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epigenetics

·March 13, 2019·4 min read

NIH-funded rodent study finds molecular link between adolescent alcohol use and adult anxiety

Adolescent rats exposed to alcohol had a decrease of both Arc eRNA expression and Arc gene expression in the amygdala during adulthood. Additionally, the alcohol-exposed rats displayed increased anxiety behaviors as they aged.

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·February 19, 2019·5 min read

Extinguishing Fear Memories Relies On An Unusual Change to DNA

Researchers report fear extinction memories form as a result of an adenosine modification, which help to increase the activity of specific genes.

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·February 7, 2019·5 min read

Blood Cells Could Hold Master Clock Behind Aging

A new study reveals blood cell DNA remains steady, even after transplant. The findings shed new light on human aging.

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·February 6, 2019·5 min read

Heavy Drinking in Teens Causes Lasting Changes in Emotional Center of Brain

A new study reports teenage binge drinking can result in lasting epigenetic changes that alter the expression of BDNF-AS, a protein vital for the formation of neural connection in the amygdala.

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·January 22, 2019·3 min read

Parental PTSD Affects Health Behavior and Aging Among Offspring of Holocaust Survivors

A new study reports Holocaust survivors who suffer from PTSD and their adult children age less successfully and display more unhealthy behaviors than those with no PTSD or who did not experience the horrors of the Holocaust.

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·January 21, 2019·3 min read

Mice Pass On Brain Benefits of Enriched Upbringing to Offspring

Researchers report life experiences may be transgenerationally inherited through a combination of epigenetics and parental behavior.

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·January 17, 2019·3 min read

Epigenetics Contributes to Male and Female Differences in Fear Memories

A new mouse study reveals males recall fearful memories better than females. Researchers attribute the difference to the gene Cdk5, which has previously been implicated in creating fear memories and stress behaviors. The study reports Cdk5 is naturally activated in males, but not females.

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·January 16, 2019·5 min read

Differences Among Neurons that Coincide with Psychiatric Conditions

A new study reveals differences in genes in four areas of the brain that contribute to psychiatric disorders.

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·January 8, 2019·4 min read

Childhood Stress Affects Behavior of Offspring: Mouse Study

Researchers report on the epigenetic effect of early life stress. In a new study, researchers reveal mice who experienced stress in the first few weeks of life showed deterioration in memory, learning and maternal behaviors. Behavioral changes were seen in their later offspring, regardless of sex.

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·January 8, 2019·7 min read

Choline Helps Fight Alzheimer’s Across Generations

Researchers report when mice bred to display Alzheimer's like symptoms were given diets high in choline, their offspring showed improvements in spatial memory compared to those exposed to normal levels of choline in the womb.

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·December 19, 2018·5 min read

Cannabis Exposure Alters Genetic Profile of Sperm

THC exposure targets genes in two major cellular pathways and alters DNA methylation, a new study reports. Researchers say that wile cannabis triggers structural and regulatory changes in the DNA of users' sperm, they do not know yet whether the changes are passed down to the offspring and what effects that could have.