August 2016 | What is Epigenetics?

Could Poor Sleep and Histone Modification Degrade Your Memory?

August 30, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Impaired sleep is a common issue that plagues many people. Not getting enough rest can lead to moodiness, cognitive decline, increased anxiety, and difficulty concentrating or remembering things. It’s estimated that 50-70 million adults in the US have sleep or wakefulness disorder, according to the CDC. But, for something so crucial to our lives, sleep is still shrouded in mystery. Interestingly, previous research has uncovered a link between sleep disorders and memory. Other studies have even shown that short-term sleep [more…]

Histone variant gene expression and learned behavior

Histone variant H2A.Z underlies inactivation of activity-dependent gene expression in learned behavior

August 23, 2016 Caitlin Aamodt

Over the past decade discoveries about the role of epigenetic mechanisms in learning and memory have changed the way scientists think about cognition 1. The most well characterized to date are histone acetylation and DNA methylation, but more recently discovered epigenetic mechanisms are continuing to shape researchers’ understandings of transcriptional regulation in post-mitotic neurons. Chromatin is made up of nucleosomes, which are 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around a histone octomer. The canonical histones that organize DNA at the [more…]

inherited epigenetic consequences of trauma

Inherited Epigenetic and Behavioral Consequences of Trauma Could be Reversed

August 16, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

It’s possible that the impact of traumatic experiences may be epigenetically inherited via molecular memory that is passed down through generations. Although still controversial, new research takes this concept a step further and demonstrates that traumatic behavior could be reversed when it would otherwise be inherited. A study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, was conducted by researchers at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich and showed that behavioral symptoms associated with trauma in male mice and their offspring can be undone [more…]

BPA and plastic chemicals epigenetically impact baby development

Fetal Development Epigenetically Influenced by Exposure to a Widespread Chemical in Plastic

August 9, 2016 Bailey Kirkpatrick

Evidence on the negative impact of the environmentally ubiquitous chemical, bisphenol-A (BPA), continues to mount. Previous research has shown that this endocrine disruptor causes adverse health effects during development and impacts the reproductive system, mimicking estrogen and binding to nuclear estrogen receptors as well as androgen receptors. BPA has been implicated in diseases such as obesity, infertility, endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, endometriosis, diabetes, prostate cancer, neurodegenerative disease and breast cancer. In a new mouse study published in The FASEB Journal, researchers [more…]

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