From the study of 12 suicide victims who had been abused as children, 12 suicide victims who had not been traumatized and 12 people who died of other causes, a group at McGill have reached an outstanding conclusion. In the brain cells of suicide victims who had suffered severe sexual or physical abuse or neglect, the Montreal researchers found epigenetic markings in a gene that affects how a person reacts to stress.
Aside from the "suicide study" of people who have been abused, this research has a broader ramification. It shows that other than chemical exposures which were known to affect one's genes, social trauma can also be an influence.
Dr. John Strauss, a child psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said the McGill study is important because it brings to "psychiatric disorders a way of explaining potential gene-environment interactions."
The italic parts have been taken from this report on the study. The full article is published in the Nature Neuroscience and you can find it here.
Aside from the "suicide study" of people who have been abused, this research has a broader ramification. It shows that other than chemical exposures which were known to affect one's genes, social trauma can also be an influence.
Dr. John Strauss, a child psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said the McGill study is important because it brings to "psychiatric disorders a way of explaining potential gene-environment interactions."
The italic parts have been taken from this report on the study. The full article is published in the Nature Neuroscience and you can find it here.
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