
As organs go, the brain seems to harbor an abundance of somatic mutations — genetic variants that arise after conception and affect only some of our neurons. In a recent study in Science, researchers found about 1,500 variants in each of neurons they sampled.
New research revealing the propensity of DNA to break in certain spots backs up the idea of a genetically diverse brain. Reported in Cell last month, it also suggests a new avenue for thinking about brain development, brain tumors and neurodevelopmental/psychiatric diseases. …