Inter- and transgenerational inheritance of behavioral phenotypes

Abstract

Adult animal behaviors are determined by complex and dynamic changes in gene expression in different brain regions and are influenced by life experiences and environmental exposures. These stimuli affect gene expression through intricate mechanisms of regulation that largely implicate epigenetic factors, such as, DNA methylation, histone post-translational modifications, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Through these molecular pathways, some of the behavioral phenotypes associated with life experiences can be stably transmitted to descendants, sometimes across several generations. Rodent studies indicate that parental stressful and traumatic experiences can lead to behavioral despair, risk-taking behaviors, altered sociability and atypical responses to stressful stimuli in the offspring, whereas parental environmental enrichment has been associated with improved cognition and stress resilience in the offspring. Similar observations have been made in humans; children and grandchildren of genocide survivors show increased psychopathology and emotional disturbances. At the molecular level, changes in germline ncRNAs have been identified as likely vectors of transmission in rodents. The mechanisms linking behavioral stimuli to the germline, and factors responsible for these changes and their persistence across generations remain, however, largely unidentified.

Sociability as a personality trait in animals: methods, causes and consequences

“…The impacts of prenatal stress on offspring phenotypes have been particularly well studied. Prenatal stress can alter gene expression leading to long‐term impacts on the social behaviour of offspring, helping to explain why individuals consistently vary in their sociability (Jawaid & Mansuy, 2019). Prenatal stress is typically associated with reduced sociability, as demonstrated in rats (Takahashi, Haglin & Kalin, 1992) and rhesus macaques M. mulatta (Clarke & Schneider, 1993).…”

Mechanisms by which adverse childhood experiences, other traumas and PTSD influence the health and well-being of individuals with eating disorders throughout the life span

“…Matters are further complicated when one considers that the effects of historical or generational traumas, including the impact of widespread famine occurring in previous generations, can be highly influential on subsequent progeny via epigenetic mechanisms [75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84]. Such effects are reported to occur even when the individual has not had direct contact with the trauma itself or the traumatized relative [85][86][87][88][89]. DNA methylation, which is a measure of epigenetic change and which ostensibly mediates such effects, has been associated with a number of changes in mental illness phenotypic manifestations, including brain structure and function, that are relevant to EDs, PTSD and other trauma-related disorders [76][77][78][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99].…”

Human access constrains optimal foraging and habitat availability in an avian generalist

“…Despite record breeding population sizes, behavioral strategies to avoid hunting pressure during autumn and winter may be partially responsible for the observed declines in mallard and other waterfowl harvest in west Tennessee and elsewhere (Raftovich et al, 2022). Evolutionarily, these movement and resource selection behaviors, which may be connected to intense hunting pressures, could be passed down across generations (Jawaid & Mansuy, 2019; Plomin, 1990). Other studies across taxa have shown that once alternative movement and selection patterns are established, historic behaviors are challenging and costly to restore (Allred, 1950; Barker et al, 2022).…”