Papers for

neuroimaging analysis teams

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Brain-age prediction improved by automated explanation knowledge loop

XAI-Refine: An Automated Explanation-Knowledge Loop for Brain-Age Prediction

Abstract: Brain-age prediction models are commonly evaluated by predictive accuracy, yet accurate predictions alone do not establish that a model relies on reproducible or neurobiologically supported mechanisms. Post-hoc explanation methods can expose these mechanisms, but existing workflows typically stop at diagnosis or require correction targets to be specified before model analysis. We propose XAI-Refine, an automated explanation-knowledge loop for brain-age prediction from resting-state functional connectivity. At each iteration, XAI-Refine consolidates complementary post-hoc analyses across repeated training runs into reliable, structured model explanations. It converts each reliable explanation into a neutral neurobiological question, retrieves and verifies relevant literature, and compiles the verified evidence into an admissible set in the same typed explanation space. The target for refinement is defined as the minimal projection of the current model explanation onto the admissible set induced by applicable verified knowledge. This revised explanation is then translated into a differentiable constraint while preserving the originating model variable, measurement operator, and applicable scope. Candidate updates are promoted only when multi-seed validation confirms target-directed explanatory movement, predictive performance remains within a prespecified guardrail, and non-target explanatory drift remains bounded. Experiments on functional-connectivity-based brain-age prediction evaluate predictive performance, explanation reliability, literature alignment, and target-specific model revision, illustrating a structured route from post-hoc analysis to evidence-guided model refinement.

Tue 8 SeptMachine Learning
The gist
Predicting a person's brain age from brain activity data can be accurate but might rely on unclear or inconsistent methods. The authors developed a system called XAI-Refine that automatically checks and improves how these brain-age models explain their decisions by comparing explanations to verified scientific knowledge. This system updates the model only when improvements are confirmed without hurting accuracy. Their experiments showed how this method helps create more reliable and biologically meaningful brain-age predictions.
Open 2609.09388v1