Reaction: obscure genome region linked to memory and learning problems in people with Down syndrome
A team of researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona (CRG) has found that a region of the genome is less active in model mice and people with Down's syndrome. This region is found in the so-called dark genome and does not code for a protein. According to the authors of the study, this "leads to reduced neurogenesis and impaired plasticity, which play a direct role in learning and memory". The results are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.