Genomic analyses of single human neurons—either from postmortem brains or those derived in culture—reveal a considerable degree of DNA copy number variation, according to a paper published October 31 in Science. It is likely that these genetic differences affect brain cell function, and they may even shape our personalities, academic abilities, and susceptibilities to neurological diseases.
“It’s an exciting paper. It’s a closer look at the single cell genomes of neurons . . . and it identifies another layer of genomic mosaic changes that are occurring amongst neurons,” said Jerold Chun, a professor of molecular and cellular neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, who was not involved in the work.
Read the full, original story here: Genetic Diversity in the Brain
