Researchers discover information about a gene that helps define us as humans

University of Otago researchers has discovered information about a gene that sets primates—great apes and humans—apart from other mammals, through the study of a rare developmental brain disorder. Dr. Adam O'Neill carried out the research as part of his Ph.D. at the University of Otago, under the supervision of Professor Stephen Robertson, discovering that the PLEKHG6 gene has qualities that drive aspects of brain development differently in primates compared to other species. "Broadly speaking, this gene can be thought of as one of the genetic factors that make us human in a neurological sense," Dr. O'Neill who now works in the Department of Physiological Genomics at Ludwig Maximilian Universität in Munich, Germany, explains.
Professor Robertson says the research, just published in international journal Cell Reports, aimed to address the idea that there must be genes that humans have that have made our brains bigger and better functioning in some respects than other animals. However, that increased complexity could come at a cost, potentially predisposing humans to the development of a whole suite of neurological or psychiatric conditions.