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epigenetics

·April 28, 2020·4 min read

Offspring may inherit legacy of their father’s Toxoplasma infection

Mouse study reveals the sperm of males infected with Toxoplasma carries an altered epigenetic signature that impacts the brain of the offspring. While the effects of T. gondii infections in pregnant women are fairly well documented, this is a novel study looking at the impact of male infection and its impact on offspring. The study raises the question as to whether T. gondii infections in men before conception impact the health and development of future generations.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·January 4, 2020·3 min read

One Step Closer to Newborn Screening for Autism

Key biomarkers for predicting autism in newborns have been identified.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 9, 2019·2 min read

The genetic signature of memory

Cortical and subcortical memory regions exhibit distinct genetic signatures that reflect potential differences in health and disease.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 18, 2019·3 min read

Adolescent drinking increases anxiety and alcohol abuse risk later in life

Teenage binge drinking is linked to altered gene expression in the brain, specifically the central nucleus of the amygdala. Adolescent rats exposed to alcohol had increased levels of miR-137, resulting in lower expression of proteins essential for healthy neuron growth. During adulthood, these rats displayed higher levels of anxiety and an increased preference for alcohol consumption.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·October 23, 2019·4 min read

Consuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centers

Study reveals how acetate, a byproduct of alcohol breakdown, travels to the brain's learning system and alters proteins that regulate DNA function.

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.