Nicholas Clifton, PhD, AFHEA

Bio

My research focuses on studying gene expression patterns of biological pathways associated with psychiatric disorders. I use multi-omics approaches to track expression dynamics across development and apply these data to questions about genetic risk with bioinformatics.

Research Posts

University of Exeter Senior Research Fellow, Exeter Medical School | 2022-Present

Cardiff University Research Associate, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics | 2021-2022

Cardiff University Research Fellow, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute | 2018-2021

Cardiff University Early Career Research Fellow, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute | 2016-2018

Selected Publications

Clifton NE, Lin JQ, Holt CE, O’Donovan MC, Mill J (2024). Enrichment of the Local Synaptic Translatome for Genetic Risk Associated With Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.006
Clifton NE, Bosworth ML, Haan N, Rees E, Holmans PA, Wilkinson LS, Isles AR, Collins MO, Hall J (2022). Developmental disruption to the cortical transcriptome and synaptosome in a model of SETD1A loss-of-function. Human Molecular Genetics, https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddac105
Clifton NE, Collado-Torres L, Burke EE, Pardinas AF, Harwood JC, Di Florio A, Walter JTR, Owen MJ, O’Donovan MC, Weinberger DR, Holmans PA, Jaffe AE, Hall J (2021). Developmental profile of psychiatric risk associated with voltage-gated cation channel activity. Biological Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.03.009
Clifton NE, Rees E, Holmans PA, Pardinas AF, Harwood JC, Di Florio A, Kirov G, Walter JTR, O’Donovan MC, Owen MJ, Hall J, Pocklington, AJ (2020). Genetic association of FMRP targets with psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00912-2.

Apps and Tools

authentiSci | Browser extension allowing scientists to provide feedback on the validity of online science news

Block the Flock - no longer available on Play Store | Competitive Android game, built in Unity

Bio

Research Posts

University of Exeter Senior Research Fellow, Exeter Medical School | 2022-Present

Cardiff University Research Associate, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics | 2021-2022

Cardiff University Research Fellow, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute | 2018-2021

Cardiff University Early Career Research Fellow, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute | 2016-2018

Selected Publications

Clifton NE, Lin JQ, Holt CE, O’Donovan MC, Mill J (2024). Enrichment of the Local Synaptic Translatome for Genetic Risk Associated With Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.12.006

Clifton NE, Bosworth ML, Haan N, Rees E, Holmans PA, Wilkinson LS, Isles AR, Collins MO, Hall J (2022). Developmental disruption to the cortical transcriptome and synaptosome in a model of SETD1A loss-of-function. Human Molecular Genetics, https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddac105

Clifton NE, Collado-Torres L, Burke EE, Pardinas AF, Harwood JC, Di Florio A, Walter JTR, Owen MJ, O’Donovan MC, Weinberger DR, Holmans PA, Jaffe AE, Hall J (2021). Developmental profile of psychiatric risk associated with voltage-gated cation channel activity. Biological Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.03.009

Clifton NE, Rees E, Holmans PA, Pardinas AF, Harwood JC, Di Florio A, Kirov G, Walter JTR, O’Donovan MC, Owen MJ, Hall J, Pocklington, AJ (2020). Genetic association of FMRP targets with psychiatric disorders. Molecular Psychiatry, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-020-00912-2.