We are thrilled to invite you to the 2013 Pacific Rim Neuroimaging Conference. Over the past two decades, neuroimaging of the human brain has shed light on the multifaceted nature of both function and structure. Recent activities in the analysis of resting state activity as well as white matter fiber tractography have reiterated that the brain is massively interconnected and that cognition is an emergent property of these networks. The quest to understand fundamental brain connectivity in the context of neuroimaging has received international levels of interest – most notably from countries around the Pacific. This 3-day international meeting of leading researchers from North America and Pacific Rim regions is entitled “New Horizons in Human Brain Imaging: A Focus on Genetic Neuroimaging in Aging and Age-Related Disease”. The meeting will be comprised of key themes important to the next era of neuroimaging science and address the effects of genes and genetic variation related to brain aging, development, and disease. In particular, the meeting will focus specifically on better understanding genes and their contributions to individual differences in functional activity seen across subjects in addressing the scientific and clinical challenges facing this dynamic and multi-disciplinary field. Dozens of speakers are expected to provide insight into the basic and clinical neuroscience of brain networks and connectivity and their examinations relative to genes and genetic variance. Additionally, two to four small scholarships will be awarded to students in each participating country, adjudicated based on desire to attend, financial need, suitability of the meeting for their research training, and on the basis of letters of recommendation from senior colleagues and mentors. A total of sixteen scholarships will be awarded. Meeting participants will enjoy formal scientific sessions during the meeting, have the opportunity to interact with the invited speakers during informal functions, and provide valuable feedback on their experiences to meeting organizers. This meeting speaks directly to the recent national and international interests in brain aging, genetics, the mapping of human brain connectivity, and governmental missions to broaden participation across disciplinary boundaries, promote international collaboration, as well as the open exchange of scientific knowledge, data, and resources.

Read the Pacific Rim Executive Summary 2013

International Organizing Committee