Biomarker Development
Neuroimaging· Digital phenotyping · Clinical research
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Biomarkers across brain biology and daily life
Biomarkers across brain biology and daily life
The Biomarker Development group at INM-7, Forschungszentrum Jülich, investigates how measurements of brain organisation and everyday behaviour can inform neurological and psychiatric research. Led by Prof. Dr. Juergen Dukart, the group combines multimodal neuroimaging, digital phenotyping, biosignal processing and computational analysis.
Our research connects three levels of observation: biological organisation within the brain, structural and functional imaging measures, and behaviour recorded in daily life. We develop tools for acquiring and analysing these measurements, examine their reproducibility and investigate their relation to clinical characteristics, development and treatment effects.
The Multiscale Neurodevelopment (MuNe) team, led by Dr. Casey Paquola, adds a focus on cortical microstructure, connectivity and maturation. Together, these approaches provide a framework for studying variation across individuals and over time. For more information about MuNe see: https://multiscale-neurodevelopment.github.io/
From imaging patterns to biological interpretation
From imaging patterns to biological interpretation
Imaging differences become more informative when considered alongside the brain’s molecular and cellular organisation. We compare structural and functional maps with neurotransmitter atlases and other biological reference data.
Example study: Our recent work in autism combines replication across imaging cohorts with comparisons to receptor distributions and pharmacological imaging. This research links macroscopic imaging patterns to candidate biological processes, while distinguishing spatial association from causal evidence.
Grumbach et al., Nature Communications (2025)
Measuring behaviour beyond the clinic - digital biomarker focus
Measuring behaviour beyond the clinic - digital biomarker focus
Repeated smartphone measurements and ecological momentary assessment help characterise behaviour in its everyday context. JTrack platform developed in the Biomarker Development group supports diverse remote data collection and study management.
Example study: In a four-month study of communication patterns, our team identified differences in the relative use of written and verbal communication among autistic and neurotypical adults. Such studies evaluate what digital measurements capture and how they complement established assessments.
Turna et al., npj Digital Medicine (2025)
Methods and research software
Methods and research software
Reusable software is an integral part of the group’s research. JuSpace and NiSpace support spatial comparisons of brain maps; JTrack and JDash provide infrastructure for digital phenotyping; case-e supports structured research data collection. We combine these resources with statistical modelling, multimodal integration and validation across independent datasets. The Research, Software and Publications pages provide further methodological detail, source code and links to the underlying studies.
Understanding cortical development across scales
Understanding cortical development across scales
Changes in brain structure unfold within a complex biological landscape. We relate developmental imaging trajectories to molecular and cellular atlases, and combine histology with MRI to investigate cortical architecture and network organisation. Studies of cortical thickness across the lifespan and of the default mode network illustrate how these complementary measurements can place imaging observations within a multiscale account of brain organisation.
Lotter et al., Nature Communications (2024) · Paquola et al., Nature Neuroscience (2025)
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