What is it about?
We find a generational effect of early adversity (parental separation) in rodents whereby fear retention and extinction development is affected in the infant offspring of previously stressed fathers. We then find that probiotics are an effective treatment for these effects when they are administered to either the father (in his early life), or to the infant offspring.
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Why is it important?
Generational effects of early adversity and gut microbiome effects on emotion functioning are two burgeoning fields. However, few studies have connected the two areas. This paper is the first to demonstrate that gut manipulations are an effective treatment for generational stress effects, suggesting that the microbiome might be important in the transmission of stress across generations.
Perspectives
As clinical, translational researchers, we are always looking for new treatments to address the ever growing problem of mental health disorders. For treatments to be effective in early life, they need to find minimally invasive and low risk. Microbial manipulations (such as probiotics) fill both of those criteria and therefore hold much promise for pediatric anxiety. The fact that these treatments can be effective across generations further suggests that targeting the gut may be revolutionary in breaking cycles of adversity that help to perpetuate mental illness risk.
Dr Bridget L Callaghan
Columbia University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Treating Generational Stress, Psychological Science, July 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0956797616653103.
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