Our brain changes throughout life. Now we have their genetic program and there are differences between the brains of men and women, as a team of scientists from the Center for Clinical Brain Science at the University of Edinburgh (Denmark) has identified a genetic program or calendar that controls the way in that our brain changes throughout life.
This genetic calendar controls how and when genes are expressed in the brain at different times in a person’s life to perform a series of key functions, according to the study published in the journal eLife.
Experts say the timing is so precise that a person’s age can be predicted by looking at the genes that are expressed in a sample of brain tissue.
To identify this curious genetic calendar of the brain, the scientists analyzed existing data that measured gene expression in samples of brain tissue from all stages of human life – from development in the womb to 78 years of age. And they found out when different genes are expressed following a strict pattern throughout their lifespan.
Most of the changes in gene expression in the brain were completed in middle age.
Is there a difference between men and women?
That’s how it is. The genetic timing of brain aging is slightly delayed in women compared to men, suggesting that the female brain ages more slowly than the male.
The greatest rearrangement of genes occurs during adulthood, peaking around age 26 , according to the authors. These changes affected the same genes that are associated with schizophrenia.
Scientists believe this could explain why people with schizophrenia do not show symptoms until adulthood, even though the genetic changes responsible for the condition are present from birth.
The study found that the genetic calendar is present in mice as well, although it changes more rapidly throughout their short lifespan. This suggests that all mammals share the brain aging calendar and could be millions of years old.
The researchers plan to study how the genetic program is controlled, which could lead to therapies that alter the course of brain aging. It could also contain clues to new treatments for schizophrenia and other mental health problems in young adults.
“The discovery of this genetic program opens up a completely new way of understanding behavior and brain diseases throughout life. Many people believe that our brain simply wears out as we age, but our study suggests that brain aging is strictly controlled by our genes, “says Nathan Skene, a researcher at the Center for Clinical Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and leader of the work.
Reference: Nathan G Skene, Marcia Roy, Seth GN Grant. “A genomic lifespan program that reorganizes the young adult brain is targeted in schizophrenia”, eLife (September 2017). DOI: 10.7554 / eLife.17915.
