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Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified a "neurodevelopmental gene set" that predicts the risk for multiple developmental disorders, including autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, and depression. This gene expression, predominantly occurring in the cerebellum, begins before birth, underscoring the potential benefits of early life interventions such as prenatal exposures to folic acid for promoting healthier brain development and resilience against psychiatric disorders in children. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, utilized data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which focuses on brain development in children aged 9-10 years. The researchers found that the genetic patterns associated with adult psychiatric diseases corresponded to more complex psychiatric symptoms in children. Lead author Joshua Roffman highlighted that genetic factors influencing children’s mental health symptoms differ from those affecting adults. The newly developed "neurodevelopmental gene set" represents genetic risk for multiple disorders rather than a single condition, and this measure also correlated with psychiatric symptoms in children from a similar study in the Netherlands. The researchers emphasize the importance of understanding both genetic and environmental factors, advocating for early interventions that could mitigate the risk of mental illness, such as healthy lifestyle choices and optimal prenatal care.
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