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During the internship, I was assigned to the Brainnetome Center under the Institute of Automation, CAS.

The Brainnetome Center is considered as one of the signature projects of the Institute of Automation. The mission of the project is to identify brain network and connections. While previous brain region classifications are mainly based on functional and anatomical findings, the Brainnetome project extensively employs multimodal neuroimaging techniques. Our major job duty is to involve in the preprocessing (segmentation) of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) images, including T1 and DTI, of volunteer tested subjects.

With the support from our supervisors and senior students, we have used our own MRI image as a trial to attempt the subsequent Brain network parcellation process. The parcellation process involves 5 major steps including (1) the matching of individual’s MRI image with standard template; (2) the identification of the matrix coordination of Region of Interest (ROI) in brain; (3) employing the method of Probability Tractography to trace the neural connection network from individual’s ROI to other brain regions; (4) building cross-connectivity matrix and cross-correlation matrix of ROI with other brain regions; (5) achieving the parcellation of individual’s brain.

The internship program inspired me for self-improvement. In many times, I have been over-converging on the basic knowledge in my own discipline. During the brain parcellation process, it required the mastering of coding and programming techniques in order to process massive amount of biological data. I have assured myself in learning more about programming to code with the future trend of scientific researches.

The internship has been a challenging yet eye-opening experience for me as a pharmacy student. The Brainnetome Projects could have various insightful applications in our scientific discipline. For example, the effect monitoring of drugs on connectivity pattern and cognitive function of patients with neurological disorder. The internship program had provided me with valuable inspiration and allowed me to appreciate the importance of interdisciplinary knowledge transfer in scientific research projects. I was very grateful to have this valuable learning exposure which made my summer holiday of this academic year enriching and fulfilling.