Source Themes

Common variants contribute to intrinsic human brain functional networks

Association analyses using resting-state functional magnetic resonance images identify common genetic variants influencing intrinsic brain activity. Variation in brain function is genetically correlated with several neuropsychiatric traits.

Identification of shared and differentiating genetic architecture for autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and case subgroups

A multi-ancestry expression quantitative trait locus meta-analysis of 3,983 RNA-seq samples from 2,119 donors using the multivariate multiple QTL (mmQTL) approach characterizes the genetics of gene expression in the human brain and identifies candidate causal variants for brain-related traits.

Unbiased identification of novel transcription factors in striatal compartmentation and striosome maturation

RNAseq and ATACseq are utilized to identify transcription factors participating in striatal compartmentation into striosome and matrix, and roles for Stat1, Olig2, and Foxf2 are validated in vitro and in vivo.

ATAC-seq and psychiatric disorders

Review of protein engineering approaches and software tools.

Genetics of the human microglia regulome refines Alzheimer’s disease risk loci

Transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling of human microglia identifies putative gene regulatory mechanisms for 21 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk loci. SPI1/PU.1 is nominated as a key regulator of microglia gene expression and AD risk.

Sex Differences in the Human Brain Transcriptome of Cases With Schizophrenia

Here, we found enrichment of coexpression modules for sex-by-diagnosis differential expression signatures, which were highly reproducible across the two cohorts and involved a number of diverse pathways, including neural nucleus development, neuron projection morphogenesis, and regulation of neural precursor cell proliferation.

Integration of Alzheimer’s disease genetics and myeloid genomics identifies disease risk regulatory elements and genes

This study integrates Alzheimer’s disease (AD) GWAS data with myeloid cell genomics, and reports that myeloid active enhancers are most burdened by AD risk alleles. The authors also nominate candidate causal regulatory elements, variants and genes that likely modulate the risk for AD.

Common genetic variation influencing human white matter microstructure

Brain regions communicate with each other through tracts of myelinated axons, commonly referred to as white matter. We identified common genetic variants influencing white matter microstructure using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging of 43,802 individuals.

Common schizophrenia risk variants are enriched in open chromatin regions of human glutamatergic neurons

Here, the authors perform ATAC-seq on four distinct cell populations from three different regions of the human brain, finding that chromatin accessibility varies greatly by cell type and less by brain region. This study reveals differences in biological function and gene regulation, as well as overlap of genetic variants associated with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric traits.

A chromosomal connectome for psychiatric and metabolic risk variants in adult dopaminergic neurons

A comprehensive evaluation of genomic interaction of schizophrenia with other medical conditions derived from HiC interactions within midbrain dopaminergic neurons.