Research
The genetic basis of neurobehavioral traits, development of research tools to facilitate the genetic investigation of complex traits
Appointments
- Director, Biological Samples Processing Core (BSPC)
- Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics
- Informatics Center for Neurogenetics and Neurogenomics (ICNN)
- UCLA Neuroscience Genomics Core
- Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
- Member, Neuroscience IDP
- Adult Psychiatry
- Brain Research Institute
- CTSI
Biography
The research in Dr. Freimer’s laboratory aims to identify the genetic basis of complex traits, particularly neurobehavioral phenotypes such as bipolar disorder, Tourette Syndrome, and temperament. Together with numerous collaborators the lab has centered its studies around three foci:
1) using genomewide genetic approaches to map neurobehavioral traits
2) developing innovative approaches to phenotype neurobehavioral traits
3) emphasizing the importance of population genetics for gene mapping, particularly the use of population isolates.
Publications
- Frydman-Gani, C, Arias, A, Perez-Vallejo, M, Londoño Martínez, JD, Valencia-Echeverry, J, Castano Ramírez, M et al.. Generative Large Language Models for Psychiatric Concept Detection in Spanish-Language Electronic Health Records: Development and Evaluation Study. J Med Internet Res. 2026;28 :e93328. doi: 10.2196/93328. PubMed PMID:42932872 .
- Chang, L, Freimer, NB, Hsiao, EY. The Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis: Exploring the Link Between Depression and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Annu Rev Physiol. 2026; :. doi: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-040225-111420. PubMed PMID:42874001 .
- Gerdes, G, Tozzo, V, Service, SK, Frydman-Gani, C, Diaz-Zuluaga, AM, Valencia-Echeverry, J et al.. A founder population reveals genetic variation with major effect on serious mental illness. medRxiv. 2026; :. doi: 10.64898/2026.09.25.26363706. PubMed PMID:42818201 PubMed Central PMC13622407.
- van der Veen, T, Tesfaye, M, Yang, JMK, Boltz, T, David, FS, Crinion, S et al.. Genomic dimensions deconstruct the clinical heterogeneity of bipolar disorder. Res Sq. 2026; :. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-10041361/v1. PubMed PMID:42687878 PubMed Central PMC13532706.
- Douglas, CS, Congdon, E, Huang, C, Seok, D, Cohen, ZD, Akre, S et al.. The Digital Mental Health Study assessed feasibility of large-scale digital sensing for depression and anxiety. NPJ Digit Public Health. 2026;1 (1):27. doi: 10.1038/s44482-026-00029-3. PubMed PMID:42558176 PubMed Central PMC13437235.