Childhood Trauma Leaves Mark on DNA

[Shane for Wax]

http://www.mpg.de/6643282/childhood-trauma-dna?filter_order=L

Abused children are at high risk of anxiety and mood disorders, as traumatic experience induces lasting changes to their gene regulation. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich have now documented for the first time that genetic variants of the FKBP5 gene can influence epigenetic alterations in this gene induced by early trauma. In individuals with a genetic predisposition, trauma causes long-term changes in DNA methylation leading to a lasting dysregulation of the stress hormone system. As a result, those affected find themselves less able to cope with stressful situations throughout their lives, frequently leading to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorders in adulthood. Doctors and scientists hope these discoveries will yield new treatment strategies tailored to individual patients, as well as increased public awareness of the importance of protecting children from trauma and its consequences.

In other words, it has more than just a psychological effect. Still "invisible" but still very, very much important.

[Katsuro]

Huh, a form of "envoronment inpacting on genes" that I'd never considered before. Extremeley interesting.

[Distind]

Huh, a form of "environment impacting on genes" that I'd never considered before. Extremely interesting.

Puts a real hitch in the nature vs nurture argument. Particularly if you don't just side step the argument by pointing out it's in our nature to be effected by how we're nurtured.

That said, any details on how common this particular chain is? They say people with it are more likely to express changes after the incident, but don't give solid numbers on anything but the overall count.

[Shane for Wax]

I'm not the best person to ask. I don't do anything genetics wise. I leave that to others. I do more physical like bones and such.

Since it's so new it may be a while to get more information even for a geneticist. I'd say keep an eye on the development. There's bound to be more news soon.

[Material Defender]

This isn't genetics, this is epigentics. Just to get that right. It kind of put a hitch on the whole nature versus nurture argument, by being all weird. Basically, epigenetics are gathered in a life time. They are based off how you are nurtured... but they are also passed on a great deal down to your children by a majority percentage, but they can also be changed and there's no idea what epigentics the children are getting. Basically, your nurture can turn into your children's nature. Weirdness.

This can be understandable though, but makes carries through that epigenetics make what you do is bad for you or have bad things happen to you can adversely effect far more than just the victim of these bad actions. Really forces someone to really think deeper before they do an action.

[Katsuro]

There's still a nature vs nuture argument? I thought it had basically been proven to be a complicated mix of both with neither being entirely separable from the other.  Didn't know there was any disagreement about it anymore.

[Material Defender]

There's still a nature vs nuture argument? I thought it had basically been proven to be a complicated mix of both with neither being entirely separable from the other.  Didn't know there was any disagreement about it anymore.

There really can't be with epigentics. That really solves the argument. When nurture can become nature and nature can remake nurture...