Suicide - genetic changes in brain as a result of childhood abuse
Researchers have found marked genetic differences between brains of men who committed suicide and the brains of men who did not. Of those individuals studied, all had been victims of child abuse.
Even though the genetic sequence was the same in the suicide and non-suicide brains, researchers at the McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, led by Moshe Szyfa, discovered that epigenetic markings were different. That is, the researchers noted a chemical coating on genes that was influenced by environmental factors. In this unique study, the DNA of male suicide victims from Quebec was analysed. The 13 people who committed suicide all had been victims of child abuse.
“It’s possible the changes in epigenetic markers were caused by the exposure to childhood abuse, although in humans it’s difficult to establish causality between early childhood and epigenetic markers, in the way we have established this in animal subjects,”said Szyfa. “The big remaining questions are whether scientists could detect similar changes in blood DNA - which could lead to diagnostic tests - and whether we could design interventions to erase these differences in epigenetic markings”
“Our data are merely consistent with the hypothesis that early life events can alter the epigenetic status of genes that mediate neural functions, and thus contribute to individual differences in the risk for suicide,” conclude the authors.
For further information, click on the following link
http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0002085
Elaine Warburton www.geneticsandhealth.com
Tags: DNA sequencing, epigenetics, Genetic Testing, Genetics of Disease, suicideRelated Stories
POSTED IN: DNA sequencing, General Genetics and Health, Genetic Testing, Genetics of Disease, epigenetics
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3 opinions for Suicide - genetic changes in brain as a result of childhood abuse
Gwen Boucher
May 8, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I am following genetic research with great interest, because I am thinking that genetics, along with my childhood abuse could be somehow part of my being a transwoman. I doubt that many understand how devastating to ones life being trans is.
Right now, I am suspecting environment and genetics.
Hopefully, research will allow people like me to be identified in the womb and aborted.
Gwen
Elaine
May 9, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Gwen
YOU ARE SPECIAL!!! Don’t ever forget that!!!
I cannot imagine what your life must be like and how frustrated you are. But you are ‘you’ and equally as important on this planet as any other person.
You take care of yourself! Elaine x
Saturday Sanity: Ain’t The A Kick In The Brain?
May 10, 2008 at 5:21 am
[…] And, as usual, the rest of the b5 Health & Wellness Channel has a slue of stuff going on. In addition to Mental Health Notes’s birthday giveaway, Grace at Kids Health Notes currently has five giveaways going on (some end tonight, so hurry on over!) while Gloria at Cancer Commentary is running an HPV Awareness contest. In addition to the upcoming Living with Pain blog carnival, Help My Hurt’s Marijke has interviewed the author of How-To Marijuana, A Step-by-Step Guide to Medical Marijuana and is hosting a contest to win a free copy of the book. And, for you poets out there, Angelique at Breaking the Mirror is hosting a contest for a free copy of For Keeps: Women Tell the Truth about Their Bodies, Growing Older, and Acceptance. Of course, just when you thought we b5 bloggers didn’t know how to do anything but give stuff away, Gabrielle at Fertility Notes gets serious with tips for coping with fertility problems while Elaine at Genetics & Health the connections between child abuse, genetic changes, and suicide. […]
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