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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2009;301(13):1329.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Early childhood abuse might exert lifelong effects by altering a person's DNA and reducing levels of glucocorticoid receptors in the brain, which are important for responding to stress, Canadian scientists have found (McGowan PO et al. Nat Neurosci. 2009;12[3]:342-348).

The investigators examined brain tissue from 24 men who had committed suicide, half of whom had a history of childhood abuse, and from 12 men who had not been abused and died suddenly from other causes. Men with a history of abuse had lower levels of glucocorticoid receptors than did men who had not been abused or had not committed suicide. In addition, in those who had been abused, a snippet of "promoter" DNA that normally facilitates the production of glucocorticoid receptors had been silenced by the attachment of a methyl group.

The researchers noted the work confirms their previous findings from animal studies showing that adult . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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