This study identifies two distinct genetic factors underlying creativity, showing different genetic correlations with education and psychiatric disorders.

bioRxiv · Sep 30, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

Genetic underpinnings of chills from art and music

Giacomo Bignardi, Danielle Admiraal, Else Eising, Simon E. Fisher

This study identifies genetic factors influencing susceptibility to chills from art and music using large-scale genetic data from 15,606 individuals.

PLoS Genetics · Feb 18, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment

Giacomo Bignardi, Laura W. Wesseldijk, Ernest Mas Herrero, Robert J. Zatorre, Fredrik Ullén, Simon E. Fisher, Miriam Anna Mosing

The paper identifies distinct genetic pathways contributing to different aspects of music enjoyment using twin data.

Nature Communications · Mar 25, 2025Peer-reviewedGenetics

The shared genetic architecture and evolution of human language and musical rhythm

Gökberk Alagöz, Else Eising, Yasmina Mekki, Giacomo Bignardi, Pierre Fontanillas, Stella W. Aslibekyan, Adam Auton, Elizabeth Babalola, Robert K. Bell, Jessica Bielenberg, Jonathan Bowes, Katarzyna Bryc, Ninad S. Chaudhary, Daniella Coker, Sayantan Das, , Reyna L. Gordon

This study investigates the shared genetic architecture between rhythm and dyslexia using large-scale genome-wide association studies.

Nature Human Behaviour · Nov 21, 2024Peer-reviewedGenomics

Sex differences in intrinsic functional cortical organization reflect differences in network topology rather than cortical morphometry

Bianca Serio, Meike D. Hettwer, Lisa Wiersch, Giacomo Bignardi, Julia Sacher, Susanne Weis, Simon Bodo Eickhoff, Sofie Louise Valk

The paper examines sex differences in functional cortical organization and finds they are linked to network topology rather than cortical morphometry.

Nature Communications · Sep 4, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Distinct genetic underpinnings of inter-individual differences in the sensorimotor-association axis of cortical organisation

Giacomo Bignardi, Michel Guillaume Nivard, H. Lina Schaare, Boris C. Bernhardt, Richard A. I. Bethlehem, Simon E. Fisher, Sofie Louise Valk

The paper investigates genetic influences on inter-individual differences in the sensorimotor-association axis of cortical organisation using twin data from the Human Connectome Project.

bioRxiv · Jul 13, 2023 · PreprintNeuroscience

On the Etiology of Aesthetic Chills: a Behavioral Genetic Study

Giacomo Bignardi, Rebecca Chamberlain, Sofieke T. Kevenaar, Zenab Tamimy, Dorret Irene Boomsma

This study investigates the genetic and environmental factors influencing the propensity to experience aesthetic chills using twin data, finding a heritability estimate of 0.36.

Scientific Reports · Feb 28, 2022Peer-reviewedGenetics