Neuroimaging genomics and the biological architecture of mental conditions

Speaker:  Prof. Rafael Romero-García

March 23^rd, 2026 | 5:15 pm
Politecnico di Milano, 3.1.5 Room (Bld. 3)
Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32
On line by Webex

Contact: Eleonora Maggioni

Abstract

On March 23^rd, 2026 at 5.15 pm Prof. Rafael Romero-García, Department of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, University of Seville, will give a seminar on "Neuroimaging genomics and the biological architecture of mental conditions" in Politecnico di Milano, 3.1.5 Room (Building 3, Gino Cassinis).

Understanding the neural correlates of psychiatric disorders remains one of the major challenges in neuroscience and biomedical research. Traditional case–control approaches often assume that patients within a diagnostic category share similar biological alterations. However, growing evidence indicates substantial heterogeneity within psychiatric conditions, challenging the search for a single biological signature. In this seminar, we will discuss recent research integrating neuroimaging and genomics to investigate the biological basis of mental health, with particular emphasis on psychosis and schizophrenia spectrum disorders. We will introduce normative modelling, a computational framework that characterizes how brain structure and function vary across the general population and enables the quantification of individual deviations from typical trajectories. Using large multimodal datasets together with novel analytical methodologies, we will highlight the potential of neuroimaging genetics to improve our understanding of the biological diversity underlying mental illness.

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Short Bio

After earning a degree in Computer Engineering (2008), Rafael completed a MSc and PhD in Neuroscience (2014). He then joined the Brain Mapping Unit at the University of Cambridge, where he studied neurodevelopment’s role in mental health. In 2017, Rafael was awarded the Guarantors of Brain Fellowship, enabling him to lead a research program investigating the potential of neuroimaging in treating tumour patients. In 2021, Rafael returned to Spain to establish the Neuroimaging and Brain Networks Lab at the University of Seville. Here, he leads multiple national and European projects leveraging neuroimaging and multi-omics approaches. They focus on deepening the understanding of altered brain maturation in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, OCD, and autism. Currently, he serves as a Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine while maintaining affiliations as a researcher and visiting lecturer at Cambridge.