Laser Capture RNA-Seq “Cuts Open” Neuropsychiatric Genomic Dark Matter

Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Harvard Medical School have cataloged more than 70,000 active novel elements in dopaminergic neurons using a new technique known as laser-capture RNA seq—which involves cutting out dopamine neurons from a human brain section with a laser. Dopamine neurons are located within the midbrain, yet their tendril-like axons can branch far into the higher cortical areas, influencing how we move and how we feel. New genetic evidence has revea