the CALSNIC team, J Hansen, @vincebaz.bsky.social @goliashf.bsky.social L Collins @dadarmahsa.bsky.social @alaindagher.bsky.social !!
code: github.com/netneurolab/...
code: github.com/netneurolab/...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
The effect of spherical projections on spin tests for brain maps | doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Spin tests are the de facto null model for map-to-map comparisons in brain imaging. Why don't they perfectly control false positives? @vincebaz.bsky.social explores ⤵️
Spin tests are the de facto null model for map-to-map comparisons in brain imaging. Why don't they perfectly control false positives? @vincebaz.bsky.social explores ⤵️
September 10, 2025 at 1:07 PM
The effect of spherical projections on spin tests for brain maps | doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Spin tests are the de facto null model for map-to-map comparisons in brain imaging. Why don't they perfectly control false positives? @vincebaz.bsky.social explores ⤵️
Spin tests are the de facto null model for map-to-map comparisons in brain imaging. Why don't they perfectly control false positives? @vincebaz.bsky.social explores ⤵️
Reposted by Alain Dagher
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Malte R. Güth, Travis E. Baker, et al:
Right posterior theta reflects human parahippocampal phase resetting by salient cues during goal-directed navigation
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Right posterior theta reflects human parahippocampal phase resetting by salient cues during goal-directed navigation
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
September 10, 2025 at 5:41 AM
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Malte R. Güth, Travis E. Baker, et al:
Right posterior theta reflects human parahippocampal phase resetting by salient cues during goal-directed navigation
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Right posterior theta reflects human parahippocampal phase resetting by salient cues during goal-directed navigation
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
This important new study in Movement Disorders looked at folks w/ REM sleep behavior disorder, a common early sign of Parkinson’s. The results suggest that fMRI may reveal changes in brain networks long before symptoms of PD or dementia w/ Lewy bodies fully emerge. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 11:43 AM
This important new study in Movement Disorders looked at folks w/ REM sleep behavior disorder, a common early sign of Parkinson’s. The results suggest that fMRI may reveal changes in brain networks long before symptoms of PD or dementia w/ Lewy bodies fully emerge. @parkinsondotorg.bsky.social
Reposted by Alain Dagher
Companies charging and people paying up to $500,000 to select embryos with high IQ potential, even though that isn't possible. No less ethical.
"Current models explain about 5% to 10% of the differences in cognitive ability between people"
Front page WSJ today www.wsj.com/us-news/sili...
"Current models explain about 5% to 10% of the differences in cognitive ability between people"
Front page WSJ today www.wsj.com/us-news/sili...
August 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Companies charging and people paying up to $500,000 to select embryos with high IQ potential, even though that isn't possible. No less ethical.
"Current models explain about 5% to 10% of the differences in cognitive ability between people"
Front page WSJ today www.wsj.com/us-news/sili...
"Current models explain about 5% to 10% of the differences in cognitive ability between people"
Front page WSJ today www.wsj.com/us-news/sili...
Reposted by Alain Dagher
2. When I give seminars about this, I ask my (professional scientist) audience "How many of you believe that anthropogenic climate change is real?"
Almost all hands raise.
I then ask "How many of you have read the IPCC report or equivalent"
Fewer than 25% of hands raise.
Almost all hands raise.
I then ask "How many of you have read the IPCC report or equivalent"
Fewer than 25% of hands raise.
August 12, 2025 at 4:50 AM
2. When I give seminars about this, I ask my (professional scientist) audience "How many of you believe that anthropogenic climate change is real?"
Almost all hands raise.
I then ask "How many of you have read the IPCC report or equivalent"
Fewer than 25% of hands raise.
Almost all hands raise.
I then ask "How many of you have read the IPCC report or equivalent"
Fewer than 25% of hands raise.
Yesterday I decided to become a Samsung phone user. Today I am a separatist. Never say never! 😀
globalnews.ca/news/1132233...
globalnews.ca/news/1132233...
Separatist group applies to have review of Alberta referendum question quashed | Globalnews.ca
A court in Edmonton is being asked Thursday whether a proposed referendum question on Alberta separation would be a violation of the Canadian constitution.
globalnews.ca
August 7, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Yesterday I decided to become a Samsung phone user. Today I am a separatist. Never say never! 😀
globalnews.ca/news/1132233...
globalnews.ca/news/1132233...