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CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium

20–21 Apr 2026
Goethe University
Europe/Berlin timezone

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Cortical Patterns of Gene Expression as a Predictor of Drug-Behavior Relationships

20 Apr 2026, 14:45
1h 30m
Casino Festsaal (Goethe University)

Casino Festsaal

Goethe University

Campus Westend Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 2 60323 Frankfurt am Main CoBIC Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 9 60528 Frankfurt am Main

Speaker

Franziska Müller (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main)

Description

We present a novel analytical framework to predict which behavioral domains are related to a pharmacological drug based on its mechanism of action. As proof-of-concept, we predict the behavioral profile of methylphenidate (MPH), a drug frequently prescribed to manage ADHD-related symptoms. For MPH's targets (dopamine transporter, noradrenaline transporter, and serotonin 1A receptor), we derived a cortical expression pattern using open-access transcriptomic AHBA data. Next, we spatially correlated this pattern with meta-analytic fMRI activation patterns that were predicted by NeuroQuery for behavioral Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) domains and constructs. The strongest correlations emerged within the Cognitive Systems domain including constructs Attention and Inhibition/Suppression. This result aligns with MPH's established efficacy in treating core ADHD symptoms. Additional correlations across the Negative Valence domain may be related to MPH's reported side effects anxiety and nervousness. Together, these findings indicate that behavioral effects of drugs may indeed be predicted based on their molecular targets.

Author

Franziska Müller (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main)

Co-authors

Alessio Giacomel (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Bassem Hermila (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Hanna Seelemeyer (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Caroline Gurr (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Afsheen Kumar (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Alexandre Jeanne (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Wiebke Hennig (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Johanna Leyhausen (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main) Christine Ecker (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cooperative Brain Imaging Centre (COBIC), University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main; Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London)

Presentation materials

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