Genetic Research and the Future of Behavioral Science

 Article - "Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated": Behavior Genetics in the Postgenomic Era

The Human Genome Project was a genetic research study conducted between October 1, 1990 and April 14, 2003. This project, easily one of the most revolutionary scientific developments in history, worked to determine the entire chemical make up of the human genome. Its completion sparked many more study interests both new and old that are still being explored today.

The article above, specifically focuses on the impact The Human Genome Project and other technological advancements in genetics have in behavioral science. The most notable influence is on gene-environment interaction studies. The article noted that previous gene-environment interactin studies have been extremely narrow. As a result, their findings are difficult to apply and sometimes insignificant in various populations. With increased capabilities and more advanced technology, it is now possible to broaden the scope of these studies and have more influential findings. An example of this is the combination of 2 separate studies to improve preventative care for alcohol dependance. In this instance, Study 1 showed that genetic influences on external behavior is minimized with increased social control. Study 2, the use of Family Check-ups showed that parental monitoring and involvement with peers have positive effects on youth with problematic behaviors. A "post-genomic era" gene-environment study was able to combine both of these findings, creating a randomized intervention program targeting alcoholism in young adults. This was done using the Family Check Up model to teach and improve the parents management styles. 

Overall, I find it excited to witness how modern sciences are developing. The Human Genome Project was completed when I was 2 years old and has already had a massive impact on the way we function as a society and understand the world. I agree with the authors of my chosen article when they note that research such as this has the potential to change our understanding of ourselves as well.

Reprogrammed Ants

Florida carpenter ants have specialized jobs where they either "major" which are soldier or "minor" which forage for food. Shelby Berger injected the "major" ants with trichostatin A from 0,5, or 10 days after adulthood. This was injected in the brain and caused numerous of their genes to be expressed differently. Some had changes in behavior, but the ants that were injected at 10 days did not; suggesting that behavior flexibility has a very short time frame. This can cause soldier ants to behave as the foragers.

I think this is a very interesting study. I wonder if this can be done with ants, what other species this can affect as well. The test seemed to mainly turn the soldier ants into foragers, but I wonder if it could work the other way as well. I believe it would because it seems to alter their genetics, so it should be the same.



https://www.the-scientist.com/image-of-the-day/image-of-the-day--reprogrammed-ants-66709

Related Article:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/reprogramming-carpenter-ants-epigenetics

Your Roommate's Genes Can Effect Your Health

As college students, a lot of us are residents on campus living with a few roommates.  What we may not realize, though, is that the people we live with may influence our health based on each individual's genetic makeup.  In a very recent study, researchers observed the behaviors of mice, focusing on how one affects the other in a number of ways based on genetic traits relating to things such as growth, the immune system, and biological clock.  Specific pairs of mice either affected each other in a more positive way, a more negative way, or remained neutral depending on which type of mouse was caged with another.  Right now, scientists have found about 40 traits that can be effected, while 10% of a mouse's genetics are influenced by another.  Some traits tested in studies were anxiety level, rate of wounds healing, weight, and functioning of the immune system.  In newer studies focusing on traits related to the immune system, more than 30% influenced on how genes were expressed.   For a long time researchers have known that a person's traits can influence one another's behavior through peer pressure. One example a researcher stated involved a difference in roommates' biological clocks, where one tends to wake up early and the other goes to sleep late.  This could lead to poor sleep habits to one person or the other depending on who's behavior changes. 

I thought this study would spark a lot of interest considering many of us probably live with roommate's on campus, experiencing changes in behavior due to the people surrounding them.  I have even noticed a change in my own behavior pertaining to my sleep schedule and how my roommates disturb it, so it would be interesting to see what other ways their genetic traits can effect mine.

How Animals Change Behavior Based on Social Information

At Rockefeller University's Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, Cori Bargmann and her coworkers created a variety of experiments in order to look and understand how animals use social information to adapt their behavior. This was done using Caenorhabditis elegans, a tiny roundworm with easily detectable habits. This is a simple organism that can give experimental data that may apply to all species and humans as well.

There are two types of ways that C. elegans looks for food: an exploratory behavior known as roaming and a less active behavior known as dwelling. The research group looked at the differences in the worms' behavior in different environments and settings. This led them to a new role for pheromones called ascarosides. A pheromone is a chemical that an animal produces which changes the behavior of another animal of the same species. The ascarosides are signaling molecules that control behavior in the roundworms such as male sexual activity. It was also observed that this pheromone helped the animals modify their behavior depending on how many worms were nearby. In crowded environments, the worms with a specific genetic variation adopt different behaviors than those who don't. Genetic variants were either insensitive or sensitive. Those that were insensitive make less of a key protein that senses the ascarosides than those that are sensitive.

According to Bargmann, one of the ways that behavior evolves is through the appearance of genetic changes that affect sensory capabilities. This study also shows that natural trait variations result because of environment and genetic changes. Through this study, it was recognized that population density can be a regulator of behavioral strategies. This can be used for future studies to see how human behavior's link to its animal origins. I think this study is awesome because it shows that animals are paying attention to their surroundings and the animals around them. Humans do the same thing and are constantly watching, observing and changing because of the people whom they are social with or who are around them constantly.

Behavior Linked with Smoking?

     We all know cigarettes are bad for you, but the real question is "how bad"? We all know that cigarettes damage our throats, lungs, and other parts of our body, but scientists are beginning to discover a new problem arising out of smoking. A recent study has shown that mother's who smoke cigarettes during their prenatal stage, are putting their children at greater risk for behavioral problems. Of course, this is usually linked with a genetic risk for behavioral problems, but they are now beginning to understand that the smoking of cigarettes increases their risk of the behavioral problem arising. This is very interesting news as it sheds light onto an already tattered reputation, but no one is complaining. In our current society smoking cigarettes is increasing being looked down upon, and more news like this puts cigarettes deeper and deeper into the hole they have dug themselves into. So, we already know the life threatening side-effects of smoking cigarettes presents, but now that more problems arising. So the question then becomes, "Will people continue to smoke cigarettes?" The answer to that question is YES! People are addicted to cigarettes and will continue to be regardless of the negative effects. So, if you see a mother-to-be walking down the street smoking a cigarette, make sure you warn her and tell her to read this article.

Duplication of Gene Makes New Discovery

Researchers have found when they duplicate a single gene in mice it causes the mice to have seizures. Not only this, but also the mice begin to have manic-like behavior. To control this behavior, the team used a drug they believe could help those who are hyperactive and do not respond well to other treatments. The gene SHANK3 is the gene they duplicated and cause the mice to react negatively. The gene helps synapse work accordingly by encoding a protein that helps ensure messages are relayed properly between cells. SHANK3 gene is also linked to autism and schizophrenic conditions. At first when the mice were given duplicated genes they believed the mice had ADHD, but after giving the mice medications for the condition they saw that it made them worse. They knew at that point it was not ADHD. This discovery shows how important it is to know gene dosage.

Knowing about this can help find new treatments for symptoms like this. It is a very important research that can help create a better understanding of those who have a severe case of hyperactivity and be able to develop new medication for them.


http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=extra-gene-makes-mice-manic

Behavioral Genetics and Mice Burrow Construction

NY Times & Nature, Journal of Science. Scientists  at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Texas at Austin were trying  to understand how our genetic material can influence complex behavior displayed by both ourselves and animals. An 80 year study on deer mice , or Peromyscus polionotus, helped isolate four sections of DNA that influence mouse behavior and the structure of their burrows. Although they identified the genes, further studies are required to shed lights on what pushes them to dig further or halt excavation. In known genetic anomalies, we find that switching genetic sequences ever so slightly results in a big difference. This may also be the case in mouse behavior or even our own. Even after numerous generations of breeding in captivity deer mice will burrow deep into the ground, adding an escape tunnel. Tunnel length and engineering features were treated as qualitative properties , using foam to create a mold, and was measured as such.

The Howard Hughes team bred deer mice and old field mice, a smaller , closely related breed, and measured their descendents tunnels. Their tunnels were found to be longer than the parental generation. Then the hybrids and original short-burrow species were bred and tunnels were measured once more. This showed a cross over of characteristics, with no correlation. The team then paired the differences in tunnel features with that of their DNA. In addition to the three parts of DNA dealing with tunnel length, another was found to influence whether or not there was an escape tunnel. However, elaborate behaviors dealing with tunnel length are only thirty percent inherited with half of the DNA accounting for distinct shape. When dealing with the "escape tunnel" DNA section, when short-burrow mice contained a long-burrow DNA sequence, there was a forty percent chance that there would be an escape tunnel. Being that these are sections of DNA, their next step will be to find the specific gene and then the specific pathwa