Intergenerational Transmission of Stress Effects

Several psychiatric disorders are at least partially hereditary, but it is largely unknown how mental illness is transmitted from one generation to the next. In this project, we aim to identify how stress effects can be transmitted from one generation to the next through both behavioral- and molecular transmission pathways. To this end, we are particularly interested in understanding how stress-induced impairments in maternal care and epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, contribute to the intergenerational transmission of stress effects. To address this question we use behavioral observations, cross-fostering, whole genome sequencing approaches, and DNA methylation editing tools to characterize and mechanistically investigate the contributions of maternal care and DNA methylation marks for stress transmission across generations.