Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Neuroscience talk today, March 10

Please join us for a talk today sponsored by The Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University-Bloomington, and the Neuroscience Training Grant, NIH-NIDA T32 DA024628.

Wednesday, March 10
4:00 pm
Psychology Room 101

Frances A. Champagne, Ph.D., will present, “Transgenerational Impact of the Social Environment.”

Abstract: Development occurs within a social context. The critical role of social interactions in driving phenotypic variation has long been inferred from the association between early social deprivation and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Recent evidence has implicated molecular pathways involved in the regulation of gene expression as one possible route through which these long-term outcomes are achieved. These epigenetic effects, though not exclusive to social experiences, may be a mechanism through which the quality of the social environment becomes embedded at a biological level. Moreover, there is increasing evidence for the transgenerational impact of these early experiences mediated through changes in social and reproductive behavior exhibited in adulthood. The role of epigenetics in mediating developmental plasticity both within and across generations provides a novel framework for understanding the inheritance of individual variations in phenotype and the role of the environment in inducing heritable modifications.

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