Male microchimerism was distributed across multiple regions of the female brain, including those affected by dementia, and could persist for decades – potentially even an entire human lifespan.

Microchimerism (pronounced "mike-ro-KY-mer-is-um") is when "there are cells that aren't yours that are existing in your body," says Melissa Wilson, an associate professor of genetics at Arizona ...

Microchimerism (pronounced "mike-ro-KY-mer-is-um") is when "there are cells that aren't yours that are existing in your body," says Melissa Wilson, an associate professor of genetics at Arizona ...

Research conducted since Snopes' original 2017 fact check have shed some, but not much, additional light on the origins and significance of male microchimerism. A September 2021 study, for example ...

Fetal microchimerism and maternal health: A review and evolutionary analysis of cooperation and conflict beyond the womb. BioEssays, 2015; DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500059 ...

Maternal–fetal cell exchange during pregnancy results in acquisition of microchimerism, which can durably persist in both recipients. Naturally acquired microchimerism may impact maternal ...

While microchimerism has been found in other parts of the body, the discovery extends the phenomenon to the human brain.

An emerging field of research seeks to document the way that children shape their mothers' bodies and behavior. "Maternal programming," it appears, starts in pregnancy and lasts a lifetime.