Clyde Francks
@clydefrancks.bsky.social
Prof. of Brain Imaging Genomics @ Max Planck Institute & Donders Institute, Nijmegen, Netherlands. Biologist interested in genes, brains, behaviour, psychiatry, left-right asymmetry.
https://www.mpi.nl/people/francks-clyde
https://www.mpi.nl/people/francks-clyde
Pinned
Clyde Francks
@clydefrancks.bsky.social
· Sep 12
New @maxplanck.de study: We looked for left-right differences of gene expression and cell-type abundances in the brains of MICE 🐭using Xenium @10xgenomics.bsky.social. Possible clues to how functional brain asymmetry is supported !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️
Reposted by Clyde Francks
"Despite widespread claims linking gut health to autism spectrum disorder, a comprehensive analysis published in the journal Neuron has found no scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism."
No, Your Gut Microbiome Doesn't Contribute to Autism—New Study Dismantles Decades of Misleading Claims
A comprehensive analysis has found no scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism.
thedebrief.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:28 PM
"Despite widespread claims linking gut health to autism spectrum disorder, a comprehensive analysis published in the journal Neuron has found no scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism."
Asymmetries of the brain and body - are they linked genetically? In a new study we sequenced the genomes of people with their visceral organs reversed on the left-right axis, in a rare congenital condition called situs inversus totalis: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️ 1/5
November 6, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Asymmetries of the brain and body - are they linked genetically? In a new study we sequenced the genomes of people with their visceral organs reversed on the left-right axis, in a rare congenital condition called situs inversus totalis: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️ 1/5
CALL FOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD NOMINATIONS 2026
The International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society
Early Career Achievement Award and Distinguished Investigator Award
DEADLINE: December 2nd, 2025
www.ibngs.org/ibangs-awards
The International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society
Early Career Achievement Award and Distinguished Investigator Award
DEADLINE: December 2nd, 2025
www.ibngs.org/ibangs-awards
Awards
www.ibngs.org
October 27, 2025 at 10:26 AM
CALL FOR INVESTIGATOR AWARD NOMINATIONS 2026
The International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society
Early Career Achievement Award and Distinguished Investigator Award
DEADLINE: December 2nd, 2025
www.ibngs.org/ibangs-awards
The International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society
Early Career Achievement Award and Distinguished Investigator Award
DEADLINE: December 2nd, 2025
www.ibngs.org/ibangs-awards
New PhD program: the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is.mpg.de/news/new-max...
New Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Starts Call for Applications for its Ph.D. Program
The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is a Ph.D. Program that provides doctoral researchers with fully funded Ph.D. fellowships and a pool of outstanding faculty comprising directors and inde...
is.mpg.de
October 9, 2025 at 9:02 AM
New PhD program: the Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is.mpg.de/news/new-max...
New @maxplanck.de study: We looked for left-right differences of gene expression and cell-type abundances in the brains of MICE 🐭using Xenium @10xgenomics.bsky.social. Possible clues to how functional brain asymmetry is supported !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️
September 12, 2025 at 7:10 AM
New @maxplanck.de study: We looked for left-right differences of gene expression and cell-type abundances in the brains of MICE 🐭using Xenium @10xgenomics.bsky.social. Possible clues to how functional brain asymmetry is supported !! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Short thread below ⬇️
Reposted by Clyde Francks
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻-𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Spatially distributed and regionally unbound cellular resolution brain-wide processing loops in mice
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀?
Dynamical processing winding through most brain regions.
Looks like a must read.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence
Spatially distributed and regionally unbound cellular resolution brain-wide processing loops in mice
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀?
Dynamical processing winding through most brain regions.
Looks like a must read.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence
Spatially distributed and regionally unbound cellular resolution brain-wide processing loops in mice
Until recently, it has been possible to examine activity in the brain globally through regional averaging or locally at cellular resolution. These studies characterized regions as functionally homogen...
www.biorxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 4:17 PM
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻-𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Spatially distributed and regionally unbound cellular resolution brain-wide processing loops in mice
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀?
Dynamical processing winding through most brain regions.
Looks like a must read.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence
Spatially distributed and regionally unbound cellular resolution brain-wide processing loops in mice
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀?
Dynamical processing winding through most brain regions.
Looks like a must read.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Latest processing of UK Biobank brain imaging data - now with 82,000 usable first-scan datasets. Correlating brain IDPs with 13,000 non-imaging variables gives a rich manhattan-stye plot. 324,000 Bonferroni-significant associations.
August 22, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Latest processing of UK Biobank brain imaging data - now with 82,000 usable first-scan datasets. Correlating brain IDPs with 13,000 non-imaging variables gives a rich manhattan-stye plot. 324,000 Bonferroni-significant associations.
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Emergence of genetic variants linked to brain and cognitive traits in human evolution academic.oup.com/cercor/artic...
The emergence of genetic variants linked to brain and cognitive traits in human evolution
Abstract. Human evolution involved major anatomical transformations, including a rapid increase in brain volume over the last 2 million years. Examination
academic.oup.com
August 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Emergence of genetic variants linked to brain and cognitive traits in human evolution academic.oup.com/cercor/artic...
Reposted by Clyde Francks
💥🧠🧬Finally out!! Our new paper on the overlapping genetic basis of brain structures and psychiatric disorders has been published in Nature Mental Health. The full list of shared genetic loci is also available online. Thank you so much, Aaron and all co-authors.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
The overlapping genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders and cortical brain structure - Nature Mental Health
This study highlights sex differences in major depressive disorder using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Findings suggest hormonal fluctuations influence onset, emphasizing the ne...
www.nature.com
August 11, 2025 at 6:54 PM
💥🧠🧬Finally out!! Our new paper on the overlapping genetic basis of brain structures and psychiatric disorders has been published in Nature Mental Health. The full list of shared genetic loci is also available online. Thank you so much, Aaron and all co-authors.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Integrating and interpreting brain maps | doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
Imaging and recording technologies make it possible to map multiple biological features of the brain. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? ⤵️
Imaging and recording technologies make it possible to map multiple biological features of the brain. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? ⤵️
August 4, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Integrating and interpreting brain maps | doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
Imaging and recording technologies make it possible to map multiple biological features of the brain. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? ⤵️
Imaging and recording technologies make it possible to map multiple biological features of the brain. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? ⤵️
Fascinating study suggests that left-right differences in the fly brain arise from asymmetrical twist of neurons www.biorxiv.org/node/4751792... Might also be true for human brains as we suggested here www.nature.com/articles/s41... after implicating microtubules in human structural brain asymmetry
July 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Fascinating study suggests that left-right differences in the fly brain arise from asymmetrical twist of neurons www.biorxiv.org/node/4751792... Might also be true for human brains as we suggested here www.nature.com/articles/s41... after implicating microtubules in human structural brain asymmetry
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Terrific new preprint charting structural brain asymmetry across the human lifespan
By @aarona-b.bsky.social and collaborators 🧪🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By @aarona-b.bsky.social and collaborators 🧪🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Charting structural brain asymmetry across the human lifespan
Lateralization is a fundamental principle of structural brain organization. In vivo imaging of brain asymmetry is essential for deciphering lateralized brain functions and their disruption in neurodev...
www.biorxiv.org
July 24, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Terrific new preprint charting structural brain asymmetry across the human lifespan
By @aarona-b.bsky.social and collaborators 🧪🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By @aarona-b.bsky.social and collaborators 🧪🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Check out our latest work co-led by @dcsoto.bsky.social and @jmuribescr.bsky.social identifying hundreds of human duplicated gene families using the new T2T-CHM13 assembly, with a focus on those potentially contributing to brain evolution 🧪: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTQtL7PXu...
authors.elsevier.com
July 21, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Check out our latest work co-led by @dcsoto.bsky.social and @jmuribescr.bsky.social identifying hundreds of human duplicated gene families using the new T2T-CHM13 assembly, with a focus on those potentially contributing to brain evolution 🧪: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lTQtL7PXu...
Nobel prize winner loses Dutch nationality...
nltimes.nl
July 4, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Nobel prize winner loses Dutch nationality...
Reposted by Clyde Francks
🎥🌍 Over 1,000 neuroscience talks now free on YouTube and published at @apertureohbm.bsky.social. 🧠 “Now anyone, anywhere can binge-watch brain science like a box set,” says @stephforkel.bsky.social:
www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...
@alfiewearn.bsky.social @sitek.bsky.social @sofievalk.bsky.social
www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...
@alfiewearn.bsky.social @sitek.bsky.social @sofievalk.bsky.social
Global access to brain science: OHBM launches channel with 1,000+ talks | Radboud University
What if you could journey back in time to hear world-leading neuroscientists present the ideas that shaped today's brain science? A new open-access initiative led by researchers from the Donders Insti...
www.ru.nl
June 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM
🎥🌍 Over 1,000 neuroscience talks now free on YouTube and published at @apertureohbm.bsky.social. 🧠 “Now anyone, anywhere can binge-watch brain science like a box set,” says @stephforkel.bsky.social:
www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...
@alfiewearn.bsky.social @sitek.bsky.social @sofievalk.bsky.social
www.ru.nl/en/donders-i...
@alfiewearn.bsky.social @sitek.bsky.social @sofievalk.bsky.social
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Plus, we've begun to uncover how DNA variants contribute to connectivity of language circuits in the human brain, via largescale genomic analyses of resting-state functional neuroimaging data. Check out this @commsbio.nature.com paper by @jsamelink.bsky.social @clydefrancks.bsky.social & co. 🧬🧠🧪7/n
Imaging genetics of language network functional connectivity reveals links with language-related abilities, dyslexia and handedness - Communications Biology
Common and rare genetic variants, as well as polygenic scores of dyslexia and handedness are associated with the functional brain language network and hemispheric differences within this network, shed...
www.nature.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Plus, we've begun to uncover how DNA variants contribute to connectivity of language circuits in the human brain, via largescale genomic analyses of resting-state functional neuroimaging data. Check out this @commsbio.nature.com paper by @jsamelink.bsky.social @clydefrancks.bsky.social & co. 🧬🧠🧪7/n
Reposted by Clyde Francks
Ending the thread with one last illustration of novel avenues opened up by genomics of language-/reading-related traits. In a recent Science Advances paper, @clydefrancks.bsky.social's lab identified associations of dyslexia-disposing DNA variants with various aspects of human brain structure. 🧬🧠8/8
Distinct impact modes of polygenic disposition to dyslexia in the adult brain
Genetic disposition to dyslexia is associated with brain structure in the general population.
www.science.org
June 25, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Ending the thread with one last illustration of novel avenues opened up by genomics of language-/reading-related traits. In a recent Science Advances paper, @clydefrancks.bsky.social's lab identified associations of dyslexia-disposing DNA variants with various aspects of human brain structure. 🧬🧠8/8
Reposted by Clyde Francks
I'm so excited to see this online now in TRENDS IN GENETICS: Advancing GWAS of Human Communication. I review latest developments in genetics of speech and language and highlight opportunities for research on genetics and evolution of human communication.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHgMcQbJF...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHgMcQbJF...
authors.elsevier.com
June 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM
I'm so excited to see this online now in TRENDS IN GENETICS: Advancing GWAS of Human Communication. I review latest developments in genetics of speech and language and highlight opportunities for research on genetics and evolution of human communication.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHgMcQbJF...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHgMcQbJF...
Many congratulations to former member of my research group @zhiqiangsha.bsky.social , now setting up his own group in South Carolina! ⬇️
👇👇🧠🧬My new lab is hiring an imaging-genetics Postdoc, exploring how genetic factors (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics) and environmental factors (e.g., early life stress) influence brain development, psychopathology, and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism). I am happy to take any questions.
June 10, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Many congratulations to former member of my research group @zhiqiangsha.bsky.social , now setting up his own group in South Carolina! ⬇️
'A double-blind study was designed, in which the same set of research proposals and referee reports were assessed by two different committees.' I wonder how reproducible would be the funding decisions if different referees were involved, not only different committees? www.nwo.nl/en/news/nwo-...
NWO conducts double-blind study on assessment procedure Open Competition Domain Science-M (ENW-M) | NWO
The assessment procedure used by NWO within the Open Competition of Domain Science (hereafter: ENW-M) turns out to be just. That is the conclusion of a scientifically based study concerning the ENW-M ...
www.nwo.nl
June 4, 2025 at 11:24 AM
'A double-blind study was designed, in which the same set of research proposals and referee reports were assessed by two different committees.' I wonder how reproducible would be the funding decisions if different referees were involved, not only different committees? www.nwo.nl/en/news/nwo-...
Rare ‘ambidextrous’ protein breaks rules of handedness www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Rare ‘ambidextrous’ protein breaks rules of handedness
Most proteins are left-handed, but scientists have found an ancient molecule that works in both mirror-image forms.
www.nature.com
June 3, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Rare ‘ambidextrous’ protein breaks rules of handedness www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Clyde Francks
If you are interested in laterality and left-handedness, have a look at the second edition of „The lateralized brain“ 🧠 which came out in 2024: www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780323...
The Lateralized Brain
The second edition of The Lateralized Brain: The Neuroscience and Evolution of Hemispheric Asymmetries provides for readers a volume detailing the fun...
www.sciencedirect.com
May 27, 2025 at 9:45 AM
If you are interested in laterality and left-handedness, have a look at the second edition of „The lateralized brain“ 🧠 which came out in 2024: www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780323...
There are European and Global postdoctoral fellowships ⬇️
The call for MSCA postdoctoral fellowships is open until 10 September marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/post... so please be in touch if you are interested in neuroimaging genomics and see a possible fit with my group in the Netherlands
Postdoctoral Fellowships
The information provided on this page is a summary of the main rules and requirements for Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) and who can apply for them.
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
May 21, 2025 at 12:39 PM
There are European and Global postdoctoral fellowships ⬇️