Gene environment meshing: A primordial stepping towards behavioural modulation

Abstract

Abstract Recent research provides evidence that early life experience plays a critical role in human development, as it also has a role in susceptibility to disease in later life. However, the mechanism of how this works remains largely in question, though it is crucial to consider the complex interaction between genes and environment which is a critical feature of development and which gives rise to individual differences in behaviour. Studies on the gene/environment interplay have given rise to the new field of research called epigenetics. Epigenetics is a mechanism that regulates gene expression, without incurring any change in the underlying DNA sequence. It relies instead on the chemical modification of DNA and histone proteins. Epigenetic findings from human and animal studies suggest that changes, such as DNA methylation, are involved not only in cellular differentiation but also in the modulation of genome function in response to early life experience affecting gene function as well as phenotype. In this article we review some recent studies regarding gene–environment interplay. These studies provide new ways of thinking about the transmission of traits across generations and provide implications for our understanding of the origins of individual differences in behaviour. Understanding how the environment impacts the working of the genome could have massive implications on how we approach solving current diseases and think about inheritance.