UCLA-Led Study Maps Basal Ganglia Development, Links Genetic Variants to Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
A multi-institutional research team, co-led by scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), UC San Francisco, and UC San Diego, has published a study in the journal Cell detailing the developmental trajectory of the human basal ganglia. This research, part of the National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network (BICAN), provides a 3D molecular map of the basal ganglia from mid-pregnancy through infancy. Utilizing single-nucleus methyl-3C sequencing (snm3C-seq) on nearly 287,000 cells, the team simultaneously mapped DNA methylation and how DNA folds in 3D space within individual cell nuclei. The study revealed that spiny projection neurons, crucial for basal ganglia function, mature in a highly coordinated manner early in gestation. By overlaying genetic risk variants from large psychiatric studies onto this developmental map, researchers discovered a strong enrichment of genetic variants linked to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in these developing spiny projection ...
