Latest

epigenetics

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·October 17, 2019·3 min read

Mothers’ behavior influences bonding hormone oxytocin in babies

Greater maternal involvement upregulates the oxytocin system in their babies.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·September 23, 2019·5 min read

Hormone potentially linked to hypersexual disorder identified

Study implicates dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms of both DNA methylation and microRNA activity, in addition to oxytocin to hypersexuality.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·September 2, 2019·3 min read

Chronic cocaine use modifies gene expression

Chronic cocaine use alters the epigenetic profile of the FosB gene in the hippocampus. These alterations are required for cocaine-dependent gene expression and cocaine environment associations. Modification of hippocampal FosB results in a condition critical for cocaine-related learning.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 27, 2019·4 min read

Gene linked to autism undergoes changes in men’s sperm after cannabis use

Marijuana use alters a gene associated with autism in sperm. Hypomethylation was identified in the DLGAP2 gene in the sperm of male rats exposed to THC. The hypomethylated state was also detected in the forebrains of their offspring. Further research is needed to establish if there is a definitive link between paternal cannabis use and ASD in humans.

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·August 26, 2019·4 min read

From cradle to grave: Postnatal overnutrition linked to aging

Islets of Langerhans in overnourished infant mice showed epigenetic profiles resembling those of much older mice.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·August 22, 2019·3 min read

Stress in pregnancy impacts childrens’ vulnerability to stress in adulthood

Prenatal stress can have an epigenetic impact on the future mental health of offspring. Adult children of women who experienced prenatal stress are more vulnerable to stress and other mental health disorders.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·August 20, 2019·4 min read

Alzheimer’s drug reverses brain damage from adolescent alcohol exposure

Donepezil, a drug routinely administered to slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease, shows promise in treating damage caused to the brain by adolescent alcohol exposure. The drug reverses neuroinflammation and neuron damage in rats exposed to alcohol during adolescence.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·August 15, 2019·3 min read

Moderate to heavy drinking during pregnancy alters genes in newborns and mothers

POMC, a gene which regulates the stress response system, and PER2, a gene associated with circadian regulation, are altered in women who drank moderate-to-high amounts of alcohol during pregnancy and their newborns.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·July 9, 2019·3 min read

Parental ‘memory’ is inherited across generations

A new insect study reveals a preference for ethanol persisted for five generations following paternal exposure. The findings shed light on the role paternal experience plays across generations in disease and risks for addiction in humans.

This shows the train track with the entrance to Auschwitz in the distance

Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 1, 2019·2 min read

Biological toll on brain function of Holocaust survivors revealed

Neuroimaging reveals Holocaust survivors have decreased gray matter in brain structures associated with emotional processing, memory, and social cognition. Early results show similar neuroanatomical changes in the children of survivors, suggesting an epigenetic link.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 15, 2019·3 min read

Mouse study finds BPA exposure has transgenerational effects on gene linked to autism

Exposure to BPA appears to have a transgenerational effect on autism risk. Mice whose great grandmothers were exposed to BPA during pregnancy exhibited social behavioral deficits associated with ASD.