Behavioral Epigenetics

[Guest guest]

Organizers: Barry M. Lester (Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University),

Tronick (University of Massachusetts Boston and Children's Hospital

Boston), and J. Nestler (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)Presented by The

New York Academy of Sciences, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown

University, and The University of Massachusetts Boston

Reported by Ruvinsky, PhD | Posted March 4, 2011

Epigenetic modulation—which biochemically alters DNA and chromosomes, but unlike

mutation does not change the DNA sequence—can occur in response to environmental

signals and have enduring effects on gene expression. New research is beginning

to show that epigenetic mechanisms are active in the brain throughout a

lifetime. They may play a role in everything from learning and memory to drug

addiction to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism—and some studies

suggest the epigenetic marks affecting behavior could be transmitted into future

generations.

One of the first conferences to explore the interface between epigenetics and

behavior was held October 29–30, 2010, at the University of Massachusetts,

Boston. Jointly sponsored by the New York Academy of Sciences and Brown Alpert

Medical School, it brought together developmental psychologists, molecular

psychiatrists, neurobiologists, anthropologists, and others to discuss the

promise and the challenges of this emerging interdisciplinary approach.

Use the tab above to find a meeting report and multimedia from this event.

Presentations available from:

Ted Abel (University of Pennsylvania)

W. Kuzawa (Northwestern University)

Barry M. Lester (Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University)

Ian Maze (Rockefeller University)

Carmen Marsit (Brown University)

Monteggia (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)

J. Nestler (Mount Sinai School of Medicine)

H. Skuse (University College London, UK)

J. Sweatt (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Marcelo Wood (University of California, Irvine)