Stress is a widespread societal problem that can have dramatic health costs for some vulnerable individuals, which may include damage to the brain and numerous physical and mental health problems. Yet, individual differences make it difficult to predict who is vulnerable to the adverse effects of stress. These individual differences must be generated by brain circuits involved in stress-related behaviors and responses, which can be affected by common variations within genes, individuals' life experiences, and the interaction between gene and environment. How these interactions take place in the human brain is currently unknown. Thus, the field is in critical need of an integrated approach to the study of gene x environment interactions on human behavior, its mediating brain circuits, and its underlying molecular-genetic mechanisms. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Turhan Canli and colleagues at Stony Brook University will examine the interaction between genes, life stress, and stress reactivity. The project involves molecular genotyping of subjects, with focus on three genes thought to be important for neurotransmitter and hormonal cascades involved in stress reactivity. Genetic information will be correlated with behavioral response on a well-characterized social stress task. The genetic information will also be correlated with brain imaging, which will allow the researchers to see how individual differences in the response of specific brain regions are influenced by genetic variation. Because gene x environment interactions are expected, life history will also be a part of the analysis. Lastly, because leading theories of the effects of stress on the brain predict damage in particular brain regions, the research will also involve an analysis of postmortem human brains, from individuals with known life histories and genetic profiles.
This project's significance is that it will reveal much about the genetic and environmental factors that affect vulnerability and resilience in healthy, normal individuals. Furthermore, the anticipated findings from this research will have important implications for mood disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. This project meets the educational mandate of NSF in several ways: The research broadens participation by underrepresented groups by including students who are female and/or minorities. Moreover, the project presents a unique opportunity for cross-training in genetics and neuroscience.
