The article titled “Genetic Link to Emotional Sensitivity in Stressful Situations” sampled 171 students to test the correlation between oxytocin-related gene variants such as CD38 and emotional distress. It was found that students with the AA/AC genotypes reported higher emotional distress scores than those with the CC genotype. Females also scored higher with emotional distress and empathy than males did. This study concludes that A allele carriers are more vulnerable to emotional distress than C allele carriers.
I think being able to make a distinct correlation between the A allele for CD38 and high levels of emotional distress could be very beneficial. This connection could make it easier to determine if parents will pass down the A allele to children as a predetermination if the child will possibly be susceptible to thoughts of suicide or low mental health. It could also help individuals understand why they feel high levels of emotional distress and better determine what types of situations they can engage themselves in based on their genotypes.
This article is very interesting. A way this could be expanded, is by researchers looking for how/if the different alleles of oxytocin affect cortisol levels. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone, playing a big part in the body's response. Oxytocin is known to decrease cortisol levels and reduce stress. It is possible that one of the alleles is less effective in performing that function.
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting to see how our genes might play a big part in how we handle stress. Finding out that the A allele in the CD38 gene could be why some folks feel more stressed out or emotionally sensitive is kind of a game-changer. It’s like getting a heads-up on what emotional rollercoasters you might be more prone to. This could really help in figuring out the best ways to deal with stress or even understanding why certain things hit us harder than others. It’s pretty cool to think about how this could shape personalized approaches to mental health.
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