ZERO MURRAY. A study published in Science (2013) reveals four major stages in the formation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity in Central Europe between 5500 and 1550 BC, analyzing samples from 364 skeletons. Key conclusions related to the brain stem indirectly from the identification of migration-related haplogroups that may have influenced neurobiological traits. In particular: Haplogroup U2, found since the Shoemaker culture (~2800 BC), was previously present only in Paleolithic and Mesolithic samples from Siberia, suggesting migration from areas where genes associated with greater brain volume are found (e.g., MAPT haplotype H2 or variants in ASPM, MCPH1). During the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age, the frequency of steppe-associated haplogroups (I, T1, U2) increased, coinciding with the migrations of peoples associated with the barrow culture - potential carriers of genes increasing gray matter volume and cognitive development. The Bell Cup culture contributed haplogroup H, dominant in Europe today, linked to differences in nervous system development, although its influence is not clearly established. These changes may have shaped the neurobiological abilities of modern Europeans.