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CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium

20–21 Apr 2026
Goethe University
Europe/Berlin timezone

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Predicting Neuroanatomical Brain Phenotypes in Autism and ADHD from Genomic Signatures

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

Bassem Hermila (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.)

Description

Autism and ADHD frequently co-occur and share genetic architecture, but it remains unclear how shared versus condition-specific liability maps onto neuroanatomical variation. We integrated GWAS summary statistics for autism, ADHD, and both combined (neurodevelopmental diversity, NDD) with cortical gene-expression data from the Allen Human Brain Atlas to derive genetically informed cortical liability patterns. Structural MRI data were obtained from three cohorts (AIMS-2-Trials, NeuroIMAGE, BrainMap; N=1360; ages 6–30). Cortical thickness was extracted using FreeSurfer, and vertex-wise models identified condition-related cortical patterns. Gene-level associations were computed with MAGMA, and a genetic algorithm identified subsets of genes whose cortical expression profiles best predicted neuroanatomical variability. Genetically predicted liability patterns significantly matched their respective imaging phenotypes (autism: rspatial=-0.56; ADHD: rspatial=0.45; NDD: rspatial=-0.52; all pperm<0.001). Gene sets showed minimal overlap, and liability patterns did not predict the other condition’s cortical phenotype, supporting partially separable neurobiological pathways for autism and ADHD despite shared genetic liability.

Author

Bassem Hermila (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.)

Co-authors

Alessio Giacomel (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Afsheen Kumar (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Caroline Gurr (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Johanna Leyhausen (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Hanna Seelemeyer (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Alexandre Jeanne (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Franziska Müller (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Wiebke Hennig (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.) Charlotte M. Pretzsch (Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, SE5 8AF, UK.) Tim Schäfer (Fries Lab, Ernst Strüngmann Institut (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt Germany.) Eva Loth (Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, SE5 8AF, UK.) Bethany Oakley (Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, SE5 8AF, UK.) Christian F. Beckmann (Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.) Tony Charman (Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK.) Tobias Banaschewski (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Medical Faculty Mannheim, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany.) Emily Jones (Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, 32 Torrington Square, London WC1E 7JL, UK.) Thomas Bourgeron (Institut Pasteur, Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions Unit, 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, Paris Cedex 15, France.) Jaap Oosterlaan (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.) Marjolein Luman (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.) Nanda N. J. Rommelse (Universiteit Utrecht, Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.) Pieter J. Hoekstra (University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, Groningen, Netherlands.) Catharina A. Hartman (Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion regulation (ICPE), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.) Barbara Franke (Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.) Emma Sprooten (Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands.) Jan K. Buitelaar (Medical Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.) Declan Murphy (Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, SE5 8AF, UK.) Christine Ecker (Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.)

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