The paper uses spatial transcriptomics to identify brain regions enriched for ASD and schizophrenia genes in mice, finding the thalamus, cortex, and hippocampus as key areas.

bioRxiv · May 15, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

Spatiotemporal analysis of autism gene enrichment implicates cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus

Xuran Wang, Yue Li, David Matthew Young, Alicia Ljungdahl, Chimmi Dema, Narjes Rohani, Tomasz Jan Nowakowski, Kathryn Roeder, Stephan J Sanders

The paper uses STARMAPS to analyze single-cell RNA sequencing data and identifies spatial and temporal patterns of ASD-associated gene enrichment in specific brain regions.

bioRxiv · May 14, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

Human-specific features of the cerebellum and ZP2-regulated synapse development

Suel–Kee Kim, Adriana Cherskov, Aastha Sindhwani, Sang-Hun Choi, Hyojin Kim, Mingli Li, Menglei Zhang, Xoel Mato-Blanco, Yuting Liu, Nicola Micali, David Matthew Young, Mark Estación, Yueqi Zhang, Jose Manuel Ruiz-Jiménez, Anandita Nadkarni, , Nenad Šestan

The paper identifies human-specific transcriptomic and regulatory features in the cerebellum, including ZP2's role in synapse development and regulation.

Cell · Mar 1, 2026Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Constructing and Optimizing 3D Atlases From 2D Data With Application to the Developing Mouse Brain

David Matthew Young, Siavash Fazel Darbandi, Grace Schwartz, Zachary Bonzell, Deniz Yuruk, Mai Nojima, Laurent Golé, John L.R. Rubenstein, Weimiao Yu, Stephan Sanders

The paper develops a computational method to construct 3D atlases from 2D data, improving accuracy and reducing artifacts in mouse brain development studies.

eLife · Feb 11, 2021Peer-reviewedDevelopmental Biology