Maternal Care and Individual Differences in Defensive Responses
Current Directions in Psychological SciencePublished 1 October 2005
Carine Parent, Tieyuan Zhang, Christian Caldji, Rose Bagot, Frances A. Champagne, Jens C. Pruessner
Citations52
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score3.21
SNIP3.16
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Abstract
Familial transmission of mental illness is common. Recent studies in behavioral neuroscience and biological psychiatry reveal the importance of epigenetic mechanisms of transmission that center on the developmental consequences of variations in parental care. Studies with rats suggest that environmental adversity results in patterns of parent–offspring interactions that increase stress reactivity through sustained effects on gene expression in brain regions known to regulate behavioral, endocrine, and autonomic responses to stress. While such effects might be adaptive, the associated cost involves an increased risk for stress-related illness.
Keywords
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