Cited by 91Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchEpigenetics and DNA MethylationStress Responses and Cortisol

Germ Cell Origins of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Risk: The Transgenerational Impact of Parental Stress Experience

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Rodgers, Ali B., Bale, Tracy L.·2015·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Altered stress reactivity is a predominant feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may reflect disease vulnerability, increasing the probability that an individual will develop PTSD following trauma exposure. Environmental factors, particularly prior stress history, contribute to the developmental programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis. Critically, the consequences of stress experiences are transgenerational, with parental stress exposure impacting stress reactivity and PTSD risk in subsequent generations. Potential molecular mechanisms underlying this transmission have been explored in rodent models that specifically examine the paternal lineage, identifying epigenetic signatures in male germ cells as possible substrates of transgenerational programming. Here, we review the role of these germ cell epigenetic marks, including posttranslational histone modifications, DNA methylation, and populations of small noncoding RNAs, in the development of offspring stress axis sensitivity and disease risk.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.018

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  • Offspring effects may be mediated, in part, by epigenetic changes in parental germ cells resulting from acquired parental stress exposures throughout life.

    “Offspring effects may be mediated, in part, by epigenetic changes in parental germ cells resulting from acquired parental stress exposures throughout life 3,[168][169][170]”

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Authors
Rodgers, A. B., & Bale, T. L.
Affiliations
University of Pennsylvania (US)
Corresponding author
Bale, Tracy L.
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2015-09
Volume
78
Issue
5
Pages
307-314
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2170250876
Cited by
91
References
118
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 6
FWCI
1.72
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (MH073030, MH091258, MH087597, MH099910, MH104184)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, germ cells, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, stress reactivity, developmental programming, histone modifications, DNA methylation, small RNA, paternal lineages
MeSH terms
Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Germ Cells, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Epigenomics

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