The Brain's Genetic Code

According to Paul Thompson, PhD., Keck School of Medicine of USC professor and principal investigator of ENIGMA, scientists screened brain scans and genomes worldwide for factors that help or harm the brain. He reportedly said that “This crowd-sourcing and sheer wealth of data gives us the power to crack the brain's genetic code.” ENIGMA’s global team discovered eight genes that may erode or boost brain tissue in people worldwide. Any change in those genes appears to alter one’s mental bank account or brain reserve by 2 or 3 percent. Through the sharing of brain data with Project ENIGMA, a sufficiently large sample was created to reveal clear patterns in genetic variation and show how these changes physically can alter the brain and its functions.