Sahil Bajaj, Ph.D.
Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2015 | Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA, PHD, Biophysics |
| 2013 | Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA, MS, Biophysics |
Postgraduate Training
| 2016-2019 | Postdoc Research, Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ |
| 2015-2016 | Postdoc Research, Neuroimaging Laboratory, Nantz National Alzheimer Center, Houston Methodist Research Hospital, Houston, TX |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor and Director of Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Boys Town National Research Hospital, Boys Town, NE, 2019 - 2023
Honors & Awards
| 2024 | Honoree for Georgia State’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 for outstanding achievements |
| 2019 | Award for Excellence, Military Health System Research Symposium |
| 2018 | Travel Award, Sleep Research Network Meeting |
| 2017 | Merit Abstract Award, Organization for Human Brain Mapping |
| 2014 | Outstanding Advanced Physics Graduate Student Award, Georgia State University |
| 2014 | Graduate Student Travel Award, Society for Neuroscience |
| 2013 | International Student of the Year Award, Georgia State University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Crum KI, Aloi J, Blair KS, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Zhang R, Hwang S, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Latent profiles of substance use, early life stress, and attention/externalizing problems and their association with neural correlates of reinforcement learning in adolescents. Psychol Med 53(15):7358-7367, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37144406.
- Bashford-Largo J, R Blair RJ, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Dominguez A, Hatch M, Bajaj S. Identification of structural brain alterations in adolescents with depressive symptomatology. Brain Res Bull 201:110723, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37536609.
- Bashford-Largo J, Nakua H, Blair RJR, Dominguez A, Hatch M, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Ameis S, Bajaj S. A Shared Multivariate Brain-Behavior Relationship in a Transdiagnostic Sample of Adolescents. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37572936.
- Mathur A, Bashford-Largo J, Elowsky J, Zhang R, Dobbertin M, Tyler PM, Bajaj S, Blair KS, Blair RJR. Association Between Aggression and Differential Functional Activity of Neural Regions Implicated in Retaliation. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 62(7):805-815, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36889505.
- Bajaj S, Blair KS, Dobbertin M, Patil KR, Tyler PM, Ringle JL, Bashford-Largo J, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Dominguez A, Schmaal L, Blair RJR. Machine learning based identification of structural brain alterations underlying suicide risk in adolescents. Discov Ment Health 3(1):6, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37861863.
- Hubbard NA, Miller KB, Aloi J, Bajaj S, Wakabayashi KT, Blair RJR. Evaluating instrumental learning and striatal-cortical functional connectivity in adolescent alcohol and cannabis use. Addict Biol 28(1):e13258, 2023. PMID: 36577718.
- Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Carollo E, Blair JR, Dominguez A, Bajaj S. Neuroimaging alterations of the suicidal brain and its relevance to practice: an updated review of MRI studies. Front Psychiatry 14:1083244, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37181903.
- Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Mathur A, Elowsky J, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR, Blair KS, Bajaj S. Reduced cortical volume of the default mode network in adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety 39(6):485-495, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35312127.
- Blair KS, Aloi J, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Elowsky J, Lukoff J, Vogel S, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Pope K, Bajaj S, Tottenham N, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Different forms of childhood maltreatment have different impacts on the neural systems involved in the representation of reinforcement value. Dev Cogn Neurosci 53:101051, 2022. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34953316.
- Bajaj S, Blair KS, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Mathur A, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Dobbertin M, Hwang S, Leibenluft E, Blair RJR. Network-wise surface-based morphometric insight into the cortical neural circuitry underlying irritability in adolescents. Transl Psychiatry 11(1):581, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34759268.
- Seok JW, Bajaj S, Soltis-Vaughan B, Lerdahl A, Garvey W, Bohn A, Edwards R, Kratochvil CJ, Blair J, Hwang S. Structural atrophy of the right superior frontal gyrus in adolescents with severe irritability. Hum Brain Mapp 42(14):4611-4622, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34288223.
- Blair RJ, Zhang RU, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Mathur A, Ringle J, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Dobbertin M, Blair KS, Tyler PM. Reduced neural responsiveness to looming stimuli is associated with increased aggression. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 16(10):1091-1099, 2021. PMID: 33960389.
- Blair RJR, Bajaj S, Sherer N, Bashford-Largo J, Zhang R, Aloi J, Hammond C, Lukoff J, Schwartz A, Elowsky J, Tyler P, Filbey FM, Dobbertin M, Blair KS. Alcohol Use Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder Symptomatology in Adolescents and Aggression: Associations With Recruitment of Neural Regions Implicated in Retaliation. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging 6(5):536-544, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33712378.
- Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Association between emotional intelligence and effective brain connectome: A large-scale spectral DCM study. Neuroimage 229:117750, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33454407.
- Aloi J, Crum KI, Blair KS, Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Bajaj S, Schwartz A, Carollo E, Hwang S, Leiker E, Filbey FM, Averbeck BB, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Individual associations of adolescent alcohol use disorder versus cannabis use disorder symptoms in neural prediction error signaling and the response to novelty. Dev Cogn Neurosci 48:100944, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33773241.
- Alkozei A, Dailey NS, Bajaj S, Vanuk JR, Raikes AC, Killgore WDS. Exposure to Blue Wavelength Light Is Associated With Increases in Bidirectional Amygdala-DLPFC Connectivity at Rest. Front Neurol 12:625443, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33841300.
- Bajaj S, Raikes AC, Razi A, Miller MA, Killgore WD. Blue-Light Therapy Strengthens Resting-State Effective Connectivity within Default-Mode Network after Mild TBI. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis 13:11795735211015076, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34104033.
- Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Lukoff J, Elowsky J, Carollo E, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Bajaj S, Blair KS, Leibenluft E, Blair RJR. Callous-Unemotional Traits Moderate the Relationship Between Irritability and Threatening Responding. Front Psychiatry 12:617052, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34867494.
- Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Sex differences in limbic network and risk-taking propensity in healthy individuals. J Neurosci Res 98(2):371-383, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31373060.
- Killgore WDS, Vanuk JR, Shane BR, Weber M, Bajaj S. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of blue wavelength light exposure on sleep and recovery of brain structure, function, and cognition following mild traumatic brain injury. Neurobiol Dis 134:104679, 2020. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31751607.
- Bajaj S, Blair KS, Zhang R, Bashford-Largo J, Dobbertin M, Blair RJ. Impact of Sleep Quality on the Association Between Unease and Physical Exercise During Initial Stages of COVID-19 Pandemic in India. Nat Sci Sleep 12:705-708, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33117006.
- Bajaj S, Blair KS, Schwartz A, Dobbertin M, Blair RJR. Worry and insomnia as risk factors for depression during initial stages of COVID-19 pandemic in India. PLoS One 15(12):e0243527, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33301508.
- Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Vulnerability to mood degradation during sleep deprivation is influenced by white-matter compactness of the triple-network model. Neuroimage 202:116123, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31461677.
- Bajaj S, Raikes AC, Smith R, Vanuk JR, Killgore WDS. The Role of Prefrontal Cortical Surface Area and Volume in Preclinical Suicidal Ideation in a Non-Clinical Sample. Front Psychiatry 10:445, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31312146.
- Bajaj S, Raikes A, Smith R, Dailey NS, Alkozei A, Vanuk JR, Killgore WDS. The Relationship Between General Intelligence and Cortical Structure in Healthy Individuals. Neuroscience 388:36-44, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30012372.
- Alkozei A, Killgore WDS, Smith R, Dailey NS, Bajaj S, Raikes AC, Haack M. Chronic sleep restriction differentially affects implicit biases toward food among men and women: preliminary evidence. J Sleep Res 27(4):e12629, 2018. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29094414.
- Bajaj S, Dailey NS, Rosso IM, Rauch SL, Killgore WDS. Time-dependent differences in cortical measures and their associations with behavioral measures following mild traumatic brain injury. Hum Brain Mapp 39(5):1886-1897, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29359498.
- Smith R, Bajaj S, Dailey NS, Alkozei A, Smith C, Sanova A, Lane RD, Killgore WDS. Greater cortical thickness within the limbic visceromotor network predicts higher levels of trait emotional awareness. Conscious Cogn 57:54-61, 2018. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29169034.
- Raikes AC, Bajaj S, Dailey NS, Smith RS, Alkozei A, Satterfield BC, Killgore WDS. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) Correlates of Self-Reported Sleep Quality and Depression Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Front Neurol 9:468, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29973910.
- Dailey NS, Smith R, Bajaj S, Alkozei A, Gottschlich MK, Raikes AC, Satterfield BC, Killgore WDS. Elevated Aggression and Reduced White Matter Integrity in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A DTI Study. Front Behav Neurosci 12:118, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30013466.
- Alkozei A, Killgore WDS, Smith R, Dailey NS, Bajaj S, Haack M. Chronic Sleep Restriction Increases Negative Implicit Attitudes Toward Arab Muslims. Sci Rep 7(1):4285, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28655901.
- Alkozei A, Smith R, Dailey NS, Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Acute exposure to blue wavelength light during memory consolidation improves verbal memory performance. PLoS One 12(9):e0184884, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28922397.
- Bajaj S, Vanuk JR, Smith R, Dailey NS, Killgore WDS. Blue-Light Therapy following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Effects on White Matter Water Diffusion in the Brain. Front Neurol 8:616, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29213254.
- Bajaj S, Alkozei A, Dailey NS, Killgore WDS. Brain Aging: Uncovering Cortical Characteristics of Healthy Aging in Young Adults. Front Aging Neurosci 9:412, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 29321739.
- Bajaj S, Adhikari BM, Friston KJ, Dhamala M. Bridging the Gap: Dynamic Causal Modeling and Granger Causality Analysis of Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Brain Connect 6(8):652-661, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27506256.
- Bajaj S, Housley SN, Wu D, Dhamala M, James GA, Butler AJ. Dominance of the Unaffected Hemisphere Motor Network and Its Role in the Behavior of Chronic Stroke Survivors. Front Hum Neurosci 10:650, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 28082882.
- Bajaj S, Butler AJ, Drake D, Dhamala M. Functional organization and restoration of the brain motor-execution network after stroke and rehabilitation. Front Hum Neurosci 9:173, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25870557.
- Bajaj S, Butler AJ, Drake D, Dhamala M. Brain effective connectivity during motor-imagery and execution following stroke and rehabilitation. Neuroimage Clin 8:572-82, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26236627.
- Bajaj S, Drake D, Butler AJ, Dhamala M. Oscillatory motor network activity during rest and movement: an fNIRS study. Front Syst Neurosci 8:13, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24550793.
- Bajaj S, Adhikari BM, Dhamala M. Higher frequency network activity flow predicts lower frequency node activity in intrinsic low-frequency BOLD fluctuations. PLoS One 8(5):e64466, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23691225.
- Bajaj S, Lamichhane B, Adhikari BM, Dhamala M. Amygdala mediated connectivity in perceptual decision-making of emotional facial expressions. Brain Connect 3(4):386-97, 2013. PMID: 23705655.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Machine-Learning Based Brain Biomarkers underlying Suicide Risk in Adolescents (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Pilot Project) |
| Funding Source: | Great Plains IDeA-CTR |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified December 06, 2024