Researchers from McGill University and Douglas Institute have discovered that the presence or absence of ill treatment at an early age could alter the DNA.

The researchers studied a sample of 36 brains, including 12 suicides having been victims of ill treatments, and 24 other suicide cases. They found different epigenetic marks in the brains of subjects who had suffered ill treatments. These marks affect the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA), which modulates the stress responses and increased the risk of suicide.

These results confirm the observations carried out in rats according to which the maternal care plays a significant part on the genes which control the stress response. “Clinical experience has taught us that a difficult childhood may affect the course of life. Today, we begin to understand the biological consequences of psychological abuse,” said Gustavo Turecki, Department of Psychiatry and Moshe Szyf, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics.