Release date: 2015-02-05
The researchers found that eight genetic variations determine the size of key brain regions. These variations may represent "the genetic nature of humans."
Different genes affect the volume of key brain regions (shown in different colors)
Human beings are known for having a well-developed brain in the animal kingdom, but each person's brain is not born with the same. There are new clues about the cause of this problem. The researchers found that eight genetic variations determine the size of key brain regions. These variations may represent "the genetic nature of humans," said Stephan Sanders, a geneticist and paediatrician at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study.
This result is the first of a series of "Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) alliances. The ENIGMA Alliance includes approximately 300 scientists from 33 countries who provide more than 30,000 MRI scans, as well as genetic information and other information, most of which was collected for other reasons. "There is a daunting task behind this paper," Sanders said.
Only after assembling the power of the people, researchers were able to track the small effects of genetics on brain volume that could not be detected in smaller studies. "We didn't expect to find anything," says Paul Thompson, a neuroscientist at UCLA. "But in the end we've locked in the 'hot spots' in the genome that help build the brain."
In this analysis, Thompson and colleagues detected changes in the individual "letters" (ie, nucleotide bases) of DNA corresponding to changes in volume in key brain regions. Among them, hippocampus is a brain region that stores memory and helps learning. Another brain area called the caudate nucleus allows people to ride, play, or drive without having to take these actions. The third brain area is called the putamen, which involves running, walking, physical movement, and motivation. The researchers did not detect the neocortex, which is much larger in proportion to other animals and helps us think. The sulci of the surface of the neocortex varies greatly among individuals, making it difficult to maintain measurement consistency between different laboratories.
Thompson said that the volume of these brain regions is strongly related to the overall cognitive ability. "The more brain tissue, the better." For example, diseases such as Alzheimer's disease damage the hippocampus, and Parkinson's disease It is caused by damage to the shell core.
According to a report by Thompson and colleagues in the journal Nature, the team found that deviations in eight bases can cause brain tissue to shrink by about 1.5%, depending on the base. Some of the base changes are located inside the gene, and some are located between the key genes.
Among the genes locked this time, the most influential is KTN1, which affects the direction of brain cell migration in the putamen. Mutations in the other two putamen are associated with genes that cause cancer in the colon or immune system, which appear to regulate the number of cells in the brain region. The remaining five genes have multiple functions, including inhibition of programmed cell death. Programmed cell death is a natural process that causes brain regions to shrink when growth in the brain is out of control.
Sanders said that several of these eight genes will be activated during brain development and may play a role in neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. He hopes that ENIGMA researchers will be able to detect whether these diseases are related to a particular brain volume. According to Faraneh Varghha-Khadem, a developmental cognitive neuroscientist from University College London who is not involved in the study, genetic testing of these mutations is currently clinically Not much help. “The diagnosis of the patient is not based on the condition in the brain or in the gene, but on the symptoms exhibited by the patient,†she said. “However, it is beneficial to understand that these structures are related to genetic variation, which will alert the doctor. The link between genes, brain structure and behavior. Perhaps one day, this connection can be applied to the clinic.
Source: Global Science
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