Sperm can pass trauma symptoms through generations, study finds | The Verge - 0 views
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People who experience early childhood trauma, like abuse or war, often exhibit a number of hormonal imbalances. The mechanisms involved are poorly understood, but most scientists agree that traumatic events alter gene expression, which then causes misregulations in a number of biological processes. But whether these changes can actually be passed down to offspring is a controversial question, because it would imply that acquired traits — traits that aren't actually encoded in DNA, but rather arise following certain experiences — are somehow being passed down through generations.
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After the pups of the traumatized male mice were born, scientists monitored their behavior. As expected, these pups showed the same symptoms of trauma that their fathers did, despite having never undergone traumatic events themselves. And these symptoms were even apparent in a third generation of mice.
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When researchers looked at the sperm of the traumatized mice, they discovered that the microRNAs in these sperm cells were also present in abnormally high numbers. "This means that germ cells — sperm in males and oocytes in females — are very sensitive to environmental conditions in early life," Mansuy says, "and early childhood trauma has consequences not only for the brain but also for the germ cell line
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An interesting article on how trauma may be handed down but not by psychological transference nor DNA but by some other means of physiology. In other words, it is neither handed down from environment nor DNA.