Victims of child abuse may bear chemical marks on their genomes that alter the way they respond to stress as adults, according to a small study. Researchers say they detected changes, almost like genetic scars, to a region of the genome that either promotes or tamps down the expression of a certain gene involved in stress responses. This could helpexplain why childhood abuse, such as sexual abuse or neglect, can cause depression, other mental health effects and suicide, and could some day lead to treatments to help victims overcome their abusive childhoods [Reuters].
Researchers studied 36 brain samples from the Quebec Suicide Brain Bank: 12 from suicide victims who had been abused as children, 12 from suicide victims that suffered no known abuse, and a final 12 who died suddenly in accidents. They found that only the brains of abuse victims showed the changes.
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