African Brain Data Network

While pondering on a suitable theme for this year's ABDN-Nigerian Brain Awareness week, I couldn't help but reflect on the existing gap in awareness and practice of ethical measures in Neuroimaging research in Africa particularly in the recruitment of study participants and handling of brain data. These ethical considerations are undoubtedly a critical aspect of brain data research. As neuroscience and neuroimaging technologies advance, there is an increasing need to ensure that the rights, dignity, and privacy of participants are respected throughout the research process. Brain data, which often includes highly sensitive information about an individual’s neurological and psychological state and necessitates careful handling to prevent misuse or breech of confidentiality. During the ABDN-Nigeria brain awareness campaign, Research students and the volunteer study participants at the University of PortHarcout, Nigeria were enlightened on the ethical concerns related to study participant recruitment such as ensuring "informed" consent, minimizing coercion, and providing transparent communication about the study’s goals, potential risks and incidental findings. The ethical management of data was also emphasized. Research students were informed about the need to ensure proper handling of sensitive brain data to avoid breach of confidentiality, misinterpretation of results, or even discrimination. It is pertinent to note that the lack of awareness on these ethical issues, sets the stage for a range of problems, from compromised participant trust to legal challenges or the invalidation of research findings. By creating greater awareness of ethical principles in recruitment and data handling, researchers within the scientific community and beyond can foster a more responsible and equitable approach to brain data research. This awareness ensures that research studies uphold the highest ethical standards, ultimately enhancing the credibility of the research and protecting participants from potential harm. African Brain Data Network International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) The Kavli Foundation Karolinska Institutet Neuroscience (StratNeuro)

We are excited to share our journey during Brain Awareness Week at the African Brain Data Network, University of Port Harcourt Chapter! ?? Over the week, we explored the fascinating world of brain science, neuroscience, MRI, and neuroimaging alongside some incredibly bright undergraduate minds. ?? A special thank you goes to Eberechi Wogu for leading our insightful lectures and awareness sessions—your expertise truly made a difference. ?? Highlights from the week include: Interactive Workshops: We fostered engaging discussions on brain health and neuroscience. ?? Student Engagement: Our undergraduates actively demonstrated their expertise by performing neuroimaging analysis with MRI and Brainlife, significantly enhancing our insights into the field. ???? Community Impact: Our activities helped raise awareness about the importance of brain research. ?? Together, we are paving the way for a brighter future in neuroscience education! ? #BrainAwareness #Neuroscience #Education #UniPort #AfricanBrainNetwork #CommunityEngagement #FutureLeaders #Kavli #Brainlife

Happy International Women's Day! ???? Today, we celebrate the women who are breaking barriers, pushing boundaries, and shaping the future of neuroscience in Africa. From pioneering research to advancing African brain data, your contributions are rewriting the narrative and inspiring the next generation of changemakers. Here’s to the women in the ABDN community and beyond who continue to rewire the world—one breakthrough at a time! ???? Eberechi Wogu Stephanie Albin, PhD Amy Bernard Susanne Ressl Azeezat Azeez,Ph.D Nadia El Kadmiri Dr. Olivia Matshabane Chinna Orish MBBS, PhD Eman Khalil Dorcas Khasowa Oumayma SOULA Omima Alaa Eldin Sharon Chepkemoi Sang Anita Esi Eshun Daisy Chelangat Jane Obiako Zainab Ashimiyu-Abdusalam Joan Mutahi Barisua Nsaanee Safiya Hanwa Naabiae Goodness Ummulkhairi Ibrahim ?? #IWD #WomenInNeuroscience #BreakingBarriers #Neuroleaders

Exciting News!?? We are happy to share that our latest research, "FAIR African brain data: challenges and opportunities," has been published in the Frontiers in Neuroinformatics! ?? This work highlights a critical issue in global neuroscience: the lack of diverse and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) brain datasets from Africa. ?? It also explores the challenges preventing African brain data from fully integrating into the global open science ecosystem. Through experiential research and surveys, we identified key barriers—including technical, economic, socio-cultural, and ethical/legal challenges—while highlighting opportunities for growth, such as capacity development, funding, and policy reforms. ? Why does this matter? Without inclusive datasets, decades of neuroscience research and neurotechnological innovations may not be truly generalizable to African populations. Addressing these gaps is essential for equitable advancements in brain science. If you’re interested in the future of FAIR brain data and its impact on global neuroscience, this article is a good read for you. You can access it here: https://lnkd.in/dffZARSG International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) Federation of European Neuroscience Societies - FENS International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) The Kavli Foundation Stephanie Albin, PhD Amy Bernard Damian Eke Franco Pestilli George Ogoh, PhD Eberechi Wogu Patrick Filima Barisua Nsaanee University of Nottingham brainlife.io

??FINAL CALL: Apply for the African Brain Data Science Academy EEG Workshop in Nigeria from June 9-14, 2025! This intensive one-week workshop will equip you with hands-on EEG training, data analysis skills, and networking opportunities with experts in the field. ?? Application Deadline: March 1, 2025 Apply Here: https://lnkd.in/dBjcdKsn #EEGWorkshop #dataanalysis #africanbraindata Damian Eke Eberechi Wogu Victor Owoyele, Ph.D, FNISEB, FNSN, FTPS Robert Oostenveld Neuroscience Society of Nigeria Society of Neuroscientists of Africa Women in Neuroscience, Nigeria

I am looking forward to engage with African neuroscience researchers!

??We are happy to announce the 'African Brain Data Science Academy EEG Workshop'. Are you an African researcher, graduate student, or clinical practitioner interested in neuroscience, neurotechnology, or brain-computer interfaces? Join us for an African Brain Data Science Academy intensive one-week #EEG Workshop in Nigeria, from the 9th to 14th June 2025, designed to empower researchers across #Africa with hands-on training and foundational knowledge in Electroencephalography (EEG). EEG is a powerful, non-invasive tool for studying brain activity and advancing neurotechnological research. This workshop aims to: ??Provide foundational knowledge about EEG technology and applications. Offer hands-on #training in experimental design, EEG data collection, processing, and #analysis. ??Facilitate interdisciplinary #collaboration among researchers across Africa. Discuss the relevance of EEG research in addressing African health and societal challenges. During this workshop, you will get: ??Expert-led lectures on EEG principles, signal processing, and analysis. ??Practical sessions on EEG equipment setup and data acquisition. ??Hands-on training in #data analysis using popular tools and platforms. ??Networking opportunities with leading researchers and peers. ??Discussions on ethics, and contextualization of #neurotechnological research in Africa. Please Note the following: 1. Successful applicants will bring a laptop with a recent web browser for the hands-on data analysis sessions. We will provide WiFi and the analysis will be done using online tools, so you don’t need special software on your laptop.??? 2. Successful applicants will receive free accommodation and subsistence but will pay for their transport to the venue. ??Application Deadline: 1st of March, 2025 Apply here - https://lnkd.in/dBjcdKsn If you have any queries please contact: [email protected] Ore Ogundipe Eberechi Wogu Victor Owoyele, Ph.D, FNISEB, FNSN, FTPS Robert Oostenveld

Advancing FAIR Brain Data in Africa: My Experience at ABDSA 2024 Last December, I had the privilege of participating in The African Brain Data Science Academy (ABDSA) 2024, a two-week intensive program held in Limuru, Kenya. Organized by The African Brain Data Network and funded by The Kavli Foundation, this program aimed to enhance the capacity of African researchers in brain data science and advance FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) brain data across Africa. The Academy provided an immersive learning experience through lectures, tutorials, hands-on sessions, and projects. Topics covered included: ? Theory in structural, functional, and diffusion MRI ? Neuroimaging data collection, preprocessing, and analysis ? Resting-state and task-based fMRI ? Reproducible neuroscience analysis with brainlife.io ? Open data and FAIR research data management ? The need for FAIR brain data in Africa ? Volumetric brain imaging ? Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) ? Ethical and legal considerations in neuroimaging data collection and sharing ? Software tools for scientific computing ? Data science for neuroimaging One of the key highlights of the Academy was the emphasis on open science and reproducible research practices. It also fostered an interdisciplinary environment, bringing together researchers from neuroscience, psychology, data science, computer science, engineering, biomedical sciences, and related fields. ABDSA 2024 wasn’t just about learning; it was about building connections and creating a supportive community. I had the opportunity to network with brilliant faculty and participants, and I’m excited to already be working on a collaborative project with some of them. I am deeply grateful to The African Brain Data Network and The Kavli Foundation for organizing and funding this exceptional program. A special thanks to the faculty and participants whose knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm made the experience unforgettable. Here’s to advancing FAIR brain data in Africa! ?? Damian Eke Eberechi Wogu Franco Pestilli Franco Delogu Horia Alexandru Maior Denis Schluppeck Ben Dichter James Kent Mathew Birdsall Abrams Lyuba Zehl (Dr. rer. nat.) Azeezat Azeez,Ph.D Anibal Sólon Heinsfeld Suna Guo Ariel Rokem Barisua Nsaanee Patrick Filima George M. Wanderi Stephen Kiilu Ummulkhairi IbrahimChalachew KASSAW Ezra Too Oumayma SOULA Sharon Chepkemoi Sang Anita Esi Eshun Samson Olorunnado, PhD David Makoko Nadia El Kadmiri Joan Mutahi Jean Baptiste Fankam Fankam University of Nottingham School of Computer Science Brain Data Group Garaadsiin Consulting Limited International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) African Reproducibility Network EBRAINS #ABDSA2024 #ABDN #AfricanBrainData #FAIR #OpenScience #Neuroimaging #CognitiveNeuroscience

Barisua Nsaanee the post is here with us! Thank you for the nudges ?? Reflecting on an Incredible Experience at the African Brain Data Science Academy 2024 ?? In December 2024, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the #African Brain Data Science Academy, funded by the The Kavli Foundation and co-led by brainlife.io This academy focused on merging data science with neuroimaging to promote FAIR brain science, and it was a truly transformative experience. The academy explored a wide range of topics, from the theory of structural MRI to Fourier Analysis of frequencies to signals in the brain. We also dove deep into neuroimaging preprocessing, using the Brainlife.io platform to process both structural and functional MRIs—practical and hands-on learning at its finest! One of the most enriching aspects was working on a group project with fellow participants from diverse backgrounds—myself, a Kenyan psychologist, Oluwafunmibi Ogunmiluyi Nigerian physiologist, and Jean Baptiste Fankam Fankam a Cameroonian chemist. This collaboration allowed us to form hypotheses and solve research questions together, fostering new perspectives and boosting my confidence. The social neuroscience sessions by were an eye-opener, and I recently came across a TikTok post on Mirror Neurons, which was a fun coincidence! ?? We also had enlightening discussions on how to communicate our science effectively, ensuring our research makes a real-world impact. A key takeaway from this academy was learning the FAIR and TIDY data principles, which will equip me to present my data in clear and accessible ways. We also explored the ethics of neuroimaging research, as we work to diversify neuroscience globally. Additionally, the academy introduced me to the world of fNIRS, exploring cortical haemodynamics and offering fascinating opportunities for hyperscanning. And not to forget, the beginner sessions in Python and Matlab were a fantastic introduction to programming, something that will surely be crucial as I continue my Neuroscience journey. I left the academy feeling inspired, supported, and ready to take the next steps in my PhD. Mentorship, collaboration, and practical skills in neuroimaging are key to shaping my future work in neuroscience. 2025 is set to be a year of continued growth, mentorship, and deep exploration in neuroscience! ?? Thank you to everyone at the African Brain Data Network for making this experience so rewarding! ?? #Neuroscience #DataScience #Neuroimaging #FAIRData #SocialNeuroscience #Python #Matlab #Neuroethics #CareerInNeuroscience #PhDJourney

? We're excited to invite you to a free #hands-on workshop happening today. If you're in Port Harcourt and passionate about #research, this is your chance to get #mentorship and build your network. See you there! Women in Neuroscience, Nigeria Brain Wellness Initiative. Chinna Orish MBBS, PhD Eberechi Wogu