Transgenerational Epigenetic Theory

Moshe Szyf, an epigenist informed us through his Ted Talk, “How life experience is written into DNA,” of our genes and how they are “combined of two components” (15:17). He used rhetorical strategies to engage his audience in understanding the view of DNA through an epigenetics perspective. He provides many examples of experiments performed which show these layers of information. The two layers include the old information from millions of years of evolution and the epigenetic layer which includes the open and dynamic set up of a narrative that is interactive and allows us to control our destiny.

The effects of trauma can be looked at into two separate categories however, they both are interrelated: neurodevelopment and psychosocial development. From the onset of birth, we are born with 100 billion neurons, much more than we will ever need and much more than we will ever have. Between these neurons, trillions of synapses are created. Depending upon the early life experiences in relation to attachments with caregivers and our environment, some synapses will be strengthened whilst others will be discarded.

It has been known, for many years, that childhood maltreatment, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, interparental violence, and sexual abuse, has an adverse effect on a developing child. These effects have been thought to be linked to adults later having cognitive deficits and mental disorders when compared to adults with no history of childhood maltreatment (Tomoda, Polcari, Anderson, & Teicher, 2012). It has also been shown that adults who experience childhood maltreatment are more prone to many medical illnesses than their healthy counterparts (Keeshin, Cronholm, & Strawn, 2012). With more recent advances in technology, scientists have been able to research exactly how childhood maltreatment affects development through methods such as MRI, fMRI, and genetic tests (Teicher, Anderson, & Polcari, 2012). Using these findings, scientists have begun to show how childhood maltreatment affects adults later in life. The following literature will support the claim that childhood maltreatment leads to abnormal neurological development which can later have adverse effects on the adult’s mental and physical health.

The most compelling piece of information that I read from the article "Epigenetics: Its What Turns You On...and Off" (Schardt, 2013) is how children born from the same mother, before gastric bypass surgery and after the surgery, had different patterns of epigenetic marks than their siblings. It would not have crossed my mind that being overweight would actually have an affect on your genes, that could be passed down to your offspring. Researchers have also reported that the gene IGF2 was more turned on in those born to obese fathers, which might increase the risk of becoming overweight in adulthood (Schardt, 2013). So they chances that a child becomes overweight is on both parents and not just one.

Many survivors from the Holocaust are more likely to pass on genes containing stress disorders to their offspring. This is a very new idea and is being researched by New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital. The research team, led by Rachel Yehuda, reached this conclusion by conducting a genetic study of 32 Jewish men and women who were held in concentration camps, witnessed traumatic events, and were forced to hide in the Second World War. This idea is very controversial and is known as Epigenetic inheritance, which is means environmental factors like smoking, diet, and stress may affect the genes of your offspring. Due to our environment, our genes are modified by chemical tags that turn genes on and off to adapt. Stress disorders found in the offspring

To consider the impact these traumatic events can have on a person’s life, we must investigate how they can change development. Paley and Alpert

Trauma is defined as “Any event (or events) that may cause or threaten death, serious injury, or sexual violence to an individual, a close family member, or a close friend” (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These horrifying experiences leave individuals scarred and mentally shaken for an extensive period. However, what happens when it occurs in one of the most influential periods of mental development? Childhood development is a critical time in a person’s

Thesis: Individuals that have experienced traumatic events or are put into high stress environments are prone to having their epigenetics modified which can be passed down to offspring. The altered genes can induce people to becoming much more vulnerable to depression and anxiety as a result. While there isn't a way to “cure” intergenerational trauma there are ways to cope with it.

Researchers first thought the genes you receive from your parents are set in stone since they are made of a genetic code set in our DNA sequence;however, they are discovering that there is a second layer of structure that combines with DNA to decide whether or not a gene is active or not, called the epigenome. The epigenome consists of the DNA, histones, a protein DNA is wrapped around, and chemical tags. The epigenome alters the genetic code by directing signals. The signals come from the environment, which are reacted upon by epigenetic tags to turn a gene either on or off without affecting the DNA sequence. Certain things from our environment that send signals to epigenetic tags to change our genes in the epigenome includes the following:

I conducted an intriguing research on the relationship between epigenetics and psychiatric disorders. It is known that epigenomes are affected by environmental surroundings which can cause life changing results as we age. Also, a mother’s maternal behavior inspires the stress

Traumatizing experiences caused by poor parenting and abuse lead many to psychopathic behavior and to lifelong problems. Antisocial disorder is a common outcome to those brutal situations, causing one to not associate with anyone, to have trust issues, and causing emotional instability (Spila, Mikara, kozak, and Urbanska, 2008). Review of literature indicates that most psychologist believe that one is made, not born a psychotic. They believe that one is more influenced by their environment, yet they do think that biological factors play a role in psychopaths along with that (Ramsland, n.d.). The more traumatized you are and the more problems you face in the future is most likely related to how young you were when you were physically or mentally abused (Sullivan, 1989). Abuse that is traumatizing causes many life threatening issues later on in your life, along with problems with your personality and social life (Harper, 2007).

The first step in preventing future sufferings is understanding the problem. Sara R. Jaffee and Cindy W. Christian, in their article, “ The Biological Embedding of Child Abuse and Neglect Implications for Policy and Practice” inform that child maltreatment often causes serious implications later in life, and can be explained by medical and psychological responses. Jaffee and Christian support this suggestion with studies and experiments conducted on adults with neglected pasts that show that “Victims of maltreatment differ from non-victims with respect to brain structure and function, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-(HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system function, immune function, and epigenetic markers”(Jaffee and Cindy 1). Jaffee and Cindy’s purpose is to inform readers of the medical and scientific explanations of the long term effects of child maltreatment in order to allow others to better understand the dire need to help the children suffering from maltreatment.

The processes by which the effects of stress and trauma experienced in one generation can be transmitted to the subsequent generations involves multiple factors and intersecting pathways (Bombay, Anisman, & Matheson, 2009, 2014; Bowers & Yehuda, 2016; Dekel & Goldblatt, 2008). It is known that adverse experiences in childhood and adulthood may influence the risk for various health and social outcomes in offspring of those who encountered the stressor or trauma directly (Bombay et al., 2009, 2014; Bowers & Yehuda, 2016; Dekel & Goldblatt, 2008). For example, the experiences of parents have been shown to be linked with the way their children appraise certain situations, including

Epigenetics can be hereditable or environmental factors that affect the expression of genes and lead to changes in gene expression. Unlike genetics, epigenetics does not only have to do with which genes are passed down to the offspring and the DNA sequence. The environmental conditions of the offspring’s parents impact the genes in their eggs and sperms by “switching on” certain genes and “switching of” others (Dowshen). Since the genes expression of the gametes are affect, the phenotypes of the offspring will change. Even in a person’s lifetime, environmental factors such as stress, chemical exposure, and diet can continue to impact gene expression through DNA methylation. During DNA methylation, a methyl group is randomly added to a 5-carbon cytosine ring, making 5-methylcytosine and these groups inhibit transcription. (Cheriyedath). Due the fact that transcription is not possible, the expressing of the genes in that section of the DNA strand will be suppressed. The attachment of the methyl group to DNA is not determined, which means that

After the discovery of genetics and inheritance it was thought that the genes which were inherited from our parents were what we were so to speak stuck with. The chromosomes from each parent with all the great things they possess as well as any conditions or diseases they have can be inherited as well. Recently, however, researchers have realized this information to be completely inaccurate. There seems to be another key factor that exists and enables the expression of every gene within our body’s enabling cellular differentiation as well and altering the expression phenotypically in the organism. Epigenetics defined is referred to that which is above or surrounding the gene, better understanding has described this as a non-genetic related inheritance. Epigenetics uses a variety of mechanisms such as DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs, and histone modification all of which silence or express genes. Researchers now know also that environment is a key element in regulating these genetic expressions. Lifestyle, diet, habits, and experiences can become part of an organism’s genome altering inheritance into future generations. Epigenetics is a multiple-disciplinary field which is rapidly expanding, leading to a better understanding of inheritance. It is extremely useful for the betterment of mankind, lading to better treatments and prevention of disorders and conditions. The innate hope is that more we are able to understand the mechanisms surrounding our genes the more