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Parental brain and socioeconomic epigenetic effects in human development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2012

James E. Swain
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. [email protected]://www2.med.umich.edu/psychiatry/psy/fac_query4.cfm?link_name=jamesswasperkinz@[email protected]@[email protected]
Suzanne C. Perkins
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. [email protected]://www2.med.umich.edu/psychiatry/psy/fac_query4.cfm?link_name=jamesswasperkinz@[email protected]@[email protected]
Carolyn J. Dayton
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. [email protected]://www2.med.umich.edu/psychiatry/psy/fac_query4.cfm?link_name=jamesswasperkinz@[email protected]@[email protected]
Eric D. Finegood
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. [email protected]://www2.med.umich.edu/psychiatry/psy/fac_query4.cfm?link_name=jamesswasperkinz@[email protected]@[email protected]
S. Shaun Ho
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. [email protected]://www2.med.umich.edu/psychiatry/psy/fac_query4.cfm?link_name=jamesswasperkinz@[email protected]@[email protected]

Abstract

Critically significant parental effects in behavioral genetics may be partly understood as a consequence of maternal brain structure and function of caregiving systems recently studied in humans as well as rodents. Key parental brain areas regulate emotions, motivation/reward, and decision making, as well as more complex social-cognitive circuits. Additional key environmental factors must include socioeconomic status and paternal brain physiology. These have implications for developmental and evolutionary biology as well as public policy.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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