NEUROGENETICS
Silvia Paracchini Research GroupSilvia Paracchini
We are studying the genetic basis of complex cognitive and behavioural phenotypes. In particular we focus on the biology of dyslexia, a specific impairment in learning to read which is caused in large part by genetic factors. We are also interested in cognitive traits related to dyslexia such as general reading and language abilities.
More recently we have become interested in handedness and in a complex link between dyslexia and laterality. We are using large scale screening involving genome-wide and functional genomics approaches to identify candidate genes or loci underlying these phenotypes. In parallel we are developing functional assays to understand the biological mechanisms that mediate genetic differences to phenotypic variation.
Recent news
New paper
See the latest consortium paper reporting the results for a dyslexia GWAS. Although single associations were not identified, the study demonstrates how similar genetic backgrounds contributed to different traits and disorders. The study was led by Alessandro Gialluisi...
Work with us: New PhD project
Apply for this fully funded 4 years PhD scholarship to be part of new exciting collaboration between the University of St Andrews and Canon Medical Research Europe. The project The field of genomics has made huge advances for a number of diseases for which large...
New paper out!
Check out our new paper out today in Scientific Reports. This is a collaboration led by Julian Packheiser and Sebastian Ocklenburg at the Ruhr University in Germany looking at patterns of footedness and handedness.
New preprint!!
See new preprint in bioRxiv led by Judith reporting the first GWAS for hearing threshold and hearing asymmetries in children. See also a summary of the paper in this excellent Twitter thread.
Two new handedness papers
Two new handedness studies are now out. In the first one we examined different handedness measures in the ALSPAC cohort. In the second paper we looked at the prevalence and heritability of handedness in Hong Kong.
Sponsors
