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
SSSR2021
Silvia attended the SSSR2021 (Society for Scientific Study of Reading) conference where she gave a talk and took part to a live Q&A session in a symposium on dyslexia and co-morbid disorders. More details of the conference can be found here.
New project: St Andrews/Bonn collaboration
We are delighted for the award of a St Andrews/Bonn collaborative grant. Through this collaboration we will extend our work looking aimed at dissecting the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders through new computational methods. Read here about the project.
New preprint out in bioRxiv!
Check out our latest work led by Judith looking at the heritability of hand, foot and hand preference out in bioRxiv. For a quick summary, Judith has posted on Twitter a great explainer of the paper.
New Paper
The preprint reporting the role of a rare variant in the ATP2C2 gene in language disorders is out in Human Molecular Genetics. Work led by Angela and resulting from a multidisciplinary and international collaboration.
New paper
Our new paper exploring possible links between handedness and mathematical abilities is out in Laterality. A free version is available here.
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