Stressed and stigmatized – The epigenetic imprint of stress

Abstract

Inheritance of traits acquired by parents? Until recently, this sounded like heresy to geneticists and evolutionists. Epigenetics, a branch of biology advancing for fifty years, says it is possible. The characteristics of all organisms are formed due to a complex game in which the environmental influences choose from the possibilities stored in the genes. Epigenetics indicates that the environment modifies the development programs stored in the genes. They manifest themselves in the offspring as a result of chronic hunger, improper nutrition, catastrophes, psychological trauma and violence on the parents. They are based on reversible chemical changes in DNA, which are inherited for several generations. In particular, this applies to children whose mothers have suffered traumatic experiences during pregnancy. Changes in hormonal regulation and gene expression associated with the stress response are decisive for the inheritance of psychological trauma. Epigenetic mechanisms may also be the basis of somatic and mental diseases and behavioral disorders.