Research

Peer-reviewed papers, preprints & software.

Google Scholar Citations: 219
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Publications

* indicates equal contribution
  • 2026
    Investigating White Matter Functional Network Connectivity Across the Alzheimers Disease Spectrum Using Resting-State fMRI Preprint
    Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Theodore J. LaGrow, K. M. Jensen, Armin Iraji, Vince Calhoun
    bioRxiv, 2026
    Abstract

    Investigates white matter (WM) functional network connectivity across the Alzheimer's spectrum using ADNI data. Finds specific WM-WM and WM-GM dysconnectivity patterns (subcortical, frontal, sensorimotor) that track disease progression, providing a complementary biomarker to gray matter changes.

  • 2026
    Fidelity of Spatiotemporal Patterns of Brain Activity Across Sampling Rate, Scan Duration, and Frequency Content Preprint
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Harrison Watters, Lauren Daley, Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, D. Seeburger, Nmachi Anumba, Shella Keilholz
    bioRxiv, 2026
    Abstract

    Systematically evaluates how scan parameters (duration, TR) and frequency bands affect the reliability of spatiotemporal patterns (QPPs, cPCA). Finds that QPPs are robust in shorter scans while cPCA requires longer durations, and that frequency choice (Slow-4 vs Slow-5) significantly alters detected network dynamics.

  • 2025
    Spatiotemporal Network Dynamics Reveal Alzheimer’s Disease Progression Preprint
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Harrison Watters, K. M. Jensen, R. Ballem, Wen-Ju Pan, Armin Iraji, Shella Keilholz
    bioRxiv, 2025
    Abstract

    Leverages QPPs and cPCA on longitudinal ADNI data to map network disruption trajectories. Reveals a structured breakdown starting with early limbic/subcortical changes and progressing to visual/sensorimotor/executive decline, often arguably detectable before clinical conversion.

  • 2025
    Capturing diagnosable video content using a client device Patent
    A. C. Enten, Theodore J. LaGrow
    US Patent 12,419,516, 2025
    Abstract

    Systems and methods for capturing and processing video content on a client device to facilitate remote medical diagnosis, ensuring video quality and metadata compliance for clinical review.

  • 2025
    Functional network connectivity in white matter: A spatially-guided ICA-based network approach Conference
    Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Theodore J. LaGrow, K. M. Jensen, Armin Iraji, Z. Fu, Vince D. Calhoun
    IEEE EMBC, 2025
    Abstract

    Investigates white matter (WM) functional connectivity in schizophrenia using a robust multi-scale WM intrinsic connectivity network (ICN) template. The study reveals significant dysconnectivity in subcortical-paralimbic, sensorimotor, and frontal networks, underscoring WM's critical role in maintaining functional network stability.

  • 2025
    Widespread Spatiotemporal Patterns of Functional Brain Networks in Longitudinal Progression of Alzheimer's Disease Conference 2 cites
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Harrison Watters, K. M. Jensen, R. Ballem, Wen-Ju Pan, Armin Iraji, Shella Keilholz
    IEEE EMBC, 2025
    Abstract

    Investigates the role of Quasi-Periodic Patterns (QPPs) in identifying disease-related connectivity changes across Alzheimer's Disease stages. The study finds a progressive decline in functional connectivity integrity, with early impairments in subcortical and executive networks, followed by widespread disconnection in higher cognition, sensorimotor, and visual networks.

  • 2025
    Infraslow dynamic patterns in human cortical networks track a spectrum of external to internal attention Journal 4 cites
    Harrison Watters, Aleah Davis, Abia Fazili, Lauren Daley, Theodore J. LaGrow, Eric H. Schumacher, Shella Keilholz
    Human Brain Mapping, 2025
    Abstract

    Demonstrates that cortical network dynamics shift along an axis of external-to-internal attention. Shows that networks dynamically reconfigure relative to the Default Mode Network based on attentional demands, rather than simply activating or deactivating as fixed rigid units.

  • 2022
    Functional connectivity of the brain across rodents and humans Journal 119 cites
    Nan Xu, Theodore J. LaGrow, Nmachi Anumba, Azalea Lee, Xiaodi Zhang, Behnaz Yousefi, Yasmine Bassil, Gloria P. Clavijo, Vahid Khalilzad Sharghi, Eric Maltbie, Lisa Meyer-Baese, Maysam Nezafati, Wen-Ju Pan, Shella Keilholz
    Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2022
    Abstract

    Review of resting-state fMRI features across rodents and humans, comparing acquisition, preprocessing, and analysis choices that influence functional connectivity. The paper surveys time-averaged and time-varying metrics (e.g., sliding windows, quasi-periodic and co-activation patterns), links them to structural connectivity, and discusses applications to neurological and psychiatric disorders. It closes with open problems to make rodent-to-human translation more reliable.

  • 2020
    Relationship between the frequency profile of BOLD fluctuations and calculated metrics of complexity in the Human Connectome Project Journal 19 cites
    Shella Keilholz, Eric A. Maltbie, Xiaodi Zhang, Behnaz Yousefi, Wen-Ju Pan, Nan Xu, Maysam Nezafati, Theodore J. LaGrow, Ying Guo
    Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2020
    Abstract

    Using Human Connectome Project data, the authors test whether parcel-wise complexity metrics (correlation dimension, approximate entropy, Lyapunov exponent) mainly reflect neural dynamics or are driven by basic BOLD properties. They find these complexity measures are reliable across scans and strongly tied to each region’s frequency profile, indicating that frequency content can confound interpretations of “complexity” in rs-fMRI.

  • 2020
    Toward a reproducible, scalable framework for processing large neuroimaging datasets Journal
    Erik C. Johnson, Miller Wilt, Luis M. Rodriguez, Raphael Norman-Tenazas, Corban Rivera, Nathan Drenkow, Dean Kleissas, Theodore J. LaGrow, Hannah P. Cowley, Joseph Downs, Jordan K. Matelsky, Marisa J. Hughes, Elizabeth P. Reilly, Brock A. Wester, Eva L. Dyer, Konrad P. Kording, William R. Gray-Roncal
    GigaScience, 2020
    Abstract

    Presents a modular ecosystem of containerized tools and workflows for petascale neuroimaging, enabling reproducible end-to-end processing across modalities like electron microscopy and X-ray microtomography. The framework standardizes storage, execution, and optimization and is demonstrated on synapse-level connectome estimation and large-scale cell density mapping.

  • 2018
    Sparse Recovery Methods for Cell Detection and Layer Estimation Preprint 2 cites
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Michael G. Moore, Judy A. Prasad, Alexis Webber, Mark A. Davenport, Eva L. Dyer
    bioRxiv, 2018
    Abstract

    Introduces an automated pipeline for estimating cellular densities and identifying laminar transitions in neuroanatomical images. The method combines patch extraction, cell detection, and sparse approximation for count data using total-variation regularization to robustly recover layer boundaries and density profiles across cortical and retinal samples.

  • 2018
    Approximating Cellular Densities from High-Resolution Neuroanatomical Imaging Data Conference 13 cites
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Michael G. Moore, Judy A. Prasad, Mark A. Davenport, Eva L. Dyer
    IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2018
    Abstract

    Proposes ArCaDe, an automated approach to estimate spatially varying cell densities and detect laminar structure in cortical and retinal tissue. By modeling counts with a sparse, TV-regularized estimator and coupling it with patch-wise cell detection, the method recovers cytoarchitectonic transitions without manual annotation.

  • 2017
    Do You Know Where Your Research Is Being Used? An Exploration of Scientific Literature Using Natural Language Processing Journal
    Theodore J. LaGrow, Jacob Bieker, Boyana Norris
    Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal, 2017
    Abstract

    Demonstrates an NLP pipeline that identifies software and methods referenced in arXiv articles and uses the extracted names to explore usage patterns across research areas. The study argues that automated extraction at scale complements traditional literature surveys for tracking technologies and methods in scientific work.

  • 2025
    Evidence for white matter intrinsic connectivity networks at rest and during a task: A large-scale study and templates Journal 3 cites
    Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Armin Iraji, K. M. Jensen, Theodore J. LaGrow, et al.
    Network Neuroscience, 2025
    Abstract

    Demonstrates robust large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks in white matter at rest and during task, providing templates for future network and clinical studies.

  • 2025
    Exploration of Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Functional Brain Networks Thesis
    Theodore J. LaGrow
    PhD Dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2025
    Abstract

    Dissertation on quasi-periodic patterns and dynamic network biomarkers across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

  • 2025
    QPPLab: A generally applicable software package for detecting, analyzing, and visualizing large-scale quasiperiodic spatiotemporal patterns (QPPs) of brain activity Software 11 cites
    Nan Xu, Behnaz Yousefi, Nmachi Anumba, Theodore J. LaGrow, Xiaodi Zhang, Shella Keilholz
    SoftwareX, 2025
    Abstract

    Introduces QPPLab, an open-source toolbox for robust detection and visualization of quasi-periodic patterns across diverse fMRI datasets.

  • 2024
    Variation in the distribution of large-scale spatiotemporal patterns of activity across brain states Journal 9 cites
    Lisa Meyer-Baese, Nmachi Anumba, Thomas Bolt, Lauren Daley, Theodore J. LaGrow, Xiaodi Zhang, Nan Xu, Wen-Ju Pan, Eric H. Schumacher, Shella Keilholz
    Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 2024
    Abstract

    Compares quasi-periodic pattern distributions across multiple brain states, highlighting state- dependent reconfiguration of large-scale dynamics.

  • 2024
    Voxelwise Intensity Projection for the Spatial Representation of Resting State Functional MRI Networks and Multimodal Deep Learning Conference 1 cites
    Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Anees Abrol, Theodore J. LaGrow, Vince D. Calhoun
    IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI), 2024
    Abstract

    Proposes a voxelwise projection method to better encode resting-state networks for multimodal deep learning pipelines.

  • 2024
    Creative tempo: Spatiotemporal dynamics of the default mode network in improvisational musicians Preprint 5 cites
    Harrison Watters, Abia Fazili, Lauren Daley, Alexander Belden, Theodore J. LaGrow, Thomas Bolt, Psyche Loui, Shella Keilholz
    bioRxiv, 2024
    Abstract

    Examines how default mode network dynamics and QPPs differ in improvisational musicians during creative tasks.

  • 2023
    Voxel-wise Fusion of Resting fMRI Networks and Gray Matter Volume for Alzheimer’s Disease Classification using Deep Multimodal Learning Preprint 9 cites
    Vaibhavi S. Itkyal, Anees Abrol, Theodore J. LaGrow, Alex Fedorov, Vince D. Calhoun
    Research Square, 2023
    Abstract

    Uses voxel-wise fusion of functional networks and gray matter volume within a deep learning framework to classify Alzheimer’s disease.

  • 2023
    Spatial and Spectral Components of the BOLD Global Signal in Rat Resting-State Functional MRI Journal 7 cites
    Nmachi Anumba, Eric Maltbie, Wen-Ju Pan, Theodore J. LaGrow, Nan Xu, Shella Keilholz
    Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2023
    Abstract

    Decomposes spatial and spectral contributions to the BOLD global signal in rats, clarifying its neural and non-neural components.

  • 2013
    Senior Inquiry: Related Chaos Article
    Theodore J. LaGrow, K. Q. Reyes, Z. Learned, B. Edgerly
    Senior Inquiry, 2013
    Abstract

    A collaborative graphic summary of a year-long interdisciplinary course of study, exploring concepts of chaos and inquiry within the Senior Inquiry High School Program.

Talks

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  • 2025-10-10
    Graph of Thoughts: Structured Reasoning with LLMs
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2025-10-10

    Explores Graph of Thoughts as a framework for non-linear, multi-step LLM reasoning, connecting it to planning, search, and modern structured prompting workflows.

  • 2024-12-06
    Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (KANs): Redefining Neural Nets?
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2024-12-06

    they challenge or complement conventional deep nets.

  • 2024-09-27
    Unraveling Spatiotemporal Brain Patterns: QPPs & cPCA Insights
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2024-09-27

    Deep dive into quasi-periodic patterns and complex PCA in fMRI, highlighting how these tools map large-scale brain dynamics and inform connectivity analyses.

  • 2024-05-15
    Mastering Research Papers: 10 Rules for Reading and Writing Effectively
    MLBBQ / TReNDS, 2024-05-15

    Unlock the secrets to academic success with these 10 simple rules for reading and writing research papers! Based on insights from Carey et al. and Kording & mensh.

  • 2023-09-15
    Sparks of Plant Consciousness, AGI, and AI Theory: A Cage Match of Ideas
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2023-09-15

    A debate-style session weaving together GPT-4 "Sparks of AGI", theoretical CS views of consciousness, and plant cognition to stress-test claims about intelligence.

  • 2022-02-18
    AlphaFold: Revolutionizing Protein Science with AI
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-02-18

    Explains how AlphaFold’s structure predictions reshaped structural biology, why it mattered enough to influence a Nobel, and what it signals for AI in the sciences.

  • 2022-03-03
    ChatGPT & LLM Ethics: History, Architecture, and Debate
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-03-03

    Traces the evolution of LLMs, outlines ChatGPT’s architecture at a high level, and hosts a structured debate on bias, deployment risk, and responsible use.

  • 2022-05-20
    Theories of Consciousness: Exploring Four Frameworks
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-05-20

    Synthesizes four major theories of consciousness, their predictions, and empirical challenges, with an eye toward how they intersect with AI and brain modeling.

  • 2022-06-17
    Text-to-Image AI Showdown: DALL·E 2 vs. Imagen
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-06-17

    Compares DALL·E 2 and Imagen on architecture, data, and evaluation; uses them as a case study in generative models, alignment, and visual creativity.

  • 2022-07-28
    Somato-Cognitive Action Network: A New Homunculus in Motor Cortex
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-07-28

    Walks through the Nature paper revealing alternating somato-cognitive networks in motor cortex and the implications for control, mapping, and neuromodulation.

  • 2022-09-16
    GATO: The All-in-One Generalist Agent
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2022-09-16

    Analyzes GATO as an early generalist agent: multi-task training, limitations, and what it taught us about scaling and specialization.

  • 2021-11-19
    Upside-Down Reinforcement Learning
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2021-11-19

    Presents Upside-Down RL as a goal-conditioned, supervised framing of RL and connects it to later return-conditioned and sequence-model approaches.

  • 2021-07-16
    Reinforcement Learning, Part 2: Rainbow DQN
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2021-07-16

    Builds from fundamentals to Rainbow DQN, unpacking each component and why the combined method stabilized and advanced deep value-based RL.

  • 2021-07-09
    Reinforcement Learning, Part 1: Foundations
    MLBBQ / TReNDS Friday Reading Group, 2021-07-09

    Introduces the RL loop, MDPs, value functions, and core intuition that grounds later deep RL methods.

  • 2018-09-26
    Approximating Cellular Densities from High-Resolution Neuroanatomical Imaging Data
    Graduate and Postdoc (GaP) Seminar Series, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 2018-09-26

    Seminar on ArCaDe: automated estimation of cellular densities and laminar structure from neuroanatomical images, bridging sparse recovery and interpretable morphometrics.

  • 2018-07-19
    Approximating Cellular Densities from High-Resolution Neuroanatomical Imaging Data
    40th Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBC, Honolulu, HI, 2018-07-19

    EMBC presentation introducing ArCaDe as a robust, data-driven framework for mapping cytoarchitecture at scale.

  • 2018-04-06
    Approximating Cellular Densities from High-Resolution Neuroanatomical Imaging Data
    Biomedical Engineering Seminars, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 2018-04-06

    Research seminar on early ArCaDe results and applications to cortical and retinal tissue.

  • 2017-05-17
    Do You Know Where Your Research Is Being Used? An Exploration of Scientific Literature Using NLP
    7th Annual Oregon Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 2017-05-17

    Undergraduate talk on using NLP to trace software and method usage across scientific literature.

PhD Defense & Proposal

  • 2025
    Exploration of Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Neurodegenerative Functional Brain Networks
    Georgia Institute of Technology - ECE PhD Defense, 2025

    Step into the culmination of this research journey with the recording of Theodore LaGrow’s PhD ECE Defense Examination. Explores spatiotemporal dynamics in neurodegenerative brain networks using fMRI, QPPs, and complex PCA.

  • 2024
    PhD Proposal: Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Brain Networks
    Georgia Institute of Technology - ECE PhD Proposal, 2024

    Recording of Theodore LaGrow's PhD ECE Proposal Examination. Focused on ultra-slow spatiotemporal patterns (QPPs) in resting-state fMRI and their relevance to Alzheimer's disease progression.