Dr. Gareth Davies, Chief Scientific Officer and Scientific Director at the Avera Institute for Human Genetics. He was listed as a co-author in Nature, the international weekly journal of science for an article titled “Common Genetic Variants Influence Human Subcortical Brain Structures” which was released Jan. 21. The article considers the complexity of the brain and how genetics influences development and structure of subcortical brain regions. These regions are involved in functions associated with movement, learning, memory and motivation; alterations to the structure of these regions can lead to abnormal behavior and disease.
Dr. Dorret Boomsma is internationally recognized as a leader in twins research. She established the Netherlands Twin Register more than 25 years ago. The Register was established in 1987 and was designed to provide insight into how genetics and the environment influence individual differences. The study examines the contribution of hereditary predisposition to such characteristics as personaltiy, development, disease and risk factors for disease.