Study reveals brain cells change during lifetime

New research by the Roslin Institute at Edinburgh University has revealed that brain cells are able to genetically alter during a persons lifetime.

The genes that allow this to happen are called Retrotransposens, and scientists have discovered that they are able to alter DNA tissue in the brain by making tiny changes over time.

The Director of the Institute, Professor David Hume, spoke to The Journal about the significance of this research: “We used to talk about the human genome. As we decipher the sequence of many individual genomes, we recognise that there are many human genomes; the differences between individuals are much more substantial than we supposed.

“With this new research, we discover that even within an individual, each cell can “evolve” as these pieces of DNA... jump around the genome. The implications for understanding memory and memory loss, cancer and ageing are truly profound”.

An extract from the journal sets out the tenants of the report: “Thus, somatic genome mosaicism driven by retrotransposition may reshape the genetic circuitry that underpins normal and abnormal neurobiological processes.”

The article details how these mutations could affect the creation of tumours, Schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases. It is believed that cataloguing the locations of these genes could help identify such mutations, and how they specifically impact on brain function.

The research was carried out by teams across the world, including scientists from Holland, Australia and Japan. Funding for the project was provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust.

Dr Geoff Faulkner helped carry out the research, and told The Journal: “We conclusively demonstrated that retrotransposition occurs in the brain during life and we are now focusing on what impact this genetic diversification has upon neurobiology".

The research was published in the scientific journal 'Nature' at the end of October, after having been accepted by the magazine on the Monday 5 September.

The Roslin Institute is world-renowned for the research it carries out, having most famously created Dolly the Sheep, the first animal to be successfully cloned.