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Scientists Discover Way to Send Information into Black Holes Without Using Energy

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Scientists Discover a Hidden Secret of Brain Development: Young Neurons Break Their Own DNA to Build the Brain

The human brain is one of the most complex structures in the universe, containing billions of neurons that communicate through an incredibly detailed network. For decades, scientists have studied how this extraordinary organ forms during development. Now, a surprising discovery has revealed that building the brain requires a process that sounds dangerous: young neurons must temporarily break their own DNA.

Researchers have discovered that during early brain development, newly formed neurons naturally experience one of the most severe types of DNA damage — double-strand breaks. These breaks occur as neurons move through the developing brain, squeezing through extremely narrow spaces to reach their final locations. However, instead of causing harm, the young brain has evolved a powerful repair system that quickly fixes the damage and allows neurons to continue developing normally.

The discovery changes how scientists understand brain formation and suggests that controlled DNA damage and repair may be a normal part of creating the complex structure of the nervous system.

The Difficult Journey of Developing Neurons

Before the brain becomes fully organized, newborn neurons must travel from where they are created to their final destinations. This migration is a crucial step in forming the cerebral cortex, the outer region of the brain responsible for important functions such as thinking, memory, learning, and decision-making.

However, this journey is not simple. The developing brain is densely packed with cells and structural fibers. As neurons move through this crowded environment, they must squeeze through tiny spaces and overcome physical pressure from their surroundings.

Scientists from Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences and collaborating institutions discovered that this physical movement creates unexpected stress on neuronal DNA.

The researchers found that migrating neurons frequently develop double-strand DNA breaks — a type of damage where both strands of the DNA molecule are cut. This is considered one of the most dangerous forms of DNA damage because it can lead to genetic errors, cell malfunction, or even cell death if it is not repaired properly.

Yet in developing neurons, these breaks appear to be part of a normal biological process.

A Natural Process Hidden Inside Brain Development

To understand how this happens, researchers recreated the conditions that developing neurons experience inside the brain. They designed extremely small channels that mimic the narrow pathways neurons travel through during development.

When neurons moved through these tiny spaces, scientists observed DNA damage appearing inside the cells. Using fluorescent markers, they were able to track the damage in real time.

The results were surprising. The DNA breaks appeared during the migration process but gradually disappeared after the neurons completed their movement. Within around 24 hours, most of the damaged DNA had been repaired, and the neurons continued functioning normally.

This showed that the developing brain is not simply suffering accidental damage — it has developed a system to tolerate and repair it.

Professor Mineko Kengaku explained that the developing brain seems to have evolved the ability to efficiently manage this temporary damage. Understanding how this system works could help scientists learn more about neurological disorders where DNA repair mechanisms fail.

The Enzyme Behind the DNA Breaks

The researchers identified a surprising cause behind this process: an enzyme called Topoisomerase IIβ.

Normally, this enzyme helps cells manage stress inside DNA. DNA molecules are extremely long and must be tightly packed inside cells. During normal activity, DNA can become twisted and tangled, so Topoisomerase IIβ temporarily cuts DNA strands to release tension and then reconnects them.

The process is similar to cutting a tangled rope to remove a twist before joining it back together.

However, when neurons are physically compressed while moving through tight spaces, the enzyme can become trapped during this process. As a result, DNA remains temporarily broken.

The neuron then activates a repair system called non-homologous end joining, which reconnects the broken DNA ends and restores the genetic material.

Why Neurons Survive This Damage

Scientists also compared developing neurons with cancer cells moving through similar confined environments. They discovered that the damage pattern was different.

In cancer cells, DNA damage can occur randomly across the genome, increasing the risk of harmful mutations. In contrast, neurons appear to experience damage mainly in areas of DNA that are less critical for essential gene activity.

Because important genes are mostly protected, neurons can survive the temporary DNA breaks without losing their normal functions.

This suggests that the brain has developed a carefully controlled system where damage occurs in a way that minimizes risk.

What Happens When DNA Repair Fails?

To investigate what happens when this repair system does not work properly, researchers studied mice that lacked Ligase 4 — an important enzyme needed for repairing broken DNA.

At first, the mice appeared healthy and developed normally. However, as they became adults, they gradually developed problems with balance and coordination.

These symptoms are similar to those seen in some human disorders connected to problems with genome stability, especially conditions affecting the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for movement and balance.

The findings suggest that early-life DNA repair problems may remain hidden for years before affecting brain function.

A New Understanding of Brain Diversity and Disease

This discovery introduces a new idea about the development of the human brain: DNA changes may naturally occur as neurons form and move into place.

Although every neuron in the body begins with the same genetic information, small differences can appear during development because of processes like DNA damage and repair.

Scientists believe these small genetic differences may contribute to the diversity of individual neurons and could influence how the brain develops over time.

Researchers are now investigating whether these DNA repair processes play a role in neurological conditions, including developmental disorders and diseases that affect the aging brain.

The discovery reveals a remarkable fact about biology: creating the human brain is not a perfectly smooth process. Instead, it involves carefully controlled challenges, where cells must take risks, repair themselves, and adapt.

The same mechanism that allows neurons to navigate the complex environment of the developing brain may also hold important clues about how the brain maintains itself — and what happens when these protective systems begin to fail.

Reference:

  1. Zhejing Zhang, Andres Canela, Junko Kurisu, Peilin Zou, Takumi Kawaue, Naotaka Nakazawa, Noriko Takeda, Mai Saeki, Masaki Utsunomiya, Merve Bilgic, Fumiyoshi Ishidate, Gianluca Grenci, Takahiro Furuta, Yusuke Kishi, Hiroyuki Sasanuma, Mineko Kengaku. Confined migration induces non-lethal DNA damage in developing neurons. Nature, 2026; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10648-8

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