Memories can be passed down to later generations through genetic switches that allow offspring to inherit the experience of their ancestors, says study.
The results of the animal study, which suggested that a traumatic event could affect the DNA in sperm and alter the brains and behaviour of subsequent generations, were important for phobia and anxiety research, the BBC reported.
Phobias
A phobia is an irrational and exaggerated fear of an object or a situation that in reality, poses little or no actual danger.
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The team at the Emory University School of Medicine, in the US, trained the animals to fear a smell similar to cherry blossom and found a section of DNA responsible for sensitivity to the scent was made more active in the mice's sperm.
Both the mice's offspring, and their offspring, were "extremely sensitive" to cherry blossom and would avoid the scent, despite never having experiencing it in their lives.
![Quiz on Phobia]( "Quiz on Phobia")
We have seen "strange" behavior in some people with whom we interact and we have been, often, baffled by their strangeness. Many of these individuals suffer from, what is commonly termed as, "phobias". Let us take a look at some common phobias and try to understand the irrational fear gripping its sufferers.
Researchers said the experiences of a parent, even before conceiving, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations.
The findings provide evidence of "transgenerational epigenetic inheritance" - that the environment can affect an individual's genetics, which can in turn be passed on.
The smell-aversion study suggested that either some of the odour ends up in the bloodstream which affected sperm production or that a signal from the brain was sent to the sperm to alter DNA.
Source: ANI
Quiz on Phobia
We have seen "strange" behavior in some people with whom we interact and we have been, often, baffled by their strangeness. Many of these individuals suffer from, what is commonly termed as, "phobias". Let us take a look at some common phobias and try to understand the irrational fear gripping its sufferers.
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Researchers said the experiences of a parent, even before conceiving, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations.
The findings provide evidence of "transgenerational epigenetic inheritance" - that the environment can affect an individual's genetics, which can in turn be passed on.
The smell-aversion study suggested that either some of the odour ends up in the bloodstream which affected sperm production or that a signal from the brain was sent to the sperm to alter DNA.
Source: ANI
Memories may be Tagged With Information, Researchers Say
Scientists have now used a video game to decode how brain cells encode spatial information for particular memories which get activated immediately before recalled
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