Hypermutations: Another age-related brain byproduct
Cells of the body accumulate somatic mutations throughout life. Researchers from Yale University found that non-inherited somatic mutations were more common in post-mortem brains. These \”hypermutable brains\” are usually older than 40 years.
Cell lines with mutations outcompetent other cell lines, which is similar to the clonal hemopoiesis that occurs in bone marrow and can lead to blood cancer in older people.
This is the first large scale study of somatic changes in the human brain. Scientists did not expect to find such hypermutability among older populations.
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