Genetic secrets: How genes influence the shape of our brain!

Genetic secrets: How genes influence the shape of our brain!

In the world of neurosciences, a lot is happening. A new research field that focuses on linking genetics, the environment and how both the structure and function of our brain focuses on has received great attention. PMC reports of an increasing interest in these interactions. It shows that both genetic and environmental factors can contribute significantly to the variation in the brain structure. Twin studies indicate that between 50-90% of the differences in certain characteristics are genetic. But how do environmental factors influence these variable aspects?

In an exciting development, a research team around the Jülich research center, the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and Helmholtz Munich now identified genetic factors that influence the form of subcortical brain regions. Data from almost 20,000 healthy white-British participants from the UK Biobank were analyzed. The comprehensive study not only illuminates the volume and surface, but also the geometric properties of the brain and has identified 80 genetic variants, which are associated with the structure of 22 specific subcortical structures, including the brain stem. This is an exciting advance in brain and behavioral research, which could give us new insights into how our brain is shaped and how these forms may be linked to certain diseases. fz jülich indicates that some of the identified genetic variants are already in connection with diseases such as high-quality and neurodegenerative diseases.

The role of the environment

Another exciting point is that understanding the relationships between genetics and the environment becomes increasingly comprehensive. The new discipline of population neurosciences combines knowledge from cognitive neuroscience, genetics and epidemiology. It is considered how environmental factors form the brain and what influence they have on development. Research shows that twin studies also show that environmental factors make up a considerable part of the variability in the brain structure. The so -called "Enviromics", i.e. the recording and quantification of environmental factors, is becoming increasingly important.

A goal of this research is to identify relationships between genetic and environmentally related factors in large-scale studies, such as the NIMH-CHPB or the NIH-PD, on structural and functional brain phenotypes. Many challenges have arisen from previous studies - from recruitment to data protection issues. Nevertheless, the development of new technologies and the improvement of examination methods opens up new opportunities to optimize understanding and treatment of mental disorders across different phases of life.

genetics and brain form

So what is these genetic influences? The study by the Jülich research center is a real highlight: it goes beyond the previous research, which focuses mainly on the analysis of the volume. The scientists used the Laplace Beltrami spectrum to describe the geometric properties of the brain in detail. Such findings could not only indicate the anatomy of the brain, but also provide initial indications of risk factors for diseases. The possibility of using brain form as an early organic marker for neurodegenerative and mental illnesses could be groundbreaking for future diagnoses. Only time will show how these findings will develop.