More brain thanks to a gene

2002/09/24 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Genetika
• Anatomia/Fisiologia

A group of British biologists discover that a gene called ASPM controls the size of the brain.

When analyzing the genome of people with microcephaly disease, they found that the ASPM gene was mutated. It seems that the gene controls the number of neurons that will form in the cortex and therefore the size of the brain. The mutated gene produces defective proteins, so it does not favor the production of neurons, so it appears microcephaly.

Many animals have found genes very similar to ASPM and all control brain size. In addition, in animals with more brains, scientists have seen that the protein generated is also higher.

With this data, scientists have proposed that brain growth during evolution would coincide with mutations of this gene. If the proposal were shown, they would be on track to clarify the cause of the large size of the human brain.