Brian O’Roak uses genomic approaches to unlock the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and intellectual disability.
Brian O’Roak
Associate professor of molecular and medical genetics
Oregon Health and Science University
From this contributor
How I learned to stop worrying and love preprints
Preprints are gaining traction in biology, but some researchers have lingering concerns. Should they?
Burning debate: What’s the best way to nab real autism genes?
How to best use a large volume of data to discover new genetic risk factors for autism is a matter of intense debate, particularly in light of historical challenges.
Burning debate: What’s the best way to nab real autism genes?
By
Brian O’Roak
27 June 2017 | 9 min read
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The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
The genome offers a recipe, not a blueprint, for the brain
During brain development, genes set the rules and turn the knobs; self-organization does much of the rest.
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Ila Fiete
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
Autism research involving monkeys contends with uphill battle
Macaques and marmosets recapitulate the condition’s core traits better than mice can, but funding uncertainty and challenges at primate centers in the United States could make this work difficult to continue.
By
Diana Kwon
2 November 2026 | 8 min read
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
When is self-organization a mechanism in brain development?
Retinal waves offer a powerful example of a self-organizing system that can build structure without external guidance. The field would do well to embrace such phenomena more broadly as a type of mechanistic explanation.
By
P. Robin Hiesinger
2 November 2026 | 6 min read