🧠 New research suggests that conditions like autism and schizophrenia may start developing before birth. Scientists examined nearly 1,000 donated human brains and tracked when key chemical tags on DNA — known as methylation marks — changed in the brain’s cortex. They found that most of these changes happen prenatally, especially during the early weeks of pregnancy.

These DNA changes are critical because they help brain cells specialize, connect and form networks — and some of the affected genes are linked to autism and schizophrenia. The findings suggest that the “window” for what can influence brain development is even earlier than we thought.

This gives us a new perspective on how and when such neurodevelopmental conditions may begin, and it highlights the importance of studying prenatal brain development as we look for ways to understand and potentially intervene.

#Neuroscience #Autism #sciencenews Most of what shapes our brain may begin before we’re even born.

Researchers from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development and their collaborators analyzed DNA from nearly 1,000 human brain samples, covering both prenatal and postnatal stages. They focused on DNA methylation — tiny chemical tags that control which genes are switched on or off.