Duncan Astle

Now it's the @mrccbu.bsky.social's @duncanastle.bsky.social's turn to excite our #COGNESTIC audience. No problem when you are "Building networks to understand neurodevelopment".

Brain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomics Abstract. What role do our genes play in shaping the structural organisation of the living human brain? Across a sample of 2,153 children (9–11 years old), we address this question, focusing on common...

*New Paper* How genes for IQ shape brain organisation. Amazing work led by Alicja Monaghan @mrccbu.bsky.social reveals 2 ways. First, they’re associated w/ the ‘costs’ of network formation. Second, they define ‘high value’ areas within the network. How she did it…🧵
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

Want the details? Check out the open access paper. Thanks to funders MRC, @templetonworld.bsky.social,
and supporters @camneuro.bsky.social, @mrccbu.bsky.social, and @4dlab.bsky.social

These genes in particular seems to be responsible for cellular and biological processes involved in synapse development and transmitter and anion-gated channel activity.

Second, she used transcription data from the
@alleninstitute.org, and found that the genes in the PGS particularly overlap with the regional distribution of the ‘values’ part of the GNM – that is they define the areas the model wants to connect.

Those with *high* polygenic scores (PGS) for cognitive ability had a *softer* ‘distance penalty’ in their GNM. The end result is that networks form slightly more ‘shortest paths’. The end result? Slightly more stochastic, variable and efficient brain networks.

First, she built connectomes from ~2k 10yr olds from ABCD. To each she fit a generative network model (GNM) – a simple computational model for simulating their topology.

Brain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomics Abstract. What role do our genes play in shaping the structural organisation of the living human brain? Across a sample of 2,153 children (9–11 years old), we address this question, focusing on common...

*New Paper* How genes for IQ shape brain organisation. Amazing work led by Alicja Monaghan @mrccbu.bsky.social reveals 2 ways. First, they’re associated w/ the ‘costs’ of network formation. Second, they define ‘high value’ areas within the network. How she did it…🧵
doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

Deadline for this funded PhD to work with me and @duncanastle.bsky.social is soon! 26 July.

The student must be a woman (because it’s based at Newnham College) and eligible for UK home fees.

Alert! ... for the child development world!

@fluxsociety.bsky.social @fitngin.bsky.social ‪

The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study has released its first data wave - it’s massive.

Check here:
docs.hbcdstudy.org

and here:
nbdc-datahub.org

Here’s why it matters 🧠🍼

Absolute honour to chair this panel of superstars @royalsociety.org yesterday, including @duncanastle.bsky.social & @tamsinford.bsky.social

New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Alicja Monaghan, Danyal Akarca, and Duncan E. Astle:

Brain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomics

doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

PhD studentship at Cambridge!
Closing date for applications: 26/07/25
You need to be a woman and eligible for UK home fees.
And interested in doing a PhD in developmental cognitive neuroscience and education, based in Cambridge, UK (not hybrid/remote)

Adolescent maturation of cortical excitation-inhibition ratio based on individualized biophysical network modeling Individualized simulations reveal a decrease in excitation-inhibition ratio in association areas throughout adolescence.

🧠⚖️📉 How does the cortical excitation-inhibition ratio mature during adolescence?
We asked this in our new paper just out in #ScienceAdvances ✨
“Adolescent maturation of cortical excitation-inhibition ratio based on individualized biophysical network modeling”
📄 www.science.org/doi/full/10....
🧵⤵️

Opportunity to do a PhD in developmental science alongside some absolutely fantastic scientists!! Share widely!

Amazing funded phd opportunity with great supervisors👇👇👇👇👇

Do you like brain network hubs?🧠🌐✳️Do you like genes?🧬What about neurodevelopment?👶What if I told you the latest work by @garedaba.bsky.social and myself combined all of these?🤯🤯🤯

See Gareth's thread for a primer of our findings, then read the paper for the details!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

This is a really cool project! Please repost to anyone interested at the intersection between developmental cognitive neuroscience and education!

PhD studentship available in developmental cognitive neuroscience, in Cambridge - please publicise.

Open to women candidates, as the student will be based at Newnham College.

Funded PhD opportunity with @sjblakemore.bsky.social and I, at Cambridge. We are looking for someone interested in developmental science, to start in the coming academic year. Please share it with anyone you think might be interested (see details attached 😁).
drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...

Synaptic Function and Sensory Processing in ZDHHC9‐Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder: A Mechanistic Account In the current study, we employed a bottom-up approach to study the impact of synaptic-level alterations associated with ZDHHC9 variants on cortical function in healthy and ZDHHC9-deficient participa...

New study out now (doi.org/10.1111/ejn....)! Modelling MEG dynamics with RNNs reveals how reduced inhibition may shape neural signatures in ZDHHC9-linked neurodivergence!🧠🧬
Thanks to all co-authors! @achterbrain.bsky.social @danakarca.bsky.social @kbgenesbrains.bsky.social @duncanastle.bsky.social

We are hiring! We're looking for a great project manager to help with a large-scale Wellcome funded study. If you know of anyone that this might appeal to, please share.

www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49880/

We are hiring! We're looking for a great project manager to help with a large-scale Wellcome funded study. If you know of anyone that this might appeal to, please share.

www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49880/

New year, a new chapter 🎇.
I am super excited to begin my postdoctoral fellowship at the @mrccbu.bsky.social with @duncanastle.bsky.social 's incredible 4D group, where I'll continue studying aspects of how the social environment affects brain networks and health 🧠 🧑‍🔬🧪 #posdoc #Cambridge_Uni

Incredible visit to Wimpole Hall Christmas lights. Genuinely magical.
@nationaltrust.bsky.social

Lolz. He had it coming.

Fish and chip shop called... "FRYING NEMO"

You're welcome.

**We are recruiting**

Seeking a postdoc to work on a Wellcome-funded cohort study focusing on social-cognitive processing in typically developing children and adolescents (aged 8-18 years) and children and adolescents with 22q11.1 deletion syndrome.

www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49291/

*standing applause*
I agree with the sentiment in this blog. The Royal Society and by extension its members are tacitly endorsing Elon Musk by him being a fellow, and will be associated with him by the public too. FRS is the fourth word of his Wikipedia entry.

Dorothy Bishop explains why Elon Musk’s membership in the Royal Society devalues the entire organization.