Landmark Study Reveals Distinct Molecular Character of Living Brain Tissue

A recent study conducted by the Living Brain Project at Mount Sinai presents unequivocal evidence that brain tissue from living people has a distinct molecular character. Contrary to the assumption that molecular biology measurements made in postmortem brains are representative of how the brain works in living people, the findings indicate that gene expression in postmortem human brain tissue may not always be an accurate representation of gene expression in living human brain tissue. The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry and PLOS ONE, highlights the need for a re-evaluation of how scientists study the human brain.

Key Takeaways:

• The Living Brain Project presents the largest investigation ever performed of the biology of the living human brain, analyzing approximately 300 brain tissue samples from living patients at Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
• The study reveals that more than 60 percent of proteins and 95 percent of RNA types were differently expressed or processed in living versus postmortem tissue.
• The findings suggest that postmortem gene expression signatures of neurological and mental illnesses, as well as normal phenotypes such as aging, may not always be accurate portrayals of those gene expression signatures in the living brain.
• The study demonstrates that brain tissue from living people has a distinct molecular character, which is missed because brain tissue from living people is rarely studied.
• The Living Brain Project is paving the way for building living brain tissue biobanks that could dramatically change neuroscience research in the decades ahead.
• The study results have significant implications for the understanding of brain function and disease, and highlight the need for further research to fully understand how the brain works at the molecular level.

Statistics:

• 300 brain tissue samples were analyzed in the study.
• More than 60 percent of proteins were differently expressed in living versus postmortem tissue.
• 95 percent of RNA types were differently processed or expressed in living versus postmortem tissue.
• 95 percent of tested RNA transcripts showed differences in at least one of the following: primary RNA levels, splicing rates, or mature RNA levels.

Sources:

• Molecular Psychiatry: "The Living Brain Project: A systematic analysis of the biology of the living human brain"
• PLOS ONE: "RNA splicing and protein expression in living human brain tissue: A systematic comparison with postmortem tissue"
• Mount Sinai Health System
• Newsweek's "The World's Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals"
• U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals" and "Best Children's Hospitals"