The Biomedical Engineering chapter of the IEEE UFRN Student Branch participated in the international EMBS FEST event of Region 9 in November 2024. During this event, the chapter had the opportunity to network with numerous individuals from various Latin American countries, contribute to the event’s organization, and provide a speaker. This was a unique and transformative experience in the history of the UFRN IEEE EMBS chapter, as it marked the first time that Brazil and the Northeast region were represented at the event.

The lecture was delivered by Prof. César Rennó Costa, on the topic “Artificial Intelligence Applied to Psychiatry: Uses and Limitations of AI in the Diagnosis of Mental Disorders.”

About the Lecturer:

Prof. César Rennó-Costa is an Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics and the Director of the Multi-User Bioinformatics Center at the Metrópole Digital Institute of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), in Natal, Brazil. His research focuses on computational neuroscience, particularly in modeling biological neural networks with an emphasis on hippocampal circuits. He has collaborated on several projects with institutions in the United States and Europe. More recently, his work has expanded into applied medical research, developing digital systems that use AI and data science to support public health agencies. His primary focus is on behavioral sciences and computational psychiatry, employing natural language processing techniques. He currently leads an international network funded by the Newton Fund, aimed at developing computational methods to characterize and identify mental disorders.

Synopsis:

Mental disorders present a significant challenge in healthcare due to the lack of specific biomedical tests and the need for continuous monitoring to ensure an accurate diagnosis. Recent advances in AI, particularly in Natural Language Processing, show great potential for assessing these conditions. However, substantial challenges remain in translating this potential into psychiatric practice. In this presentation, Prof. Rennó-Costa discussed the work being done at UFRN on speech analysis in clinical contexts for various disorders. Topics covered included: the state of the art in detecting cognitive neuropathies, the search for descriptors to develop explainable diagnostic systems, the construction of neuroscientific models linking speech patterns to neural mechanisms, and the challenges of creating technology that seamlessly integrates with clinical practice.