Abuse in early childhood permanently alters how the brain reacts to stress, a Canadian study suggests.
Analysis of brain tissue from adults who had committed suicide found key genetic changes in those who had suffered abuse as a child.
It affects the production of a receptor known to be involved in stress responses, the researchers said.
The Nature Neuroscience study underpins the impact of stress on early brain development, experts said.
Previous research has shown that abuse in childhood is associated with an increased reaction to stressful circumstances.
Dr Jonathan Mill
But exactly how environmental factors interact with genes and contribute to depression or other mental disorders in adulthood is not well understood.
A research team led by McGill University, in Montreal, examined the gene for the glucocorticoid receptor - which helps control the response to stress - in a specific brain region of 12 suicide victims with a history of child abuse and 12 suicide victims who did not suffer abuse when younger.
They found chemical changes which reduced the activity of the gene in those who suffered child abuse.
And they showed this reduced activity leads to fewer glucocorticoid receptors.
Those affected would have had an abnormally heightened response to stress, the researchers said.
Long-term
It suggests that experience in childhood when the brain is developing, can have a long-term impact on how someone responds to stressful situations.
But study leader Professor Michael Meaney said they believe these biochemical effects could also occur later in life.
"If you're a public health individual or a child psychologist you could say this shows you nothing you didn't already know.
"But until you show the biological process, many people in government and policy-makers are reluctant to believe it's real.
"Beyond that, you could ask whether a drug could reverse these effects and that's a possibility."
Dr Jonathan Mill, from the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London said the research added to growing evidence that environmental factors can alter the expression of genes - a process known as epigenetics.
"Whilst these results obviously need to be replicated, they provide a mechanism by which experiences early in life can have an effect on behaviour later in adulthood.
"The exciting thing about epigenetic alterations is that they are potentially reversible, and thus perhaps a future target for therapeutic intervention."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/7901337.stm
Published: 2009/02/23 01:16:12 GMT
© BBC MMIX
3 comments:
I'm not either (surprised, that is.) Very interesting, nonetheless.
Colin, I completely believe the research. Thurs & Fri I had 2 days worth, 5.5 hours of stressful phone confrontations with different branches of insurance companies. Yesterday I could barely get out of bed due to fatigue and muscle spasms. Last night the Crohn's pain and spasms started up after weeks of being in "remission". Nice to have my personal theories about my physical reactions to stress validated. What I still don't get is the delay - how it takes a couple of days for my body to say "We did NOT like this - here, let's show you" ...
Anyway, thanks for sharing. I appreciate it (and you) very much!
As an adopted "child" I completely believe that stressful and/or abusive situations in infancy and childhood affect one throughout life in ways that are still being discovered.
I am 43 years of age, but somehow, those of us who are adopted are always referred to as children. That always annoyed me but it also makes sense in some ways. A part of us is always stuck at that point at which we were torn away from our nurturer and all connection with our genetic heritage. I have seen some research starting to show up that verifies the long-term harm done to both the psyche and the physical being who is subjected to this stress. Some of these same things are being discovered about preemie babies who are deprived of nurturing touch due to living in incubators. I do believe that more info will continue to arise which will prove the truth.
I, too, have elevated C-reactive proteins with no "known" cause, various autoimmune-type conditions or symptoms with no "known" cause, etc. I do believe that all of these things do have a cause. Perhaps one day, we will all live in a world where NO child is subjected to abuse, trauma and extreme stress. ---Debbie, in Cleveland, OH
Post a Comment