TRAUMATIC STRESS ACROSS GENERATIONS: EPIGENETIC INSIGHTS
Associate Professor Nastassja Koen, Neuroscience Institute; Psychiatric Genetics Group of the Brain- Behaviour Centre, Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town
Thursday 29 January 9.15 am COURSE FEES R115; Staff and Students R58
This lecture is part of the Neuroscience Institute’s Hot Topics in Neuroscience series.
Exposure to trauma is highly prevalent globally and in South Africa. According to the South African Stress and Health Study, most adult South Africans have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetimes. There is also growing evidence of the adverse effects of perinatal traumatic stress, for both mothers and children. However, the neurobiology underpinning these associations is not yet fully understood. Epigenetic mechanisms – heritable changes in gene expression that are not caused by direct changes to the DNA sequence – may play a role. This lecture will give an overview of global evidence, as well as emerging data from South Africa, of observed associations between exposure to traumatic stress (and related disorders) and adverse outcomes, and the potential role of epigenetics in these associations.
Health professionals can earn CPD points for this lecture.
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