Stress and adverse life experiences are well-known examples of environmental factors that can affect gene activity and lead to changes in the expression of our genetic material called “epigenetic changes”. These epigenetic modifications are “there” to allow the human genome to adapt to its environment.
Epigenetic regulation of dopamine neurotransmission:this study conducted by doctors from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin compared the results of the IQ test of nearly 1,500 adolescents with epigenetic changes affecting the genes involved in the transmission of the dopamine-based signal (neurotransmission of dopamine). Dopamine plays an important role in the brain's reward system and crucial in modulating motivation. This work identifies a link between the epigenetic regulation of dopamine neurotransmission and IQ test performance. In some subjects, an epigenetic modification has silenced the dopamine receptor gene: neurons then carry fewer dopamine receptors and signal transmission is reduced. Therefore,
Individual differences in IQ tests linked to epigenetic changes and differences in brain activity: one of the authors, Dr. Kaminski comments on this result: "We had already observed the links between stress and cognitive performance, in particular in with respect to the activity of the reward system controlled by dopamine. Other factors are already known to influence performance on IQ tests, such as low household income. Today we can add these epigenetic changes and the associated differences in brain activity.
The challenge now, the researchers conclude, is to determine the extent of these environmentally-induced neurobiological changes, as well as the degree to which these changes may, indeed, affect performance on IQ tests.
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