Beneath the human brain's bulging cerebral cortex, smaller structures toil in relative obscurity. Subcortical areas, also known as the 'deep brain,' play key roles in functions like attention, emotion, motor control, and learning.
They're also involved in many neurological disorders. Research has linked variations in the volume of subcortical structures with a range of conditions, including schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and ADHD.
In a new large-scale study, researchers shed light on how 254 genetic variants can affect the development of particular subcortical structures, potentially influencing some important deep-brain operations.
This can help clarify the genetic origins of brain disorders, explains co-author and neuroscientist Paul M. Thompson from the University of Southern California (USC).
"A lot of brain diseases are known to be partially genetic, but from a scientific point of view, we want to find the specific changes in the genetic code that cause these," Thompson says.