I use neuroimaging and histology to study the evolution and development of the brain. I am particularly interested in brain folding and the emergence of brain organisation, which I study using advanced computational neuroanatomy and phylogenetic comparative methods, using large samples of vertebrate species.
I have a background in fine arts and in many of my projects I combine art and science as a way to engage with the general public.
Diversity and evolution of cerebellar folding in mammals
We’ve been diving into the mesmerising anatomical diversity and evolution of folding across 56 mammalian species with Roberto Toro, Nicolas Traut, Alexandra de Sousa, Sofie Valk, Julien Clavel. |
Evolution of neocortical foldingA phylogenetic comparative analysis of MRI from 34 primate species
The common ancestor to all primates existed ~74 mya. We used MRI to study the neocortex of 34 primates species existing today, to have a glimpse at the evolution of our species. Together with Roberto Toro, Omer Faruk Gulban, Pierre-Louis Bazin, Anastasia Osoianu, Romain Valabregue, Mathieu Santin, Marc Herbin. |
Role of mechanical morphogenesisin the development and evolution of the neocortex
Out of homogeneous growth, mechanical morphogenesis can induce the segregation of the neocortex into mechanical and geometric modules – the neocortical folds. Through the feedback of physical forces on developing tissue, these modules can influence the differentiation and wiring of the neocortex, having a causal role on neocortical development, and providing adaptable and robust units for its evolution. Together with Roberto Toro. |
I develop open Web applications to facilitate access to open data, foster collaboration & citizen science.
BrainBox is a tool for the collaborative curation and real-time interactive annotation and segmentation of any neuroimaging dataset available on the Web.
Check out our 3-minute video.
MicroDraw is an online tool for visualising and collaboratively annotating high resolution histology data. It allows users to segment regions and annotate them based on a common ontology.
Thresholdmann is an open source Web tool for the interactive application of space-varying thresholds to Nifti volumes. No download or installation is required and all processing is done in the user’s computer.
Reorient is an open source Web application for the manual alignment and cropping of MRI Nifti volumes in an intuitive way. The MRI data is dragged onto the Web interface and visualised in an interactive stereotaxic viewer.
The BrainWeb is a permanent virtual space for online collaboration on projects related to neuroscience, and a framework to organise distributed communities and an interactive space for virtual poster sessions.
I studied Fine Arts, English and French Philology at Leipzig University, Paris Sorbonne & École nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris. I have then completed my PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences investigating mechanical morphogenesis and the development and evolution of primate cortical folding. During my collaboration with Just One Giant Lab & Institut Pasteur, I focused on Web development, data visualisation & analysis (for example FIIND) towards a collective comparative neuroscience. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research, I have extended my analyses across mammals. I have also explored the possibilities of distributed, collaborative, citizen science for the discovery of biomarkers for autism, and co-organised an international data science challenge to predict autism diagnosis from MRI data. Now, as a postdoctoral fellow in the Unit of Applied and Theoretical Neuroanatomy (PI Roberto Toro) at Institut Pasteur with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, I extended my analyses to the evolution of cerebellar folding across mammals, and focus on the evolution of neuroanatomical diversity across vertebrates.
In addition to my passion for research, I am an artist and a dancer. Many of my art works explore the intersection of scientific inquiry and artistic expression, aiming to challenge perceptions and inspire curiosity.
I have organised several Brainhack meetings to promote open science and collaboration in brain imaging, as well as local sites for the Mozilla Global Sprint and the International Open Data Day. In 2019 I was elected to chair the hackathon of the International Organization for Human Brain Mapping in Rome. With 250 participants, this is the largest OHBM hackathon thus far. I am one of the initiators & organisers of the BrainWeb, a permanent virtual space for online collaborations on projects related to neuroscience, to discover new collaborators and connect the community. I have also co-organised satellite events to the Society for Neuroscience meeting, the largest neuroscience conference. In 2022, I co-organised the QBio Symposium on Mechanics, morphogenesis, development & evolution at Institut Pasteur. Recently, I organised the International Comparative Brain Meeting together with colleagues from Institut Pasteur, University of Oxford and Tel Aviv University.
The BrainWeb Series. A series of talks around various topics.
Comparative Brain Meeting. Stimulating exchanges on brain evolution and comparative analyses. At Institut Pasteur.
QBio Symposium MeMoDEvo. Mechanics, morphogenesis, development & evolution. At Institut Pasteur.
Ferret Brain Meeting. Official satellite to the SFN 2021 Conference.
Network Neuroscience Conference. Official satellite to the Network Science Conference.
BrainWeb Meetings #1 April 2020; #2 July 2020; #3 October 2020.
International Open Data Day Paris Hub.
OHBM Hackathon Official satellite event of the OHBM conference in Rome.
Brainhack global: Paris at Institut Pasteur & La Paillasse.
Brainhack: Lesions at Mozilla Lab Paris.
Mozilla global sprint: Paris at Institut Pasteur & La Paillasse.
Brainhack global: Paris at Institut Pasteur.
Brainhack: Anatomy at Institut Pasteur.
Brainhack at Institut Pasteur.
I have 22 peer-reviewed publications; 1 manuscript currently under review; 26 talks and presentations as invited speaker. For a full list please see my Google Scholar or Orcid page.
| Heuer, K., Traut, N., de Sousa, A. A., Valk, S., Clavel, J., & Toro, R. (2023). Diversity and evolution of cerebellar folding in mammals. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85907 |
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| Traut, N.*, Heuer, K.*, Lemaître, G.*, Beggiato, A., … Toro, R., & Varoquaux, G. (2022). Insights from an autism imaging biomarker challenge: promises and threats to biomarker discovery. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119171 [*shared co-first author] |
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| Milham, M., Petkov, C., Belin, P., Ben Hamed, S., Evrard, H., …, Heuer, K., … & Zuo, Z. (2022) Toward next-generation primate neuroscience: A collaboration-based strategic plan for integrative neuroimaging. Neuron. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.10.015 |
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| Gau, R.*, Noble, S.*, Heuer, K.*, Bottenhorn, K. L.*, Bilgin, I. P.*, … Zuo, X.-N. (2021). Brainhack: developing a culture of open, inclusive, community-driven neuroscience. Neuron. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.001 [*shared co-first author] |
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| Messinger, A., Sirmpilatze, N., Heuer, K., Loh, K. K., Mars, R. B., … Klink, P. C.(2021). A collaborative resource platform for non-human primate neuroimaging. NeuroImage. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117519 |
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| Heuer, K., Gulban, O. F., Bazin, P.-L., Osoianu, A., Valabregue, R., Santin, M., Herbin, M., & Toro, R. (2019). Evolution of neocortical folding: A phylogenetic comparative analysis of MRI from 34 primate species. Cortex. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2019.04.011 |
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| Heuer, K., & Toro, R. (2019). Role of mechanical morphogenesis in the development and evolution of the neocortex. Physics of Life Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2019.01.012 |
My work includes paintings, drawings, data sculptures , and interactive installations that explore the intersection of scientific inquiry and artistic expression. Through these works, I aim to make complex ideas more tangible and foster a deeper connection between the viewer and the intricacies of brain science.
I have been dancing (Contemporary, Modern) for more than 24 years with national and international performances.
This site features just a fraction of my projects. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to work together with us.
katjaQheuer(at)gmail.com