Down syndrome study sheds new light on early brain development

A research team led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London and University College London (UCL) has found new clues about how the brains of people with Down syndrome develop differently from a very early age. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that brain cells with an extra copy of a chromosome (trisomy 21)—the genetic cause of Down syndrome—have difficulty forming strong, well-coordinated connections with one another.