My research focuses on understanding the structural and molecular organization of the brain and its relationship to function and connectivity. My work addresses how the cerebral cortex is organized at multiple spatial scales, combining cytoarchitecture, myeloarchitecture, and receptor architecture to define cortical areas and uncover the principles governing interregional connectivity. A central theme of my research is the role of receptor distribution patterns in shaping functional specialization and long-range connectional rules across the brain.

A major component of my work involves the development of detailed, multimodal brain atlases in humans and non-human primates, particularly the macaque, which serves as an important translational model due to its close evolutionary relationship with humans. By integrating quantitative neuroanatomy with neuroimaging data, my research enables robust cross-species comparisons and provides essential reference frameworks for interpreting experimental and clinical findings.

1. Purple RJ, Gupta R, Thomas CW, Golden CT, Palomero-Gallagher N, Carhart-Harris R, Froudist-Walsh S, Jones MW. Short- and long-term modulation of rat prefrontal cortical activity following single doses of psilocybin. Molecular Psychiatry, 30: 5889-5900, 2025 PubMed
2. Zhao L, Witter MP, Palomero-Gallagher N. Cyto-, gene, and multireceptor architecture of the early postnatal mouse hippocampal complex. Progress in Neurobiology 245: 102704, 2025 PubMed
3. Mars RB, Palomero-Gallagher N. Towards multi-modal, multi-species brain atlases: part two. Brain Structure and Function 229: 1769-1772, 2024 PubMed
4. Niu M, Rapan L, Froudist-Walsh S, Zhao L, Funck T, Amunts K, Palomero-Gallagher N. Multimodal mapping of macaque monkey somatosensory cortex. Prog Neurobiol 239: 102633, 2024 PubMed
5. Balan PF, Zhu Q, Li X, Niu M, Rapan L, Funck T, Wang H, Bakker R, Palomero-Gallagher N*, Vanduffel W*. MEBRAINS 1.0: a new population-based macaque atlas. Imaging Neuroscience 2: 1-26, 2024 PubMed
6. Rapan L, Froudist-Walsh S, Niu M, Xu T, Zhao L, Funck T, Wang X-J, Amunts K, Palomero-Gallagher N. Cytoarchitectonic, receptor distribution and functional connectivity analyses of the macaque frontal lobe. eLife 12:e82850, 2023 PubMed
7. Froudist-Walsh S, Xu T, Niu M, Rapan L, Zhao L, Margulies DS, Zilles K, Wang X-J, Palomero-Gallagher N. Gradients of neurotransmitter receptor expression in the macaque cortex. Nature Neuroscience 26: 1281–1294, 2023 PubMed
8. Hansen JY, Shafiei G, Markello RD, Smart K, Cox SML, Nørgaard M, Beliveau V, Wu Y, Gallezot J-D, Aumont E, Stijn Servaes S, Scala SG, DuBois JM, Wainstein G, Bezgin G, Funck T, Schmitz TW, Spreng RN, Galovic M, Koepp MJ, Duncan JS, Coles JP, Fryer TD, Aigbirhio FI, McGinnity CJ, Hammers A, Soucy J-P, Baillet S, Guimond S, Hietala J, Bédard M-A, Leyton M, Kobayashi E, Rosa-Neto P, Ganz M, Knudsen GM, Palomero-Gallagher N, Shine JM, Carson RE, Tuominen L, Dagher A, Misic B. Mapping neurotransmitter systems to the structural and functional organization of the human neocortex. Nature Neuroscience 25: 1569-1581, 2022 PubMed
9. Hansen JY, Markello RD, Tuominen L, Nørgaard M, Kuzmin E, Palomero-Gallagher N, Dagher A, Misic B. Correspondence between gene expression and neurotransmitter receptor and transporter density in the human brain. NeuroImage 264: 119671, 2022 PubMed
10. Khan AF, Adewale Q, Baumeister TR, Carbonell F, Zilles K, Palomero-Gallagher N, Iturria-Medina Y. Personalized brain models identify neurotransmitter receptor changes in Alzheimer's disease. Brain 145: 1785-1804, 2022 PubMed