For Some Children Genes Increase The Stress Of Social Disadvantage

According to one of the first studies to document how genes interacting with social environments affect biomarkers of stress, genes amplify the stress of harsh environments for some children, and magnify the advantage of supportive environments for other children. Colter Mitchell, leader of the research at the University of Michigan Institute of Social Research, says, "Our findings suggest that an individual's genetic architecture moderates the magnitude of the response to external stimuli." The study used telomere length as a marker of stress. Telomeres are found at the ends of chromosomes and shorten with age. They can also shorten when a person is exposed to disease and chronic stress. including stress of living in disadvantaged environments. This study used 40 9-year old boys from two different environments; one nurturing and the other harsh. The nurturing environment boys had stable families, while the harsh environment boys had unstable families. For those children with heightened sensitivity in the serotonin and dopamine genetic pathways compared to other children, telomere length was shortest in disadvantaged environments, and longest in a supportive environment.
The findings from this study is very shocking. The boys are only nine years old! There is a significant difference in their telomere length at the age of nine. Using such young subjects shows how much of an impact disadvantaged environments are on an individual.