A study has shown that the trauma experienced by families in Syria can leave epigenetic marks on their descendants. This research supports the contentious theory that trauma can be biologically inherited, akin to findings in Holocaust and Rwandan genocide survivors. By analyzing the DNA of families affected by violence in different decades, researchers identified specific epigenetic changes not observed in a control group. Although this work is significant, experts emphasize it should be viewed as a preliminary step towards understanding how these marks influence health and behavior.
This is a really great attempt to look at the biological imprint of intergenerational trauma," says Rachel Yehuda, a neuroscientist at the Icahn School of Medicine.
The authors found that adults and children who had been directly exposed to violence in the 1980s and after 2011 had distinctive epigenetic marks in certain DNA regions.
The study should be seen as a proof of concept. It does not explain whether or how such biological marks affect health or behaviour.
The latest findings are the first to identify epigenetic signatures of trauma across three generations.
Collection
[
|
...
]