Dr. Casey Paquola

I lead an interdisciplinary research program investigating the biological principles that govern human brain development, cortical architecture, and cognitive maturation. By bridging micro-scale neuroanatomy (histology, transcriptomics) with macro-scale MRI and computational modeling, my group builds multiscale frameworks to map how the human brain matures and why developmental trajectories diverge in psychiatric conditions.

Major grants and prizes

• ERC Starting Grant (2027 – 2032) - NEUROCAST

• DFG Emmy Noether Programme (2024 – 2030) – Microstructural development of the brain: Towards the origins of higher-order cognition

• Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award (2025)

• L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2025)

Academic trajectory

2024 - present: Principle Investigator at INM-7, FZJ

2021 - 2024: Post-doctoral fellow at INM-1 and INM-7, FZJ

2018 - 2021: Post-doctoral fellow at McGill University, Montreal

2015 - 2018: Doctoral studies at University of Sydney, Australia and Vrije University, Amsterdam

2011 - 2014: Bachelor of Science (Advanced with Honours), major in Neuroscience, University of Sydney, Australia

Tools and resources

• CortPro: An open-source toolbox for generating and analysing intracortical microstructure profiles. Published in Imaging Neuroscience

• BigBrainWarp: A set of data, scripts and tutorials for integrating human histology and in vivo MRI. Published in eLife

First and senior author publications

Neuroanatomical modelling

• Paquola C et al., (2025) The architecture of the human default mode network explored through cytoarchitecture, wiring and signal flow. Nature Neuroscience
• Paquola C et al. (2022). Closing the mechanistic gap: the value of microarchitecture in understanding cognitive networks. Trends in Cognitive Sciences
• Paquola C et al., (2020) Convergence of cortical types and functional motifs in the mesiotemporal lobe. eLife
• Paquola C et al., (2020) A multi-scale cortical wiring space links cellular architecture, functional dynamics and hierarchies in humans. PloS Biology
• Paquola C et al. (2019). Microstructural and functional gradients are increasingly dissociated in transmodal cortices. PLOS Biology

Neurodevelopment and psychiatric illness

• Tsigaras T ... Paquola C (2026) Prenatal and early postnatal periods differentially shape the maturation of human cortical microstructure and myelin. PloS Biology
• Kirschner M*, Paquola C* et al.,(2023) Schizophrenia polygenic risk during typical development reflects multiscale cortical organization. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
• Yin S, ... Paquola C (2022) Shared and distinct patterns of atypical cortical morphometry in children with autism and anxiety. Cerebral Cortex.
• Bethlehem RAI*, Paquola C*, et al., (2020) Dispersion of functional gradient across the lifespan. NeuroImage
• Paquola C*, Bethlehem RAI*, et al., (2020) Shifts in myeloarchitecture characterise adolescent development of cortical gradients. eLife
• Paquola C, et al., (2018) Structural and functional connectivity underlying grey matter covariance: Impact of developmental insult. Brain Connectivity.
• Paquola C, et al.,(2017). Utility of the cumulative stress and mismatch hypotheses in understanding the neurobiological impacts of childhood abuse and recent stress in youth with emerging mental disorder.
• Paquola C, et al., (2017). Hippocampal development in youth with a history of childhood maltreatment. J. Psychiatr. Res.
• Paquola C, et al., (2016) Understanding heterogeneity in grey matter research of adults with childhood maltreatment - A meta-analysis and review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

Method development and open-source toolboxes

• Paquola C, et al., (2025) Intracortical microstructure profiling: a cross-modal method for indexing cortical lamination. Imaging Neuroscience
• Paquola C & Hong SJ. (2022) The potential of myelin-sensitive imaging: Redefining spatiotemporal patterns of myeloarchitecture. Biological Psychiatry

Paquola C, et al.,(2021) The BigBrainWarp toolbox for integration of BigBrain 3D histology with multimodal neuroimaging. eLife