Growing up and experiencing stimulating environments throughout life help to keep the hippocampus "young", and can help to preserve mental fitness in old age.
A new study sheds light on how genes are regulated in dementia. Researchers also identified 84 novel genes linked to dementia.
Stressed male mice can pass down their behaviors to their offspring via alterations in their sperm's DNA, a new study reports.
A new study of male guppies reveals behaviors affected by methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH), an active ingredient in common ADHD medications, can be passed along to future generations.
Regulatory epigenetic changes to genomic regions in the brain are essential for human cognition and mental health.
Researchers explore the link between childhood trauma and the increased risk of developing mental and physical health problems as adults.
Immune cells in the uterus and placenta of stressed pregnant mice were not activated, but researchers found increased levels of inflammation in the developing fetal brain. Additionally, prenatal stress led to reductions in gut microbial strains and functions, especially in those linked to inflammation.
Early life stress induces epigenetic modifications in D2-type medium spiny neurons in the nucleus accumbens, increasing the susceptibility to stress in adulthood.
From impairing nervous system function and changing bacterial communities in the microbiome to increasing oxidative stress and inflammation, researchers report on the ways in which exposure to chemical pollution harms the body.
Stress experienced by fathers during early life was associated with more rapid development of white matter tracts in his child's brain.
Infant children whose mothers experienced neglect when they were young showed altered brain circuitry in areas associated with anxiety and fear response.
Researchers used epigenetic modulators to reduce the damage done by stress to neuroplasticity. Findings reveal acute intervention in epigenetic mechanisms produced antidepressant effects more rapidly than conventional medications.
