Loading...
Investigators' interest in epigenetic risk factors for psychiatric disorders is based on the concept that epigenetic events modify the activation of genes by several different processes, including DNA methylation (which ordinarily lowers genetic activity), in genes linked to a specific psychiatric disorder. The presence of altered methylation may signify further risk for that disorder. Two recent studies illustrate the methods and pitfalls of this research approach.
Beach and colleagues examined DNA from 155 women in an ongoing longitudinal study. After adjustment for the direct effects of parental psychopathology and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genotype, a history of childhood sex abuse was associated with symptoms of antisocial personali…