Cells from your mother likely infiltrated your brain in the womb, and they could survive for decades, study reveals

Researchers have discovered that children’s brains can contain cells with their mother’s DNA and that these cells can persist for decades.

The findings, which were posted to the preprint database bioRxiv June 10 but have not been peer-reviewed yet, are part of a growing body of work showing that a mother and fetus exchange cells during pregnancy ‪—‬ a phenomenon known as “microchimerism.” Previously, scientists had found that a mother’s brain harbors cells with her children’s DNA.