Stress may be heritable in rats and potentially humans
Stress is a common experience for many Americans who lead hectic lives and juggle both personal and professional responsibilities.
Stress is a common experience for many Americans who lead hectic lives and juggle both personal and professional responsibilities. Constant tension and anxiety can lead to the development of depression, for which millions of individuals buy Effexor. According to a new study from the University of Haifa, the effects of stress can potentially be passed down to offspring.
In a rat model, scientists discovered that rodents that were exposed to stress during their early development often passed on the effects of that tension to offspring. According to the research team, this finding could be comparable in humans.
Lead author Jay Schulkin and colleagues studied a total of 40 female rats that were split into groups. Some were raised normally in individual cages, while others were exposed to different stressors.The researchers found that the early treatment of the mother rodents determined their offspring's behavior. Stressed moms were more likely to have baby rats that had reductions in social interaction.
"[The study] suggests that evolution equipped the parent generation to sample its environment, and then, possibly via heritable epigenetic changes, to prepare the next generation to better cope with this environment," the team stated. "It is important to investigate whether stressful experiences at a young age affect the next generation, and whether therapeutic experiences can minimize the trans-generational effects in humans too."
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