Differential gene expression associated with frontal and occipital asymmetries of the human brain

Rightward frontal and leftward occipital asymmetries in human brain (i.e., brain torque) have been consistently reported in postmortem and in vivo neuroimaging studies. Alterations of these asymmetries may be involved in human disorders including stuttering and depression. However, little is known about the genetic determinants of these asymmetries. In the present study, we aimed to explore the genetic basis of frontal and occipital asymmetries by combining a large sample of MRI images (N = 2326) and a high-resolution gene expression database (Allen Human Brain Atlas, AHBA).