Psychological trauma that clings to the abused children's cells

According to recent scientists' statements on research that supports the search for history of abuse in criminal investigations, the physical reflection of psychological trauma in abused children may be carry in their cells. These physical imprints can shed light on whether traumatic trauma is inherited between generations as many hypotheses have long ago?

A group of researchers from the University of British Columbia examined sperm cells of 34 adult men, some of whom had been victims of abuse for many years in childhood. They found that the effects of psychological trauma were imprinted on 12 regions in the DNA sequence of those who had been subjected to emotional, physical and sexual abuse levels.

Scientists believe that these changes (also known as methylation in DNA) can help investigators and courts use to weigh allegations of child abuse.

'If you imagine genes like light bulbs, DNA methylation is the switch that regulates the brightness of each light bulb, thereby affecting the function of the cell. This has the potential to add information about how child abuse will cause physical and mental health effects in the long run ' - Nicole Gladish, PhD candidate in the Department of Genetics Medicine from the University of British Columbia said.

Researchers found that the trauma of child abuse could be imprinted in the victim's DNA.

This experiment is one of many experiments that are constantly being opened to find out what 'turns on and off' genes at different stages of human development, a well-known field of research. the name of epigenetic genetics.

Scientists thought genes were preprogrammed from the moment of conception, but now they find that some genes are only activated or deactivated by environmental factors or an individual's life experience.

Scientists who participated in the research published in Translational Psychiatry said that they still do not know how methylation affects people's health for a long time.

In addition, due to difficulties in extracting egg cells, the group has no plans to re-implement the experiment on women although they are certainly statistically significant as being victims of higher child abuse. man.

Scientists say the level of brightness changes in DNA regions is surprising. Part of the genome of a man who was abused at a young age differed from the genome of normal people up to 29%. And because the level of methylation changes over time, they may be able to look at cells that determine when the abuse takes place in the person's life.

'This may help develop tests performed by medical staff or even as forensic evidence' - Gladish explains.

Although scientists still do not know whether the abusive imprints shown on sperm cells survived completely through conception, the lead author Andrea Roberts said the study was We are closer to the answer to whether psychological damage has spread through generations.