Dr Alex Fornito

Alex Fornito

University position

Visiting Research Associate

Departments

Department of Psychiatry

Institutes

Brain Mapping Unit

Email

af397@cam.ac.uk

Home page

http://www-bmu.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/

Research Themes

Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience

Systems and Computational Neuroscience

Interests

My work focuses on using tools from complex network science to understand brain connectivity. This principally involves the application of graph analytic techniques to human structural and functional neuroimaging data, with a particular emphasis on understanding genetic influences on brain network organization, how brain network interactions relate to cognition and emotion, and how disturbances in brain connectivity lead to psychiatric disorders.

The network of brain regions most affected by schizophrenia. Highlighted in colour are the regions most frequently showing grey matter reductions in people with schizophrenia in a meta-analysis of 37 structural brain imaging stuidies. Image taken from Fornito et al. Schizophr Res, 2009, 104-113.
The network of brain regions most affected by schizophrenia. Highlighted in colour are the regions most frequently showing grey matter reductions in people with schizophrenia in a meta-analysis of 37 structural brain imaging stuidies. Image taken from Fornito et al. Schizophr Res, 2009, 104-113.
View image full-size (2252x676 pixels)

Research Focus

Keywords

MRI

connectivity

genes

cognition

psychosis

Clinical conditions

Bipolar disorder

Depressive disorders

Schizophrenia

Equipment

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Neuropsychological testing

Collaborators

Cambridge

Edward Bullmore

Paul Fletcher

Jon Simons

International

Bryan Mowry Web: http://www.qcsr.uq.edu.au/index.html

Christos Pantelis Web: http://www.psychiatry.unimelb.edu.au/mnc/

Murat Yucel Web: http://www.psychiatry.unimelb.edu.au/mnc/

Publications

in press

Bora E, Fornito A, Yücel M, Pantelis C. (in press), “Voxelwise meta-analysis of gray matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder.” Biol Psychiatry

2009

Bullmore E, Barnes A, Bassett DS, Fornito A, Kitzbichler M, Meunier D, Suckling J (2009), “Generic aspects of complexity in brain imaging data and other biological systems.” Neuroimage 47(3):1125-34 Details

Fornito A, Yücel M, Dean B, Wood SJ, Pantelis C (2009), “Anatomical abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia: bridging the gap between neuroimaging and neuropathology.” Schizophr Bull 35(5):973-93 Details

Fornito A, Yücel M, Patti J, Wood SJ, Pantelis C (2009), “Mapping grey matter reductions in schizophrenia: An anatomical likelihood estimation analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies.” Schizophr Res 108(1-3):104-13 Details

Fornito A, Yücel M, Wood SJ, Bechdolf A, Carter S, Adamson C, Velakoulis D, Saling, MM, McGorry, PD, Pantelis, C (2009), “Anatomical abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex in first episode bipolar psychosis.” Brit J Psychiatry 194(5): 426-433

Fornito, A, Yücel, M, Pantelis, C (2009), “Reconciling neuroimaging and neuropathological findings in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. ” Curr Opinion Psychiatry 22(3): 312-319

Lorenzetti V, Allen NB, Fornito A, Pantelis C, De Plato G, Ang A, Yücel M (2009), “Pituitary gland volume in currently depressed and remitted depressed patients.” Psychiatry Res 172(1):55-60 Details

Lorenzetti V, Allen NB, Fornito A, Yücel M (2009), “Structural brain abnormalities in major depressive disorder: a selective review of recent MRI studies.” J Affect Disord 117(1-2):1-17 Details

Meunier D, Lambiotte R, Fornito A, Ersche KD, Bullmore ET (2009), “Hierarchical modularity in human brain functional networks.” Front Neuroinformatics 3:37 Details

Nelson B, Fornito A, Harrison BJ, Yücel M, Sass LA, Yung AR, Thompson A, Wood SJ, Pantelis C, McGorry PD (2009), “A disturbed sense of self in the psychosis prodrome: linking phenomenology and neurobiology.” Neurosci Biobehav Rev 33(6):807-17 Details

Pantelis C, Yücel M, Bora E, Fornito A, Testa R, Brewer WJ, Velakoulis D, Wood SJ (2009), “Neurobiological markers of illness onset in psychosis and schizophrenia: The search for a moving target.” Neuropsychol Rev 19(3):385-98 Details

Whittle S, Allen NB, Fornito A, Lubman DI, Simmons JG, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2009), “Variations in cortical folding patterns are related to individual differences in temperament.” Psychiatry Res 172(1):68-74 Details

Whittle S, Chanen AM, Fornito A, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2009), “Anterior cingulate volume in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder.” Psychiatry Res 172(2):155-60 Details

Zalesky A, Fornito A (2009), “A DTI-derived measure of cortico-cortical connectivity.” IEEE Trans Med Imaging 28(7):1023-36 Details

Zalesky A, Fornito A, Harding IH, Cocchi L, Yücel M, Pantelis C, Bullmore ET (2009), “Whole-brain anatomical networks: Does the choice of nodes matter?” Neuroimage Details

2008

Bora E, Yucel M, Fornito A, Berk M, Pantelis C (2008), “Major psychoses with mixed psychotic and mood symptoms: are mixed psychoses associated with different neurobiological markers?” Acta Psychiatr Scand 118(3):172-87 Details

Fornito A, Malhi GS, Lagopoulos J, Ivanovski B, Wood SJ, Saling MM, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2008), “Anatomical abnormalities of the anterior cingulate and paracingulate cortex in patients with bipolar I disorder.” Psychiatry Res 162(2):123-32 Details

Fornito A, Wood SJ, Whittle S, Fuller J, Adamson C, Saling MM, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2008), “Variability of the paracingulate sulcus and morphometry of the medial frontal cortex: associations with cortical thickness, surface area, volume, and sulcal depth.” Hum Brain Mapp 29(2):222-36 Details

Fornito A, Yücel M, Wood SJ, Adamson C, Velakoulis D, Saling MM, McGorry PD, Pantelis C (2008), “Surface-based morphometry of the anterior cingulate cortex in first episode schizophrenia.” Hum Brain Mapp 29(4):478-89 Details

Fornito A, Yung AR, Wood SJ, Phillips LJ, Nelson B, Cotton S, Velakoulis D, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2008), “Anatomic abnormalities of the anterior cingulate cortex before psychosis onset: an MRI study of ultra-high-risk individuals.” Biol Psychiatry 64(9):758-65 Details

Harrison BJ, Pujol J, Ortiz H, Fornito A, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2008), “Modulation of brain resting-state networks by sad mood induction.” PLoS ONE 3(3):e1794 Details

Seal ML, Yücel M, Fornito A, Wood SJ, Harrison BJ, Walterfang M, Pell GS, Pantelis C (2008), “Abnormal white matter microstructure in schizophrenia: a voxelwise analysis of axial and radial diffusivity.” Schizophr Res 101(1-3):106-10 Details

Whittle S, Yap MB, Yücel M, Fornito A, Simmons JG, Barrett A, Sheeber L, Allen NB (2008), “Prefrontal and amygdala volumes are related to adolescents' affective behaviors during parent-adolescent interactions.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(9):3652-7 Details

Whittle S, Yücel M, Fornito A, Barrett A, Wood SJ, Lubman DI, Simmons J, Pantelis C, Allen NB (2008), “Neuroanatomical correlates of temperament in early adolescents.” J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 47(6):682-93 Details

Wood SJ, Pantelis C, Velakoulis D, Yücel M, Fornito A, McGorry PD (2008), “Progressive changes in the development toward schizophrenia: studies in subjects at increased symptomatic risk.” Schizophr Bull 34(2):322-9 Details

Yücel M, Solowij N, Respondek C, Whittle S, Fornito A, Pantelis C, Lubman DI (2008), “Regional brain abnormalities associated with long-term heavy cannabis use.” Arch Gen Psychiatry 65(6):694-701 Details

Yücel M, Wood SJ, Wellard RM, Harrison BJ, Fornito A, Pujol J, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2008), “Anterior cingulate glutamate-glutamine levels predict symptom severity in women with obsessive-compulsive disorder.” Aust N Z J Psychiatry 42(6):467-77 Details

2007

Fornito A, Malhi GS, Lagopoulos J, Ivanovski B, Wood SJ, Velakoulis D, Saling MM, McGorry PD, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2007), “In vivo evidence for early neurodevelopmental anomaly of the anterior cingulate cortex in bipolar disorder.” Acta Psychiatr Scand 116(6):467-72 Details

Harrison BJ, Yücel M, Fornito A, Wood SJ, Seal ML, Clarke K, Pantelis C (2007), “Characterizing anterior cingulate activation in chronic schizophrenia: a group and single-subject fMRI study.” Acta Psychiatr Scand 116(4):271-9 Details

Velakoulis D, Fornito A, Walterfang M, Malhi G, Yucel M, Pantelis C (2007), “A tale of two cities: a neuroimaging investigation of Melbourne-Sydney rivalry comparing cortical thickness in healthy adults.” Australas Psychiatry 15(1):67-71 Details

Wood SJ, Yücel M, Wellard RM, Harrison BJ, Clarke K, Fornito A, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2007), “Evidence for neuronal dysfunction in the anterior cingulate of patients with schizophrenia: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 3 T.” Schizophr Res 94(1-3):328-31 Details

Yücel M, Brewer WJ, Harrison BJ, Fornito A, O'Keefe GJ, Olver J, Scott AM, Egan GF, Velakoulis D, McGorry PD, Pantelis C (2007), “Anterior cingulate activation in antipsychotic-naïve first-episode schizophrenia.” Acta Psychiatr Scand 115(2):155-8 Details

Yücel M, Harrison BJ, Wood SJ, Fornito A, Clarke K, Wellard RM, Cotton S, Pantelis C (2007), “State, trait and biochemical influences on human anterior cingulate function.” Neuroimage 34(4):1766-73 Details

Yücel M, Harrison BJ, Wood SJ, Fornito A, Wellard RM, Pujol J, Clarke K, Phillips ML, Kyrios M, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2007), “Functional and biochemical alterations of the medial frontal cortex in obsessive-compulsive disorder.” Arch Gen Psychiatry 64(8):946-55 Details

Yücel M, Lubman DI, Harrison BJ, Fornito A, Allen NB, Wellard RM, Roffel K, Clarke K, Wood SJ, Forman SD, Pantelis C (2007), “A combined spectroscopic and functional MRI investigation of the dorsal anterior cingulate region in opiate addiction.” Mol Psychiatry 12(7):611, 691-702 Details

2006

Fornito A, Whittle S, Wood SJ, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C, Yücel M (2006), “The influence of sulcal variability on morphometry of the human anterior cingulate and paracingulate cortex.” Neuroimage 33(3):843-54 Details

Fornito A, Yücel M, Wood SJ, Proffitt T, McGorry PD, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2006), “Morphology of the paracingulate sulcus and executive cognition in schizophrenia.” Schizophr Res 88(1-3):192-7 Details

2004

Fornito A, Yücel M, Wood S, Stuart GW, Buchanan JA, Proffitt T, Anderson V, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2004), “Individual differences in anterior cingulate/paracingulate morphology are related to executive functions in healthy males.” Cereb Cortex 14(4):424-31 Details

2003

Yücel M, Wood SJ, Fornito A, Riffkin J, Velakoulis D, Pantelis C (2003), “Anterior cingulate dysfunction: implications for psychiatric disorders?” J Psychiatry Neurosci 28(5):350-4 Details