Neuroscience Colloquium

You are cordially invited to the following Neuroscience Colloquium.

Frances A. Champagne, Ph.D., Psychology Department, Columbia University, New York, will present, “Transgenerational Impact of the Social Environment.”

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
4:00 p.m.
Psychology Building, Room 101

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.

References:
Champagne FA & Mashoodh R (2009) Genes in context: Gene-environment interplay and the origins of individual differences in behavior. Current Directions in Psychological Science 18(3): 127-131.
Curley JP, Davidson S, Bateson P & Champagne FA (2009) Social enrichment during postnatal development induces transgenerational effects on emotional and reproductive behavior in mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 3:25 Champagne FA (2008) Epigenetic mechanisms and the transgenerational effects of maternal care. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 29(3): 386-397.