ArticleNature communications2021
Evolution of DNA methylation in the human brain.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 63 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
63 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of the evidence on acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental disorders using the Navigation Guide methodology.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Pooled it
- Transcriptome of fetal cortex of tree shrew underlying the emergence of outer subventricular zone.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Morphological and anatomical variations in subcortical anatomy between humans and chimpanzees associated with heritability patterns related to human behavioral traits.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Distinct cellular DNA methylation mechanisms underlie common and rare genetic risk for brain disorders.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- From the brain cell atlas to precision neurology: a review of the application of AI-driven multi-omics in brain science.GigaScience · 2026Review
- Olive oil-derived monounsaturated fat influences metabolic signatures in serotonergic regions of the brain in broiler chicken.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Fumonisin BEpigenetics · 2025Article
- Steroid hormone-mediated epigenetic programming during puberty: uncovering links to depression.Epigenomics · 2025Review
- Microbiota-gut-brain axis in neurodegenerative diseases: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets.Molecular biomedicine · 2025Review
- Advancements in comparative omics analysis of human and non-human primate brains and their implications for the evolution of cognitive functions.Primates; journal of primatology · 2025Article
- Decoding DNA sequence-driven evolution of the human brain epigenome at cellular resolution.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Human brain aging is associated with dysregulation of cell type epigenetic identity.GeroScience · 2025Article
- Complete sequencing of ape genomes.Nature · 2025Article
- Evolutionary divergence in CTCF-mediated chromatin topology drives transcriptional innovation in humans.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Inferring DNA methylation in non-skeletal tissues of ancient specimens.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- Chloral Hydrate's Impact on Brain Development: From Clinical Safety to Molecular Mechanisms.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- Oligodendroglia in Ageing and Age-Dependent Neurodegenerative Diseases.Advances in neurobiology · 2025Review
- Editorial: Methylation in the human brain.Frontiers in genetics · 2025Article
- Accelerated cell-type-specific regulatory evolution of the human brain.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Long-read sequencing of hundreds of diverse brains provides insight into the impact of structural variation on gene expression and DNA methylation.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
3 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
DNA methylation is a critical regulatory mechanism implicated in development, learning, memory, and disease in the human brain. Here we have elucidated DNA methylation changes during recent human brain evolution. We demonstrate dynamic evolutionary trajectories of DNA methylation in cell-type and cytosine-context specific manner. Specifically, DNA methylation in non-CG context, namely CH methylation, has increased (hypermethylation) in neuronal gene bodies during human brain evolution, contributing to human-specific down-regulation of genes and co-expression modules. The effects of CH hypermethylation is particularly pronounced in early development and neuronal subtypes. In contrast, DNA methylation in CG context shows pronounced reduction (hypomethylation) in human brains, notably in cis-regulatory regions, leading to upregulation of downstream genes. We show that the majority of differential CG methylation between neurons and oligodendrocytes originated before the divergence of hominoids and catarrhine monkeys, and harbors strong signal for genetic risk for schizophrenia. Remarkably, a substantial portion of differential CG methylation between neurons and oligodendrocytes emerged in the human lineage since the divergence from the chimpanzee lineage and carries significant genetic risk for schizophrenia. Therefore, recent epigenetic evolution of human cortex has shaped the cellular regulatory landscape and contributed to the increased vulnerability to neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.