Paternal Transmission of an Altered Stress Response in Mice

Rodent models are useful for studying epigenetic factors separate from experiential ones because the sire has no interaction with offspring. In this study, male mice were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of chronic stress (e.g., fox odor, repeated 15-minute restraint, white noise at night), either throughout puberty or during adulthood, or to a no-stress condition. Two weeks later, they were bred.

Plasma corticosterone levels in response to restraint stress were lower in offspring of fathers exposed to either pubertal or adult stress than in offspring of unstressed fathers. However, no group differences were seen in serotonergic regulation of the stress response; expression of genes related to pituitary or adrenal hormones and their receptors; a…