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The strength of the mother's curse or new discoveries epigeneticist
Everyone knows that in the first months of life is most important is the warmth and motherly love. Gone education for Spock using cruel rules and restrictions, fear pamper and spoil the child with frequent wearing on the hands, feeding on the clock. Now we have to honor slings, co-sleeping and breastfeeding on demand almost no up to three years.
Indeed, the impact of early childhood experiences on the whole life of man can not be overemphasized. If the first relationship with the mother tested negative, has not formed an attachment, this can cause a lack of success and a sense of failure in adulthood, various complexes, mistrust the world and the environment and the perception of it as dangerous and not friendly, low stress tolerance, the development of addictive behavior (alcohol, drug , game addiction), and even such diseases as diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, cancer.
"Time does not heal these wounds, it hides them, hide" - says Jungian analyst Orel Cowley of early childhood trauma. And this Pandora's box full of neuroses, psychosomatic disorders, borderline disorders.
Recent scientific studies are going on, it turns mothering or on the contrary, deprivation can affect a change in gene expression (manifestation of hereditary information). And these changes can affect several generations (the so-called "cellular memory") that is very similar to our superstition of the mother's curse.
Even the Bible says that the curse can be transmitted to the third or fourth generation (Exodus 20: 4-6). "Suffice it to ill-treatment of a child can leave the" deep impression "inside the body, which will be stored for a long period," - says Terry Moffitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience
. "As soon as we realize that the inappropriate treatment of children brings a lot of hidden damage that will occur many years later, causing problems with memory, we understand that the best solution is to prevent such treatment of children».
The strength of the mother's curse or new discoveries epigeneticist
It sounds like science fiction? If genes determine how some static elements on which, as the hard drive of the computer, all the recorded information about the structure, it is not entirely correct.
Studies show epigeneticist genes responsive to any changes in the environment and lifestyle of its owner - a man. Now what epigenetics.
Epigenetics - the study of changes in gene expression and phenotype of the cells caused by mechanisms that do not involve changes in DNA sequence. The name comes from the Greek. επί-over, above, external and genetics. Examples of epigenetic modifications are DNA methylation and histone deacetylation - mechanisms that are used to suppress the expression of genes
. As expressed Emma Whitelaw (Emma Whitelaw) from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia: "We must remember that what we inherit from our parents - it's chromosomes and chromosomes consist of DNA only 50%, the remaining half are proteins that carry
epigenetic marks. " Here are a few examples of epigenetic research.
Marcus Pembrey and colleagues found that the grandchildren of the men who have been exposed to famine in Sweden in the 19th century, less prone to cardiovascular disease, but more prone to diabetes, which, according to the author, is an example of epigenetic inheritance.
Interested in epigenetic research and Geneva University experts. In the journal Translational Psychiatry published an article by the Faculty of Medicine research team, which includes Professor Alain Malafoss, director of the department of psychiatry clinic Nader Perry and assistant professor of department of genetics and development of Ariane Giacobini.
Geneva genetics have established a link between violence, injury of physical and mental characteristics and the degree of methylation of certain genes - namely, the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1 code). The results of the study allowed for the first time to establish a causal link between maltreatment in childhood, methylation of the gene, and mental dysfunction as a result - the emergence of a mental disorder
. In general, researchers agree that the environment - the main culprit of DNA methylation (modification of the DNA molecule itself without changing the nucleotide sequence of DNA that can be considered as part of the genome epigenetic component)
. Acting on the expression of genes, it can modify the phenotype (characteristics and properties of the organism, formed in the process of individual development of the person based on his genetics and influenced by external environmental factors). The biological role of methylation is to help the body to optimally adapt to the environment. With such a mechanism, the living entities become more agile and adaptive.
An important theme for our experiment conducted by Michael Small (Michael Meaney) from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The researchers observed the behavior of rats during the education of offspring. They noticed that newborn rats who regularly receive adequate maternal care, grew bold enough and quiet by nature.
On the other hand, babies whose mothers ignored during training, grew fearful and nervous. The reasons for this, as it turned out, was a purely epigenetic: usual care for the offspring of mothers control the level of methylation is the young brain genes that are responsible for the stress response - the hormone cortisol receptors expressed in the hippocampus
. Other observations of the female rats conducted in the laboratory of John. David Svitta (J. David Sweatt) from the University of Alabama. Even during pregnancy and after childbirth experimenters created them strong stress, due to which the young mother not only become indifferent to their offspring, and ceased to care for the young, but even showed them to violence.
When the grown daughter of rats give birth to their own children, they also turned out to be a bad mother. Interestingly, this phenomenon manifests itself in cases where the newborn immediately picked up by inattentive mothers and tucked normal rats, who took care of them as their own children.
The authors attributed this to the transfer by inheritance of epigenetic changes caused by stress. Later, they were able to relate their observations to the DNA methylation of one of the epigenetic markers - a gene-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF in the brain. In another experiment, the same question was considered in relation to the person.
According to the results of the magnetic resonance tomography experts determined: whether the brain imposes adult imprint of how parents cared for him as a child. It turns out that here, maternal care has played a key role in the organization of the brain. Subjects who suffered as a child from a mother's love and care deficit, had a much smaller hippocampus than children of normal families.
And the size of this organ determines not only the power of human memory and speed of thinking, but also the predisposition to mental illness - such as, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
. Here we can mention the observation Zahava Solomon (Zahava Solomon), epidemiologist of the Israeli army and now a professor at Tel Aviv University with a degree in psychiatric epidemiology and head of the Adler Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection. After the first Lebanon War in 1982, it was faced with a large number of cases of post-traumatic disorders among soldiers who witnessed the massacres of civilians by militants in the refugee camps.
Dr. Solomon struck by the fact that the manifestations of PTSD were especially high in one specific group - those whose parents survived the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. These her observations, she published a few years, and then brought them into his book Combat Stress Reaction (1993) in the form of a separate chapter, "Fathers and Sons: transgenerational effects of the Holocaust»
.
What is the mechanism of transmission of low adaptive resources and exposure to PTSD? When we are faced with the threat of our adrenal glands occurs adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath to prepare for "fight or flight". Once the threat has passed, the adrenal glands secrete another hormone - cortisol, which suppresses our stress response
. It is also known that the post-traumatic stress often have low levels of cortisol. In this we see the reason that people with PTSD is usually a long time in a state of stress. By studying the hormonal profile of their patients, Dr. R.Ieguda and colleagues showed that people in a group of Holocaust survivors with PTSD had lower cortisol.
They also found that children of Holocaust survivors also have low levels of cortisol. But what's interesting: the more severe symptoms occurred in parents, the lower the levels of cortisol in the child
. It can be concluded from us a lot depends on our attitude to children, from our love for them as will feel our grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mother did not only reward the child's powerful resources and adaptive mechanisms, they can change the gene manifestation of the next generations. All these many studies show about one of our great responsibility before the world.
Indeed, the impact of early childhood experiences on the whole life of man can not be overemphasized. If the first relationship with the mother tested negative, has not formed an attachment, this can cause a lack of success and a sense of failure in adulthood, various complexes, mistrust the world and the environment and the perception of it as dangerous and not friendly, low stress tolerance, the development of addictive behavior (alcohol, drug , game addiction), and even such diseases as diabetes, diseases of the cardiovascular system, cancer.
"Time does not heal these wounds, it hides them, hide" - says Jungian analyst Orel Cowley of early childhood trauma. And this Pandora's box full of neuroses, psychosomatic disorders, borderline disorders.
Recent scientific studies are going on, it turns mothering or on the contrary, deprivation can affect a change in gene expression (manifestation of hereditary information). And these changes can affect several generations (the so-called "cellular memory") that is very similar to our superstition of the mother's curse.
Even the Bible says that the curse can be transmitted to the third or fourth generation (Exodus 20: 4-6). "Suffice it to ill-treatment of a child can leave the" deep impression "inside the body, which will be stored for a long period," - says Terry Moffitt, professor of psychology and neuroscience
. "As soon as we realize that the inappropriate treatment of children brings a lot of hidden damage that will occur many years later, causing problems with memory, we understand that the best solution is to prevent such treatment of children».
The strength of the mother's curse or new discoveries epigeneticist
It sounds like science fiction? If genes determine how some static elements on which, as the hard drive of the computer, all the recorded information about the structure, it is not entirely correct.
Studies show epigeneticist genes responsive to any changes in the environment and lifestyle of its owner - a man. Now what epigenetics.
Epigenetics - the study of changes in gene expression and phenotype of the cells caused by mechanisms that do not involve changes in DNA sequence. The name comes from the Greek. επί-over, above, external and genetics. Examples of epigenetic modifications are DNA methylation and histone deacetylation - mechanisms that are used to suppress the expression of genes
. As expressed Emma Whitelaw (Emma Whitelaw) from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia: "We must remember that what we inherit from our parents - it's chromosomes and chromosomes consist of DNA only 50%, the remaining half are proteins that carry
epigenetic marks. " Here are a few examples of epigenetic research.
Marcus Pembrey and colleagues found that the grandchildren of the men who have been exposed to famine in Sweden in the 19th century, less prone to cardiovascular disease, but more prone to diabetes, which, according to the author, is an example of epigenetic inheritance.
Interested in epigenetic research and Geneva University experts. In the journal Translational Psychiatry published an article by the Faculty of Medicine research team, which includes Professor Alain Malafoss, director of the department of psychiatry clinic Nader Perry and assistant professor of department of genetics and development of Ariane Giacobini.
Geneva genetics have established a link between violence, injury of physical and mental characteristics and the degree of methylation of certain genes - namely, the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1 code). The results of the study allowed for the first time to establish a causal link between maltreatment in childhood, methylation of the gene, and mental dysfunction as a result - the emergence of a mental disorder
. In general, researchers agree that the environment - the main culprit of DNA methylation (modification of the DNA molecule itself without changing the nucleotide sequence of DNA that can be considered as part of the genome epigenetic component)
. Acting on the expression of genes, it can modify the phenotype (characteristics and properties of the organism, formed in the process of individual development of the person based on his genetics and influenced by external environmental factors). The biological role of methylation is to help the body to optimally adapt to the environment. With such a mechanism, the living entities become more agile and adaptive.
An important theme for our experiment conducted by Michael Small (Michael Meaney) from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. The researchers observed the behavior of rats during the education of offspring. They noticed that newborn rats who regularly receive adequate maternal care, grew bold enough and quiet by nature.
On the other hand, babies whose mothers ignored during training, grew fearful and nervous. The reasons for this, as it turned out, was a purely epigenetic: usual care for the offspring of mothers control the level of methylation is the young brain genes that are responsible for the stress response - the hormone cortisol receptors expressed in the hippocampus
. Other observations of the female rats conducted in the laboratory of John. David Svitta (J. David Sweatt) from the University of Alabama. Even during pregnancy and after childbirth experimenters created them strong stress, due to which the young mother not only become indifferent to their offspring, and ceased to care for the young, but even showed them to violence.
When the grown daughter of rats give birth to their own children, they also turned out to be a bad mother. Interestingly, this phenomenon manifests itself in cases where the newborn immediately picked up by inattentive mothers and tucked normal rats, who took care of them as their own children.
The authors attributed this to the transfer by inheritance of epigenetic changes caused by stress. Later, they were able to relate their observations to the DNA methylation of one of the epigenetic markers - a gene-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF in the brain. In another experiment, the same question was considered in relation to the person.
According to the results of the magnetic resonance tomography experts determined: whether the brain imposes adult imprint of how parents cared for him as a child. It turns out that here, maternal care has played a key role in the organization of the brain. Subjects who suffered as a child from a mother's love and care deficit, had a much smaller hippocampus than children of normal families.
And the size of this organ determines not only the power of human memory and speed of thinking, but also the predisposition to mental illness - such as, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
. Here we can mention the observation Zahava Solomon (Zahava Solomon), epidemiologist of the Israeli army and now a professor at Tel Aviv University with a degree in psychiatric epidemiology and head of the Adler Research Center for Child Welfare and Protection. After the first Lebanon War in 1982, it was faced with a large number of cases of post-traumatic disorders among soldiers who witnessed the massacres of civilians by militants in the refugee camps.
Dr. Solomon struck by the fact that the manifestations of PTSD were especially high in one specific group - those whose parents survived the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. These her observations, she published a few years, and then brought them into his book Combat Stress Reaction (1993) in the form of a separate chapter, "Fathers and Sons: transgenerational effects of the Holocaust»
.
What is the mechanism of transmission of low adaptive resources and exposure to PTSD? When we are faced with the threat of our adrenal glands occurs adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath to prepare for "fight or flight". Once the threat has passed, the adrenal glands secrete another hormone - cortisol, which suppresses our stress response
. It is also known that the post-traumatic stress often have low levels of cortisol. In this we see the reason that people with PTSD is usually a long time in a state of stress. By studying the hormonal profile of their patients, Dr. R.Ieguda and colleagues showed that people in a group of Holocaust survivors with PTSD had lower cortisol.
They also found that children of Holocaust survivors also have low levels of cortisol. But what's interesting: the more severe symptoms occurred in parents, the lower the levels of cortisol in the child
. It can be concluded from us a lot depends on our attitude to children, from our love for them as will feel our grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mother did not only reward the child's powerful resources and adaptive mechanisms, they can change the gene manifestation of the next generations. All these many studies show about one of our great responsibility before the world.
