Not exact matches
Strangely enough, former lovers somehow make an
imprint on the
brain and possibly affect
genes, especially if there was past fluid exchange.
Because this
imprinting affects hundreds of
genes that are non-coding, including microRNAs and non-coding RNAs, it's a very interesting fine - tuning mechanism for the dosage of
gene expression in the
brain and elsewhere in the body.»
No one knows but Eric Keverne, of the University of Cambridge, in England, who has done much of the work on
brain - related
imprinted genes, continues to wrestle with these intriguing findings, trying to fit them into the framework of intersexual warfare.
How do these
imprinted genes related to
brain function fit into the scheme of intersexual warfare?
Among the approximately 100
imprinted genes discovered so far, about half of them, including Igf2, make proteins in the
brain, raising the question of whether
imprinting errors in
genes that control the structure and function of the
brain might contribute to mental illness.
They contend that upsets in the tug - of - war between
imprinted genes in the
brain could help explain the origins of some mental illnesses, including autism and schizophrenia.
What is particularly remarkable about
imprinted genes is that a lot of them play a role in shaping the
brain.