The transgenerational transmission of childhood adversity: behavioral, cellular, and epigenetic correlates

The view that the functional maturation of the brain is the result of an environmentally driven adaptation of genetically preprogrammed neuronal networks is an important current concept in developmental neuroscience and psychology. This hypothesis proposes that early traumatic experiences or early l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Neural Transmission 2016-09, Vol.123 (9), p.1037-1052
Main Authors: Gröger, Nicole, Matas, Emmanuel, Gos, Tomasz, Lesse, Alexandra, Poeggel, Gerd, Braun, Katharina, Bock, Jörg
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Brain - pathology
Epigenesis, Genetic - physiology
Female
Humans
Inheritance Patterns
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neurology
Neurosciences
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Preclinical Psychiatric Studies - Review Article
Stress, Psychological - genetics
Stress, Psychological - pathology
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
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Summary:The view that the functional maturation of the brain is the result of an environmentally driven adaptation of genetically preprogrammed neuronal networks is an important current concept in developmental neuroscience and psychology. This hypothesis proposes that early traumatic experiences or early life stress (ELS) as a negative environmental experience provide a major risk factor for the development of dysfunctional brain circuits and as a consequence for the emergence of behavioral dysfunctions and mental disorders in later life periods. This view is supported by an increasing number of clinical as well as experimental animal studies revealing that early life traumas can induce functional ‘scars’ in the brain, especially in brain circuits, which are essential for emotional control, learning, and memory functions. Such gene × environment interactions are modulated by specific epigenetic mechanisms, which are suggested to be the key factors of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Indeed, there is increasing evidence for inter- and transgenerational cycles of environmentally driven neuronal and behavioral adaptations mediated by epigenetic mechanisms. Finally, recent concepts postulate that, dependent on type, time point, and duration of ELS exposure, also positive functional adaptations may occur in the relevant brain pathways, leading to better stress coping and resilience against adversities later in life.
ISSN:0300-9564
1435-1463
DOI:10.1007/s00702-016-1570-1