But when the rat moms were neglectful, the promoter gene was silenced. Result: fewer receptors, and a hair-trigger response to stress. These neglected rats grew up to be fearful, neurotic messes because this gene had a silencer sitting on it.*
Ever since that study, the obvious question has hung in the air: Are people like rats? Do childhood experiences re-set the genome, turning some genes on and others off, or turning some to “high production” and some to “low”?
Here comes the science...
Talkin' DNA and Suicide...
