Friday, August 28, 2015

Holocaust trauma passed on to children via genes, says scientist

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The Jewish Chronicle   A study of Holocaust survivors and their children has shown that trauma can be passed on through genes.

The study, led by Rachel Yehuda from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital, looked at the genes of 32 men and women who directly experienced the Holocaust - either in a concentration camp or who had to hide during the Second World War. 

According to the research, the survivors’ children had an increased likelihood of stress-related disorders, as well as low levels of cortisol, the hormone that regulates the body’s response to stress. Ms Yehuda said: “The gene changes in the children could only be attributed to Holocaust exposure in the parents”.

The idea that environmental factors such as smoking or diet can affect one’s offspring via genetic mutations is known as “epigenetic inheritance”. [...]

The idea is a controversial one and it is still not fully understood how these tags are passed on. It was believed that any epigenetic tags on DNA are ‘wiped clean’ following fertilisation. However, recent research form Cambridge University has shown that some epigenetic tags escape this cleaning process.

“To our knowledge, this provides the first demonstration of transmission of pre-conception stress effects resulting in epigenetic changes in both the exposed parents and their offspring in humans,” said Ms Yehuda, whose work was published in Biological Psychiatry. 

Marcus Pembrey, emeritus professor of paediatric genetics at University College London, said: “What we’re getting here is the very beginnings of a understanding of how one generation responds to the experiences of the previous generation. It’s fine-tuning the way your genes respond to the world.”

6 comments:

  1. Environment and genetics certainly affect us all.

    It has to be considered in cases such as that of the Schlesinger twins in Vienna and their developmental delays whether this can be beause of inherited factors and their environment, or perhaps both?

    Besides what appear to be some very unjust decisions by the Austrian court, maybe this can also explain the unreasonable behaviour of the Austrian Jewish community towards a young Jewish mother and her two young children. It's not an excuse, but perhaps a reason?

    Maybe they need to be guided and take notice of people outside of Austria, because it it clear that the Austrian is being very bad light indeed regarding the case of these children and their mother, especially the Austrian Jewish Community.

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  2. Is Mr Schlesinger himself descended from Auschwitz survivors? This could explain why he has so many problems relating to the world in a reasonable and rational way. His stupid supporters should be giving him counselling instead of corruption. They are as much to blame for the situation as Schlesinger himself.

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  3. Not quite?

    http://epgntxeinstein.tumblr.com/post/127416455028/over-interpreted-epigenetics-study-of-the-week

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  4. We need more mad scientists here! Your arguments are knowledgeable and clearly those of an expert. The man mentioned below in connection with this topic may well be descended from Auschwitz survivors (see genealogical sites) but how many such people exhibit characteristics of mendacity, inhumanity, poor impulse control, and megalomania, among others? Very few, one would surmise.

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  5. It may be very few, but those that do, need serious counselling. Ignoring the problem, and by people like "vacation man" encouraging more people to ignore the problem, certainly isn't going to help anybody!

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  6. I dont see vacation man ignoring or encouraging anyone to ignore the problem. I only see a violent lying man who desperately needs counseling for behaviors that he must have learnt from his mother. But he is so amoral that we can't hold out much hope for his sons.

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