Francesco Bettella
- Senior engineer; PhD
Francesco Bettella studied theoretical physics at the University of Padova, Italy, but was later seduced by the allure of bioinformatics. The academic market further led him to deCODE genetics where he learned the ways of human DNA, and eventually to OUS, where he is currently trying to find his path.
Publications 2024
An evolutionary timeline of the oxytocin signaling pathway
Commun Biol, 7 (1), 471
DOI 10.1038/s42003-024-06094-9, PubMed 38632466
Publications 2023
Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in relation to cardiovascular biomarkers
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 274 (5), 1223-1230
DOI 10.1007/s00406-023-01591-0, PubMed 37145175
Publications 2022
Dissecting the shared genetic basis of migraine and mental disorders using novel statistical tools
Brain, 145 (1), 142-153
DOI 10.1093/brain/awab267, PubMed 34273149
Phenotype-informed polygenic risk scores are associated with worse outcome in individuals at risk of Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimers Dement (Amst), 14 (1), e12350
DOI 10.1002/dad2.12350, PubMed 35991219
Neural correlates of user learning during long-term BCI training for the Cybathlon competition
J Neuroeng Rehabil, 19 (1), 69
DOI 10.1186/s12984-022-01047-x, PubMed 35790978
Boosting Schizophrenia Genetics by Utilizing Genetic Overlap With Brain Morphology
Biol Psychiatry, 92 (4), 291-298
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.12.007, PubMed 35164939
The oxytocin signalling gene pathway contributes to the association between loneliness and cardiometabolic health
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 144, 105875
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105875, PubMed 35939863
Publications 2021
Genetic loci shared between major depression and intelligence with mixed directions of effect
Nat Hum Behav, 5 (6), 795-801
DOI 10.1038/s41562-020-01031-2, PubMed 33462475
Genetic variants associated with cardiometabolic abnormalities during treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a genome-wide association study
Pharmacogenomics J, 21 (5), 574-585
DOI 10.1038/s41397-021-00234-8, PubMed 33824429
Characterising the shared genetic determinants of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and risk-taking
Transl Psychiatry, 11 (1), 466
DOI 10.1038/s41398-021-01576-4, PubMed 34497263
Dose-dependent transcriptional effects of lithium and adverse effect burden in a psychiatric cohort
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry, 112, 110408
DOI 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110408, PubMed 34320404
Optimising classification of proximal arm strength impairment in wheelchair rugby: A proof of concept study
J Sports Sci, 39 (sup1), 132-139
DOI 10.1080/02640414.2021.1883291, PubMed 33541213
Characterizing the Genetic Overlap Between Psychiatric Disorders and Sleep-Related Phenotypes
Biol Psychiatry, 90 (9), 621-631
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.07.007, PubMed 34482950
Identification of pleiotropy at the gene level between psychiatric disorders and related traits
Transl Psychiatry, 11 (1), 410
DOI 10.1038/s41398-021-01530-4, PubMed 34326310
Oxytocin-pathway polygenic scores for severe mental disorders and metabolic phenotypes in the UK Biobank
Transl Psychiatry, 11 (1), 599
DOI 10.1038/s41398-021-01725-9, PubMed 34824196
Publications 2020
Shared Genetic Loci Between Body Mass Index and Major Psychiatric Disorders: A Genome-wide Association Study
JAMA Psychiatry, 77 (5), 503-512
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4188, PubMed 31913414
Genetic control of variability in subcortical and intracranial volumes
Mol Psychiatry, 26 (8), 3876-3883
DOI 10.1038/s41380-020-0664-1, PubMed 32047264
Polygenic scores for schizophrenia and general cognitive ability: associations with six cognitive domains, premorbid intelligence, and cognitive composite score in individuals with a psychotic disorder and in healthy controls
Transl Psychiatry, 10 (1), 416
DOI 10.1038/s41398-020-01094-9, PubMed 33257657
In vivo hippocampal subfield volumes in bipolar disorder-A mega-analysis from The Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis Bipolar Disorder Working Group
Hum Brain Mapp, 43 (1), 385-398
DOI 10.1002/hbm.25249, PubMed 33073925
Author Correction: Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new loci and functional pathways influencing Alzheimer's disease risk
Nat Genet, 52 (3), 354
DOI 10.1038/s41588-019-0573-x, PubMed 32029921
Publisher Correction: Common brain disorders are associated with heritable patterns of apparent aging of the brain
Nat Neurosci, 23 (2), 295
DOI 10.1038/s41593-019-0553-6, PubMed 31848485
Phenotype-specific differences in polygenicity and effect size distribution across functional annotation categories revealed by AI-MiXeR
Bioinformatics, 36 (18), 4749-4756
DOI 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa568, PubMed 32539089
Correction: Genome-wide analysis reveals extensive genetic overlap between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and intelligence
Mol Psychiatry, 25 (4), 914
DOI 10.1038/s41380-019-0456-7, PubMed 31308466
Genome-wide Association Analysis of Parkinson's Disease and Schizophrenia Reveals Shared Genetic Architecture and Identifies Novel Risk Loci
Biol Psychiatry, 89 (3), 227-235
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.01.026, PubMed 32201043
Indicated association between polygenic risk score and treatment-resistance in a naturalistic sample of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders
Schizophr Res, 218, 55-62
DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2020.03.006, PubMed 32171635
Publications 2019
Brain Heterogeneity in Schizophrenia and Its Association With Polygenic Risk
JAMA Psychiatry, 76 (7), 739-748
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.0257, PubMed 30969333
Examining the association between genetic liability for schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms in Alzheimer's disease
Transl Psychiatry, 9 (1), 273
DOI 10.1038/s41398-019-0592-5, PubMed 31641104
Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder
Nat Genet, 51 (3), 431-444
DOI 10.1038/s41588-019-0344-8, PubMed 30804558
Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new loci and functional pathways influencing Alzheimer's disease risk
Nat Genet, 51 (3), 404-413
DOI 10.1038/s41588-018-0311-9, PubMed 30617256
Common brain disorders are associated with heritable patterns of apparent aging of the brain
Nat Neurosci, 22 (10), 1617-1623
DOI 10.1038/s41593-019-0471-7, PubMed 31551603
Biophysical Psychiatry-How Computational Neuroscience Can Help to Understand the Complex Mechanisms of Mental Disorders
Front Psychiatry, 10, 534
DOI 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00534, PubMed 31440172
Alterations in Schizophrenia-Associated Genes Can Lead to Increased Power in Delta Oscillations
Cereb Cortex, 29 (2), 875-891
DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhy291, PubMed 30475994
Identification of genetic overlap and novel risk loci for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder
Mol Psychiatry, 26 (8), 4055-4065
DOI 10.1038/s41380-019-0613-z, PubMed 31792363
Identification of Genetic Loci Shared Between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Intelligence, and Educational Attainment
Biol Psychiatry, 87 (12), 1052-1062
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.015, PubMed 32061372
GBA and APOE ε4 associate with sporadic dementia with Lewy bodies in European genome wide association study
Sci Rep, 9 (1), 7013
DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-43458-2, PubMed 31065058
Author Correction: GBA and APOE ε4 associate with sporadic dementia with Lewy bodies in European genome wide association study
Sci Rep, 9 (1), 15168
DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-51827-0, PubMed 31619746
Genome-wide analysis reveals extensive genetic overlap between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and intelligence
Mol Psychiatry, 25 (4), 844-853
DOI 10.1038/s41380-018-0332-x, PubMed 30610197
Autism spectrum disorder polygenic scores are associated with every day executive function in children admitted for clinical assessment
Autism Res, 13 (2), 207-220
DOI 10.1002/aur.2207, PubMed 31571410
Childhood maltreatment and polygenic risk in bipolar disorders
Bipolar Disord, 22 (2), 174-181
DOI 10.1111/bdi.12851, PubMed 31628696
Publications 2018
Association of Heritable Cognitive Ability and Psychopathology With White Matter Properties in Children and Adolescents
JAMA Psychiatry, 75 (3), 287-295
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4277, PubMed 29365026
Recently evolved human-specific methylated regions are enriched in schizophrenia signals
BMC Evol Biol, 18 (1), 63
DOI 10.1186/s12862-018-1177-2, PubMed 29747567
Analysis of differentially methylated regions in great apes and extinct hominids provides support for the evolutionary hypothesis of schizophrenia
Schizophr Res, 206, 209-216
DOI 10.1016/j.schres.2018.11.025, PubMed 30545758
Vitamin D levels, brain volume, and genetic architecture in patients with psychosis
PLoS One, 13 (8), e0200250
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0200250, PubMed 30142216
Cross-tissue eQTL enrichment of associations in schizophrenia
PLoS One, 13 (9), e0202812
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0202812, PubMed 30188921
Effects of autozygosity and schizophrenia polygenic risk on cognitive and brain developmental trajectories
Eur J Hum Genet, 26 (7), 1049-1059
DOI 10.1038/s41431-018-0134-2, PubMed 29700391
Stability of the Brain Functional Connectome Fingerprint in Individuals With Schizophrenia
JAMA Psychiatry, 75 (7), 749-751
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0844, PubMed 29799905
A molecule-based genetic association approach implicates a range of voltage-gated calcium channels associated with schizophrenia
Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet, 177 (4), 454-467
DOI 10.1002/ajmg.b.32634, PubMed 29704319
Genetic Overlap Between Schizophrenia and Volumes of Hippocampus, Putamen, and Intracranial Volume Indicates Shared Molecular Genetic Mechanisms
Schizophr Bull, 44 (4), 854-864
DOI 10.1093/schbul/sbx148, PubMed 29136250
Enrichment of genetic markers of recent human evolution in educational and cognitive traits
Sci Rep, 8 (1), 12585
DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-30387-9, PubMed 30135563
Brain scans from 21,297 individuals reveal the genetic architecture of hippocampal subfield volumes
Mol Psychiatry, 25 (11), 3053-3065
DOI 10.1038/s41380-018-0262-7, PubMed 30279459
Meta-analysis of Alzheimer's disease on 9,751 samples from Norway and IGAP study identifies four risk loci
Sci Rep, 8 (1), 18088
DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-36429-6, PubMed 30591712
Identification of shared genetic variants between schizophrenia and lung cancer
Sci Rep, 8 (1), 674
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-16481-4, PubMed 29330379
Publications 2017
Distinct multivariate brain morphological patterns and their added predictive value with cognitive and polygenic risk scores in mental disorders
Neuroimage Clin, 15, 719-731
DOI 10.1016/j.nicl.2017.06.014, PubMed 28702349
Identification of Gene Loci That Overlap Between Schizophrenia and Educational Attainment
Schizophr Bull, 43 (3), 654-664
DOI 10.1093/schbul/sbw085, PubMed 27338279
Analysis of the joint effect of SNPs to identify independent loci and allelic heterogeneity in schizophrenia GWAS data
Transl Psychiatry, 7 (12), 1289
DOI 10.1038/s41398-017-0033-2, PubMed 29249828
Novel Loci Associated With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Are Revealed by Leveraging Polygenic Overlap With Educational Attainment
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 57 (2), 86-95
DOI 10.1016/j.jaac.2017.11.013, PubMed 29413154
Identification of Genetic Loci Jointly Influencing Schizophrenia Risk and the Cognitive Traits of Verbal-Numerical Reasoning, Reaction Time, and General Cognitive Function
JAMA Psychiatry, 74 (10), 1065-1075
DOI 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1986, PubMed 28746715
Probing the Association between Early Evolutionary Markers and Schizophrenia
PLoS One, 12 (1), e0169227
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0169227, PubMed 28081145
Shared genetic risk between migraine and coronary artery disease: A genome-wide analysis of common variants
PLoS One, 12 (9), e0185663
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0185663, PubMed 28957430
Genome-wide Pleiotropy Between Parkinson Disease and Autoimmune Diseases
JAMA Neurol, 74 (7), 780-792
DOI 10.1001/jamaneurol.2017.0469, PubMed 28586827
Bromodomain protein 4 discriminates tissue-specific super-enhancers containing disease-specific susceptibility loci in prostate and breast cancer
BMC Genomics, 18 (1), 270
DOI 10.1186/s12864-017-3620-y, PubMed 28359301
Publications 2016
Contribution of oxytocin receptor polymorphisms to amygdala activation in schizophrenia spectrum disorders
BJPsych Open, 2 (6), 353-358
DOI 10.1192/bjpo.bp.116.003376, PubMed 27847593
Task modulations and clinical manifestations in the brain functional connectome in 1615 fMRI datasets
Neuroimage, 147, 243-252
DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.11.073, PubMed 27916665
Functional Effects of Schizophrenia-Linked Genetic Variants on Intrinsic Single-Neuron Excitability: A Modeling Study
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging, 1 (1), 49-59
DOI 10.1016/j.bpsc.2015.09.002, PubMed 26949748
VRK2 gene expression in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and healthy controls
Br J Psychiatry, 209 (2), 114-20
DOI 10.1192/bjp.bp.115.161950, PubMed 26941264
Genetic overlap between multiple sclerosis and several cardiovascular disease risk factors
Mult Scler, 22 (14), 1783-1793
DOI 10.1177/1352458516635873, PubMed 26920376
Leveraging Genomic Annotations and Pleiotropic Enrichment for Improved Replication Rates in Schizophrenia GWAS
PLoS Genet, 12 (1), e1005803
DOI 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005803, PubMed 26808560
Pleiotropic Analysis of Lung Cancer and Blood Triglycerides
J Natl Cancer Inst, 108 (12)
DOI 10.1093/jnci/djw167, PubMed 27565901
Publications 2015
Polygenic risk scores in bipolar disorder subgroups
J Affect Disord, 183, 310-4
DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2015.05.021, PubMed 26047958
Large-scale genomics unveil polygenic architecture of human cortical surface area
Nat Commun, 6, 7549
DOI 10.1038/ncomms8549, PubMed 26189703
MicroRNAs enrichment in GWAS of complex human phenotypes
BMC Genomics, 16 (1), 304
DOI 10.1186/s12864-015-1513-5, PubMed 25884492
Association between Genetic Variation in the Oxytocin Receptor Gene and Emotional Withdrawal, but not between Oxytocin Pathway Genes and Diagnosis in Psychotic Disorders
Front Hum Neurosci, 9, 9
DOI 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00009, PubMed 25667571
Identifying Novel Gene Variants in Coronary Artery Disease and Shared Genes With Several Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Circ Res, 118 (1), 83-94
DOI 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.115.306629, PubMed 26487741
Genetic Sharing with Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Diabetes Reveals Novel Bone Mineral Density Loci
PLoS One, 10 (12), e0144531
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0144531, PubMed 26695485
Genetic Markers of Human Evolution Are Enriched in Schizophrenia
Biol Psychiatry, 80 (4), 284-292
DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.10.009, PubMed 26681495
Altered Brain Activation during Emotional Face Processing in Relation to Both Diagnosis and Polygenic Risk of Bipolar Disorder
PLoS One, 10 (7), e0134202
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0134202, PubMed 26222050
Publications 2014
Shared common variants in prostate cancer and blood lipids
Int J Epidemiol, 43 (4), 1205-14
DOI 10.1093/ije/dyu090, PubMed 24786909
Polygenic risk for schizophrenia associated with working memory-related prefrontal brain activation in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls
Schizophr Bull, 41 (3), 736-43
DOI 10.1093/schbul/sbu152, PubMed 25392519
Publications 2013
Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies new susceptibility loci for migraine
Nat Genet, 45 (8), 912-917
DOI 10.1038/ng.2676, PubMed 23793025
Analysis of genome-wide association studies of Alzheimer disease and of Parkinson disease to determine if these 2 diseases share a common genetic risk
JAMA Neurol, 70 (10), 1268-76
DOI 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.448, PubMed 23921447
Genome-wide association analysis identifies 13 new risk loci for schizophrenia
Nat Genet, 45 (10), 1150-9
DOI 10.1038/ng.2742, PubMed 23974872
No evidence for association between bipolar disorder risk gene variants and brain structural phenotypes
J Affect Disord, 151 (1), 291-7
DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.008, PubMed 23820096
Publications 2012
Protein secondary structure prediction with SPARROW
J Chem Inf Model, 52 (2), 545-56
DOI 10.1021/ci200321u, PubMed 22224407
A pathway-based analysis provides additional support for an immune-related genetic susceptibility to Parkinson's disease
Hum Mol Genet, 22 (5), 1039-49
DOI 10.1093/hmg/dds492, PubMed 23223016
Using genome-wide complex trait analysis to quantify 'missing heritability' in Parkinson's disease
Hum Mol Genet, 21 (22), 4996-5009
DOI 10.1093/hmg/dds335, PubMed 22892372