Eczema may be an early warning sign for potential mental health problems. According to Dr Patricia P Silveira, “When treating young girls for childhood cutaneous allergies, such as eczema, healthcare professionals should be aware of the increased potential for vulnerability for mental health problems. Understanding and investigating these types of associated risks is crucial to […]
A new study in mice provides molecular-level proof that the environment we are raised in continues to exert significant influence on brain development beyond childhood into adolescence. The study, published in Nature Communications, demonstrated that the environment in which an adolescent is raised causes measurable epigenetic modifications that influence which genes are activated or muted […]
A new study shows that childhood adversity can get ‘under the skin’ and influence epigenetic markers in our blood. Interestingly, the study also suggests for the first time, that perinatal interventions, that tackle early adversity, might have similar effects. The findings are based on a 30-year trial of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), which has shown […]
The long-term consequences of poor infant nutrition, particularly in the first weeks after birth, are becoming clearer thanks to a new study. Preterm, underweight babies who benefited from a higher energy intake –specifically more protein and fats- during the first three weeks of life had healthier body weights in their 20s (as measured by a […]
Moving beyond the overly simplistic unhealthy lifestyle paradigm, researchers are slowly uncovering the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind obesity. Recent research by Ludmer Centre researcher Dr Patricia P Silveira at McGill and the Douglas Institute and her colleagues has shown that altered dopamine signaling may increase a preference for more palatable high-sugar foods leading to a risk […]
How does childhood stress establish the groundwork for adult depression? Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Ludmer researcher Dr Rose Bagot found genes regulated by the transcription factor OTX2 – a protein controlling the rate of transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA – primed the response toward […]
There’s a neuron for depression or, more precisely, resiliency to the chronic stress that can cause depression. What makes some of us vulnerable to depression and others not? Is it exposure to chronic stress or a preceding susceptibility? The answer may lie in a neuron promoting resilience. Ludmer researcher Dr Rose Bagot and colleagues at […]
Diseases and mental illnesses that manifest across our lifetime may be linked to our body’s ability to fight off infections through fever – or febrile response – a potent mechanism for combating infection. Based on a growing body of evidence, we now know that childhood adversity and inflammation both play critical roles in the diseases […]
New research provides insight into how a profound remodeling of cell morphology in a specific brain region —the medial preoptic area (MOPA)— might relate to individual differences in maternal behavior. Both pregnancy hormones and pup sensory stimuli increase neuronal activation leading to a remodeling of neuronal circuits within certain brain regions, including the MPOA, that […]