A Methylome-Based Signature of Stress: Association With Accelerated Epigenetic Aging and Alcohol Use

Abstract

Epigenetic mechanisms have been suggested to be located at the interface between the genetic and the environmental levels. In animal as well as human studies, epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed to dynamically adjust to environmental challenges such as stress in an adaptive or maladaptive way [cf. (1,2)] and thus to contribute to resilience or risk, respectively, toward stress-related disorders as well as substance abuse disorders, which are inherently tied to stress-related disorders.