Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41166474›Full record

ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2025

Diverse somatic genomic alterations in single neurons in chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Guanlan Dong, Chanthia C Ma, Shulin Mao, Katherine Sun-Mi Brown, Samuel M Naik, Gannon A McDonough, Samadhi P Wijethunga, Junho Kim, Samantha L Kirkham, Diane D Shao and 8 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Origins and timing of somatic variants in the brain.Current opinion in genetics & development · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Guanlan Dong *Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4747-6036
Chanthia C Ma *Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5642-0213
Shulin Mao *Division of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2916-6701
Katherine Sun-Mi Brown *Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-3934-7171
Samuel M NaikDivision of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0505-4839
Gannon A McDonoughDivision of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-8420-9970
Samadhi P WijethungaDivision of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Junho KimDepartment of Biological Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-3513-401X
Samantha L KirkhamDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5444-6636
Diane D ShaoDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2087-4082
Jonathan D CherryVeterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veteran Affairs, Boston, MA, USA.
Madeline UretskyAlzheimer's Disease Research Center and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7604-3619
Elizabeth SpurlockAlzheimer's Disease Research Center and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-1219-9827
Ann C McKeeVeterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, US Department of Veteran Affairs, Boston, MA, USA.
August Yue HuangDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0416-2854
Michael B MillerDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6205-3314
Eunjung Alice LeeDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6574-9261
Christopher A WalshDivision of Genetics and Genomics, Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0156-2238

Funding

Medical Scientist Training ProgramT32GM007753 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL SCHOOL) · PI WALENSKY, LOREN DAVID · 1985 to 2021
$50.0M
Neuropathology CoreP30AG013846 · NIA · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI KOWALL, NEIL W. · 1996 to 2020
$29.1M
Training in the Molecular Biology of Neurodegeneration and Alzheimer's DiseaseT32AG000222 · NIA · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (MEDICAL SCHOOL) · PI Bruce A YANKNER · 1992 to 2026
$18.5M
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy: Detection, Diagnosis, Course, and Risk FactorsU01NS093334 · NINDS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI CUMMINGS, JEFFREY L., REIMAN, ERIC MICHAEL · 2016 to 2022
$17.0M
Medical Scientist Training ProgramT32GM144273 · NIGMS · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI David Shumway Jones, Jacqueline A. Lees · 2022 to 2026
$14.7M
Cell Identity Determination In Human Brain: Somatic Mutation and Cell LineageR01NS032457 · NINDS · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Alice Eunjung Lee, Christopher A. Walsh · 1995 to 2026
$12.7M
Traumatic Brain Injury and Repetitive Head Impacts: Contributions to AD/ADRD and CTE Neuropathology and Resulting Clinical SyndromesU54NS115266 · NINDS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI STEIN, THOR · 2019 to 2023
$10.3M
CTE and Posttraumatic Neurodegeneration: Neuropathology and Ex Vivo ImagingU01NS086659 · NINDS · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI MCKEE, ANN C. · 2014 to 2017
$6.1M
Role of clonal somatic mutations in microglia and Alzheimer’s diseaseR01AG088082 · NIA · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Yue Huang · 2024 to 2026
$4.4M
Role of transposon dysregulation in Alzheimer and aging brains revealed by single-cell genomic and transcriptomic analysisR01AG078929 · NIA · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Alice Eunjung Lee, Christopher A. Walsh · 2022 to 2026
$4.3M
Rates and mechanisms of age-related somatic mutation in normal and Alzheimer brainR01AG070921 · NIA · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI LEE, ALICE EUNJUNG, WALSH, CHRISTOPHER A. · 2021 to 2025
$4.3M
Illuminating neurodegenerative tauopathy from somatic genomic landscapes of single human brain cellsDP2AG086138 · NIA · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Michael B Miller · 2023 to 2026
$2.7M
CSRD VA I01 CX001135Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNIA NIH HHS DP2 AG072437NIA NIH HHS DP2 AG086138NIA NIH HHS K08 AG065502NIA NIH HHS P30 AG013846NIA NIH HHS R01 AG070921NIA NIH HHS R01 AG078929NIA NIH HHS R01 AG082346NIA NIH HHS R01 AG088082NIA NIH HHS R56 AG079857NIA NIH HHS T32 AG000222NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM007753NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM144273NINDS NIH HHS K23 NS102399NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS032457NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS078337NINDS NIH HHS R56 NS078337NINDS NIH HHS U01 NS086659NINDS NIH HHS U01 NS093334NINDS NIH HHS U54 NS115266
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI), yet little is known about its pathogenesis. Applying two single-cell whole-genome sequencing methods to hundreds of neurons from prefrontal cortex of 15 individuals with CTE and 4 with RHI without CTE, we revealed increased somatic single-nucleotide variants in CTE, exhibiting a pattern previously reported in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Furthermore, we discovered high burdens of somatic small insertions and deletions in a subset of CTE individuals, resembling a known pattern, ID4, also found in AD. Our results suggest that neurons in CTE experience stereotyped mutational processes shared with AD; the absence of similar changes in RHI neurons without CTE suggests that CTE involves mechanisms beyond RHI alone.

Indexed as

Chronic Traumatic EncephalopathyNeuronsPrefrontal CortexAdultAgedAlzheimer DiseaseFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPolymorphism, Single NucleotideSingle-Cell AnalysisWhole Genome Sequencing

Identifiers

PMID41166474
PMCPMC12594281

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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.