Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Development of Behavior

Abstract

Within the past decade we have experienced a paradigm shift in our understanding of gene–environment interactions and pathways through which experiences can become part of our biology. Advances in molecular biology have provided new insights into epigenetic factors (e.g., DNA methylation, histone acetylation) that are remarkably sensitive to environmental input and capable of registering and perpetuating altered gene activity states without affecting the underlying sequence of DNA. Groundbreaking studies have revealed that environmental adversity, social stress, and traumatic experiences can become encoded within epigenetic factors that control gene activity. As will be highlighted here, the birth of epigenetics research has provided an exciting new level of analysis for understanding tenets central to the discipline of developmental psychopathology, and a candidate biological pathway linking gene–environment interactions to long‐term and even multigenerational trajectories in the development of behavior.