Staff Profile

I am active in both research and teaching; supervising and conducting research into the development, plasticity and repair of the nervous system, and teaching anatomy, neuroanatomy and stem cell biology to both post-graduates and undergraduates. 

•  MA University of Oxford
•  DPhil University of Oxford
•  Associate Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford
•  Associate Research Fellow, Dept. of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London
•  Lecturer, Department of Child Health, Newcastle University
•  Senior Lecturer, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University
• Senior Lecturer, Biosciences Institute

 Area of expertise: Neuroscience, Anatomy, Developmental Biology

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Research Interests

Development, plasticity, neurodegeneration and repair of the nervous system. Molecular neuroanatomical approaches including neural tracing, immunohistochemistry and gene expression profiling.

Current Work

1) Development of the early fetal human forebrain including role of subplate, and interneuron specification.

2) Studying expression and function of neurodevelopmental disease susceptibility genes in the early fetal human forebrain. 

3) Exploring cortical interneuron function and mitochondrial deficits in mouse transgenic models of dementia.

Postgraduate Supervision

Currently co-supervising eight PhD students;  Maznah Alhesain, Bethany Dennis, Matthew Drummond, Ibtisam Al-Musawi, Anna Dimtsi, Lauren O'Neil, Natalie Wucherer and Martha Davies-Branch. Five PhD students have recently successfully completed their studies: Reem Basuodan, Ayman Alzu'bi and Clare Tweedy in 2018, Abdullah Ben Awad 2022 ans Anastasia Dimitrou in 2024. In total I have supervised or co-supervised 18 PhD students to completion. 

Recent Esteem Indicators

Member of the Epilepsy Research Institute neurodevelopment task force (2024-)

Awarded the Symington Memorial Prize in Anatomy (2022)

Elected Council Member (2015) Research Officer (2016) and Fellow (2019) of the Anatomical Society.

Member of the ERA-NET NEURON peer review panel for Transnational research projects on neurodevelopmental disorders 2021.

Invited keynote speaker, Sheffield Neurological Society meeting "Brain in Flux", March 2019.

 Co-organiser and speaker, symposium on "Human Cerebral Cortex Development",  part of the Summer Meeting of the Anatomical Society in Oxford, 2018.

Invited speaker at international symposium: "Understanding nerve-muscle interactions in health and disease", Warsaw, September 2015. 

Invited speaker: European Academy of Childhood Disability annual meeting, Copenhagen, May 2015.

Research Topic Editor, Frontiers in Neurology, "Improving outcomes in cerebral palsy with early interventions; new translational approaches" http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/1834 now published as an ebook.

Guest Editor of the Journal Of Anatomy symposium issues 2019 "Human Cerebral Cortex Development and 2010: "Development of the Human Neocortex".

Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Journal of Anatomy, Translational Neuroscience.

Associate Editor, BMC Neuroscience 2013-2021; Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 2023-

Ad hoc reviewer for many journals including Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, Cerebral Cortex and Journal of Neuroscience, (see https://publons.com/author/195744/gavin-john-clowry)

and for grant giving bodies including the MRC, BBSRC, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Croatian Science Foundation, Action Medical Research, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Our publication 'Ip BK, Wappler I, Peters H, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ, Bayatti N (2010) Investigating gradients of gene expression involved in early human cortical development. Journal of Anatomy 217: 300-311' was awarded a prize for best paper in the Journal of Anatomy 2010.

Funding

Co-holder of PhD studentships from the Alzheimer's Society and the Epilepsy Research Institute.

Previously funding includes co-holding of programme grants from the Wellcome Trust and Wellcome Trust/MRC also Clare Tweedy was supported by an MRC/CASE studentship, and I have had awards from the Anatomical Society, Children's Foundation, Newcastle University Hospitals Special Trustees, Motor Neuron Disease Association, Kavli Foundation, and Alkor Biotech for an industrial/academic collaborative project.

Undergraduate Teaching

• MBBS Stage 2. Neurobiology, lecturer
• BDS Stage 1. Neurobiology, lecturer and practicals
• Biomedical Sciences stage 2. Neuroanatomy, Neural circuits, lecturer
• Biomedical Sciences stage 2. Human anatomy, lecturer
• Biomedical Sciences stage 3. Research project supervision.
• Pharmacology stage 3. Neuroanatomy lecture, practical and tutorial for neuropharmacology. 
• Physiology stage 3. Neuroanatomy practical.
• Psychology stage 3. Neuroanatomy practical.
• Genetics stage 3. Developmental genetics, neurobiology, lecturer
• External examiner for Edinburgh University, BSc Hons/BMedSci, Anatomy and Development, 2023-.

Postgraduate Teaching

• PhD/MPhil supervision
• MRes deputy degree programme director (Chair of Examiners) and MRes Neuroscience theme lead 
• MRes neuroanatomy (practical)
• MRes Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells (Lecturer)
• MRes Developmental Genetics (Lecturer)
• MRes research project supervision

• Articles

  • Alhesain M, Ronan H, LeBeau FEN, Clowry GJ. Expression of the schizophrenia associated gene FEZ1 in the early developing fetal human forebrain. Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023, 17, 1249973.
  • Zaaimi B, Turnbull M, Hazra A, Wang Y, Gandara C, McLeod F, McDermott EE, Escobedo-Cousin E, Idil AS, Bailey RG, Tardio S, Patel A, Ponon N, Gausden J, Walsh D, Hutchings F, Kaiser M, Cunningham MO, Clowry GJ, LeBeau FEN, Constandinou TG, Baker SN, Donaldson N, Degenaar P, O'Neill A, Trevelyan AJ, Jackson A. Closed-loop optogenetic control of the dynamics of neural activity in non-human primates. Nature Biomedical Engineering 2023, 7, 559-575.
  • McLeod F, Dimtsi A, Marshall AC, Lewis-Smith DJ, Thomas R, Clowry GJ, Trevelyan AJ. Altered synaptic connectivity in an in vitro human model of STXBP1 encephalopathy. Brain 2023, 146(3), 850-857.
  • Alzu'bi A, Sankar N, Crosier M, Kerwin J, Clowry GJ. Tyramide signal amplification coupled with multiple immunolabeling and RNAScope in situ hybridization in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded human fetal brain. Journal of Anatomy 2022, 241(1), 33-41.
  • Alzu'Bi A, Al Zoubi MS, Abdelhady GT, Al-Trad B, Omari S, Abualarjah MI, El-Huneidi W, Alzu'Bi DR, Bani-Issa JM, Clowry GJ. Reduced placental size and increased apoptosis are associated with prenatal nicotine exposure in rats. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2022, 26(5), 1586-1593.
  • Ben Awadh A, Clark J, Clowry G, Keenan ID. Multimodal three-dimensional visualization enhances novice learner interpretation of basic cross-sectional anatomy. Anatomical Sciences Education 2022, 15(1), 127-142.
  • Hayman DJ, Modebadze T, Charlton S, Cheung K, Soul J, Lin H, Hao Y, Miles CG, Tsompani D, Jackson RM, Briggs MD, Piróg KA, Clark IM, Barter MJ, Clowry GJ, LeBeau FEN, Young DA. Increased hippocampal excitability in miR-324-null mice. Scientific Reports 2021, 11(1), 10452.
  • Tweedy C, Kindred N, Curry J, Williams C, Taylor J-P, Atkinson P, Randall F, Erskine D, Morris CM, Reeve AK, Clowry GJ, LeBeau FEN. Hippocampal network hyperexcitability in young transgenic mice expressing human mutant alpha-synuclein. Neurobiology of Disease 2021, 149, 105226.
  • Bauer R, Clowry GJ, Kaiser M. Creative Destruction: A Basic Computational Model of Cortical Layer Formation. Cerebral cortex 2021, 31(7), 3237-3253.
  • Alzu'bi A, Middleham W, Shoaib M, Clowry GJ. Selective Expression of Nicotinic Receptor Sub-unit mRNA in Early Human Fetal Forebrain. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience 2020, 13, 72.
  • Alzu'bi A, Clowry GJ. Multiple origins of secretagogin expressing cortical GABAergic neuron precursors in the early human fetal telencephalon. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 2020, 14, 61.
  • Ramsbottom SA, Thelwall PE, Wood KM, Clowry GJ, Devlin LA, Silbermann F, Spiewak HL, Shril S, Molinari E, Hildebrandt F, Gunay-Aygun M, Saunier S, Cordell HJ, Sayer JA, Miles CG. Mouse genetics reveals Barttin as a genetic modifier of Joubert syndrome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2020, 117(2), 1113-1118.
  • Powell L, Barroso-Gil M, Clowry GJ, Devlin LA, Molinari E, Ramsbottom SA, Miles CG, Sayer JA. Expression patterns of ciliopathy genes ARL3 and CEP120 reveal roles in multisystem development. BMC Developmental Biology 2020, 20(1), 26.
  • Devlin LA, Ramsbottom SA, Overman LM, Lisgo SN, Clowry G, Molinari E, Powell L, Miles CG, Sayer JA. Embryonic and foetal expression patterns of the ciliopathy gene CEP164. PLoS ONE 2020, 15(1), e0221914.
  • Alzu'bi A, Homann-Ludiye J, Bourne JA, Clowry GJ. Thalamocortical Afferents Innervate the Cortical Subplate much Earlier in Development in Primate than in Rodent. Cerebral Cortex 2019, 29(4), 1706-1718.
  • Molnar Z, Clowry GJ, Sestan N, Alzubi A, Bakken T, Hevner RF, Huppi PS, Kostovic I, Rakic P, Anton ES, Edwards D, Garcez P, Hoerder-Suavedissen A, Kriegstein A. New insights into the development of the human cerebral cortex. Journal of Anatomy 2019, 235(3), 432-451.
  • Alzu'bi A, Clowry GJ. Expression of ventral telencephalon transcription factors ASCL1 and DLX2 in the early fetal human cerebral cortex. Journal of Anatomy 2019, 235(3), 555-568.
  • Robson E, Tweedy C, Manzanza N, Taylor J-P, Atkinson P, Randall F, Reeve A, Clowry GJ, LeBeau FEN. Impaired Fast Network Oscillations and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Alpha-synucleinopathy (A30P). Neuroscience 2018, 377, 161-173.
  • Basuodan R, Basu A, Clowry G. Human neural stem cells dispersed in artificial ECM form cerebral organoids when grafted in vivo. Journal of Anatomy 2018, 233(2), 155-166.
  • Alzu'bi A, Lindsay SJ, Harkin LF, McIntyre J, Lisgo SN, Clowry GJ. The Transcription Factors COUP-TFI and COUP-TFII have Distinct Roles in Arealisation and GABAergic Interneuron Specification in the Early Human Fetal Telencephalon. Cerebral Cortex 2017, 27(10), 4971-4987.
  • Harkin LF, Lindsay SJ, Xu Y, Alzu'bi A, Ferrera A, Gullon EA, James OG, Clowry GJ. Neurexins 1–3 Each Have a Distinct Pattern of Expression in the Early Developing Human Cerebral Cortex. Cerebral Cortex 2017, 27(1), 216-232.
  • Alzubi A, Lindsay S, Kerwin J, Looi SJ, Khalil F, Clowry GJ. Distinct cortical and sub-cortical neurogenic domains for GABAergic interneuron precursor transcription factors NKX2.1, OLIG2 and COUP-TFII in early fetal human telencephalon. Brain Structure and Function 2017, 222(5), 2309–2328.
  • Danilenko M, Dalgliesh C, Pagliarini V, Naro C, Ehrmann I, Feracci M, Kheirollahi-Chadegani M, Tyson-Capper A, Clowry GJ, Fort P, Dominguez C, Sette C, Elliott DJ. Binding site density enables paralog-specific activity of SLM2 and Sam68 proteins in Neurexin2 AS4 splicing control. Nucleic Acids Research 2017, 45(7), 4120–4130.
  • Sohal HS, Clowry GJ, Jackson A, O'Neill A, Baker SN. Mechanical Flexibility Reduces the Foreign Body Response to Long-Term Implanted Microelectrodes in Rabbit Cortex. PLoS One 2016, 11(10), e0165606.
  • Lindsay SJ, Xu YB, Lisgo SN, Harkin LF, Copp AJ, Gerrelli D, Clowry GJ, Talbot A, Keogh MJ, Coxhead J, Santibanez-Koref M, Chinnery PF. HDBR Expression: A Unique Resource for Global and Individual Gene Expression Studies during Early Human Brain Development. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy 2016, 10, 86.
  • Harkin LF, Gerrelli D, Diaz DCG, Santos C, Alzu'bi A, Austin CA, Clowry GJ. Distinct expression patterns for type II topoisomerases IIA and IIB in the early foetal human telencephalon. Journal of Anatomy 2016, 228(3), 452-463.
  • Ehrmann I, Gazzara MR, Pagliarini V, Dalgliesh C, Kheirollahi-Chadegani M, Xu Y, Cesari E, Danilenko M, Maclennan M, Lowdon K, Vogel T, Keskivali-Bond P, Wells S, Cater H, Fort P, Sanibanez-Koref M, Middei S, Sette C, Clowry GJ, Barash Y, Cunningham MO, Elliott DJ. A SLM2 Feedback Pathway Controls Cortical Network Activity and Mouse Behavior. Cell Reports 2016, 17(12), 3269-3280.
  • Al-Jaberi N, Lindsay S, Sarma S, Bayatti N, Clowry GJ. The Early Fetal Development of Human Neocortical GABAergic Interneurons. Cerebral Cortex 2015, 25(3), 631-645.
  • Basu A, Clowry G. Improving outcomes in cerebral palsy with early intervention: new translational approaches. Frontiers in Neurology 2015, 6, 24.
  • Sohal HS, Jackson A, Jackson R, Clowry GJ, Vassilevski K, O'Neill A, Baker SN. The sinusoidal probe: a new approach to improve electrode longevity . Frontiers in Neuroengineering 2014, 7, 10.
  • Simon A, Traub RD, Vladimirov N, Jenkins A, Nicholson C, Whittaker RG, Schofield I, Clowry GJ, Cunningham MO, Whittington MA. Gap junction networks can generate both ripple-like and fast ripple-like oscillations. European Journal of Neuroscience 2014, 39(1), 46-60.
  • Ehrmann I, Dalgliesh C, Liu Y, Danilenko M, Crosier M, Overman L, Arthur HM, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ, Venables JP, Fort P, Elliott DJ. The Tissue-Specific RNA Binding Protein T-STAR Controls Regional Splicing Patterns of Neurexin Pre-mRNAs in the Brain. PLoS Genetics 2013, 9(4), e1003474.
  • Ali H, Forraz N, McGuckin C, Jurga M, Lindsay S, Ip BK, Trevelyan A, Basford C, Habibollah S, Ahmad S, Clowry GJ, Bayatti N. In vitro modelling of cortical neurogenesis by sequential induction of human umbilical cord blood stem cells. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports 2012, 8(1), 210-223.
  • Ip BK, Bayatti N, Howard NJ, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ. The Corticofugal Neuron-Associated Genes ROBO1, SRGAP1, and CTIP2 Exhibit an Anterior to Posterior Gradient of Expression in Early Fetal Human Neocortex Development. Cerebral Cortex 2011, 21(6), 1395-1407.
  • Chen A, Siow B, Blamire AM, Lako M, Clowry GJ. Transplantation of magnetically labeled mesenchymal stem cells in a model of perinatal brain injury. Stem Cell Research 2010, 5(3), 255-266.
  • Wang WZ, Hoerder-Suabedissen A, Oeschger FM, Bayatti N, Ip BK, Lindsay S, Supramaniam V, Srinivasan L, Rutherford M, Mollgard K, Clowry GJ, Molnar Z. Subplate in the developing cortex of mouse and human. Journal of Anatomy 2010, 217(4), 368-380.
  • Galley S, Clowry GJ. Plasticity to neonatal sensorimotor cortex injury: Plasticity to neonatal sensorimotor cortex injury in the YFP-CST mouse. Translational Neuroscience 2010, 1(1), 16-23.
  • Ip BK, Wappler I, Peters H, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ, Bayatti N. Investigating gradients of gene expression involved in early human cortical development. Journal of Anatomy 2010, 217(4), 300-311.
  • Basu A, Graziadio S, Smith M, Clowry GJ, Cioni G, Eyre JA. Developmental Plasticity Connects Visual Cortex to Motoneurons After Stroke. Annals of Neurology 2010, 67(1), 132-136.
  • Fisher T, Clowry GJ. Elimination of Muscle Afferent Boutons from the Cuneate Nucleus of the Rat Medulla During Development. Neuroscience 2009, 161(3), 787-793.
  • Bayatti N, Sarma S, Shaw C, Eyre JA, Vouyiouklis DA, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ. Progressive loss of PAX6, TBR2, NEUROD and TBR1 mRNA gradients correlates with translocation of EMX2 to the cortical plate during human cortical development. European Journal of Neuroscience 2008, 28(8), 1449-1456.
  • Bayatti N, Moss JA, Sun L, Ambrose P, Ward JFH, Lindsay S, Clowry GJ. A molecular neuroanatomical study of the developing human neocortex from 8 to 17 postconceptional weeks revealing the early differentiation of the subplate and subventricular zone. Cerebral Cortex 2008, 18(7), 1536-1548.
  • Chen A, Dimambro N, Clowry GJ. A comparison of behavioural and histological outcomes of periventricular injection of ibotenic acid in neonatal rats at postnatal days 5 and 7. Brain Research 2008, 1201, 187-195.
  • Eyre JA, Smith M, Dabydeen L, Clowry GJ, Petacchi E, Battini R, Guzzetta A, Cioni G. Is hemiplegic cerebral palsy equivalent to amblyopia of the corticospinal system?. Annals of Neurology 2007, 62(5), 493-503.
  • Clowry GJ, Walker L, Davies P. The effects of botulinum neurotoxin A induced muscle paresis during a critical period upon muscle and spinal cord development in the rat. Experimental Neurology 2006, 202(2), 456-469.
  • Clowry GJ, Moss JA, Clough RL. An immunohistochemical study of the development of sensorimotor components of the early fetal human spinal cord. Journal of Anatomy 2005, 207(4), 313-324.
  • Clowry GJ, Davies BM, Upile NS, Gibson CL, Bradley PM. Spinal cord plasticity in response to unilateral inhibition of the rat motor cortex during development: Changes to gene expression, muscle afferents and the ipsilateral corticospinal projection. European Journal of Neuroscience 2004, 20(10), 2555-2566.
  • Clowry GJ, McHanwell S. Brainstem motor nuclei respond differentially to degenerative disease in the mutant mouse wobbler. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2004, 30(2), 148-160.
  • Gibson CL, Clowry GJ. The effect on motor cortical neuronal development of focal lesions to the sub-cortical white matter in the neonatal rat: A model for periventricular leukomalacia. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 2003, 21(4), 171-182.
  • McDonough SM, Clowry GJ, Miller S, Eyre JA. Reciprocal and Renshaw (recurrent) inhibition are functional in man at birth. Brain Research 2001, 899(1-2), 66-81.
  • Dobson CB, Villagra F, Clowry GJ, Smith M, Kenwrick S, Donnai D, Miller S, Eyre JA. Abnormal corticospinal function but normal axonal guidance in human L1CAM mutations. Brain 2001, 124(12), 2393-2406.
  • Clowry GJ, Flecknell PA. The successful use of fentanyl/fluanisone ('Hypnorm') as an anaesthetic for intracranial surgery in neonatal rats. Laboratory Animals 2000, 34(3), 260-264.
  • Gibson CL, Arnott GA, Clowry GJ. Plasticity in the rat spinal cord seen in response to lesions to the motor cortex during development but not to lesions in maturity. Experimental Neurology 2000, 166(2), 422-434.
  • Gibson CL, Clowry GJ. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor blockade during development induces short-term but not long-term changes in c-Jun and parvalbumin expression in the rat cervical spinal cord. Experimental Neurology 2000, 170(2), 380-384.
  • Eyre JA, Miller S, Clowry GJ, Conway EA, Watts C. Functional corticospinal projections are established prenatally in the human foetus permitting involvement in the development of spinal motor centres. Brain 2000, 123(1), 51-64.
  • Clowry GJ, Arnott GA, Clement-Jones M, Fallah Z, Gould S, Wright C. Changing pattern of expression of parvalbumin immunoreactivity during human fetal spinal cord development. Journal of Comparative Neurology 2000, 423(4), 727-735.
  • Gibson CL, Clowry GJ. Transient expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in the ventral horn of the post-natal rat cervical spinal cord. Developmental Brain Research 1999, 115(1), 93-96.
  • Fallah Z, Clowry GJ. The effect of a peripheral nerve lesion on calbindin D28k immunoreactivity in the cervical ventral horn of developing and adult rats. Experimental Neurology 1999, 156(1), 111-120.
  • Gibson CL, Clowry GJ. Retraction of muscle afferents from the rat ventral horn during development. NeuroReport 1999, 10(2), 231-235.
  • Fallah Z, Clowry GJ. Gephyrin-like immunoreactivity is a marker for growing axons in the central nervous system of the immature rat. Developmental Neuroscience 1999, 21(1), 50-57.
  • Clowry GJ, Fallah Z, Arnott G. Developmental expression of parvalbumin by rat lower cervical spinal cord neurones and the effect of early lesions to the motor cortex. Developmental Brain Research 1997, 102(2), 197-208.
  • Clowry GJ, McHanwell S. Expression of nitric oxide synthase by motor neurones in the spinal cord of the mutant mouse wobbler. Neuroscience Letters 1996, 215(3), 177-180.

• Book Chapters

  • Molnar Z, Clowry G. Cerebral cortical development in rodents and primates. In: Hofman, M.A., Falk, D, ed. Progress in Brain Research: Evolution of the Primate Brain. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2012, pp.45-70.
  • Clowry G, Slawinska U. Recovery of function after spinal cord injury. In: Nogradi, A, ed. Transplantation of Neural Tissue into the Spinal Cord. Georgetown, Texas: Landes Bioscience, 2006, pp.24-51.

• Notes

  • Clowry GJ. Is there a consensus on the location and composition of the human subplate?. Journal of Comparative Neurology 2024, 532(3), e25605.
  • Harkin LF, Lindsay SJ, Xu Y, Alzu'bi A, Ferrera A, Gullon EA, James OG, Clowry GJ. Corrigendum: Neurexins 1-3 Each Have a Distinct Pattern of Expression in the Early Developing Human Cerebral Cortex. Cerebral Cortex 2019, 29(4), 1705-1705.

• Reviews

  • Clowry GJ, Alzu'bi A, Harkin LF, Sarma S, Kerwin J, Lindsay S. Charting the protomap of the human telencephalon. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology 2018, 76, 3-14.
  • Clowry GJ. An enhanced role and expanded developmental origins for gamma-aminobutyric acidergic interneurons in the human cerebral cortex. Journal of Anatomy 2015, 227(4), 384-393.
  • Clowry GJ, Basuodan R, Chan F. What are the Best Animal Models for Testing Early Intervention in Cerebral Palsy?. Frontiers in Neurology 2014, 5, 258.
  • Clowry GJ. Seeking clues in brain development to explain the extraordinary evolution of language in humans. Language Sciences 2014, 46(Part B), 220-231.
  • Chen A, Clowry GJ. Could autologous cord blood stem cell transplantation treat cerebral palsy?. Translational Neuroscience 2011, 2(3), 207-218.
  • Clowry G, Molnar Z, Rakic P. Renewed focus on the developing human neocortex. Journal of Anatomy 2010, 217(4), 276-288.
  • Clowry GJ. The dependence of spinal cord development on corticospinal input and its significance in understanding and treating spastic cerebral palsy. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2007, 31(8), 1114-1124.