Maybe you’ve heard, “The body remembers what the mind does not.” This phrase and its spin-offs are used to refer to the body’s physical response to certain stimuli due to trauma, even when someone may not fully remember their traumatic experience. This is an evolutionary response that humans have historically needed for survival. After all, recognizing a threat and knowing how to react are key to the survival of any living creature. However, the mind also doesn’t like to hold onto memories of pain because dwelling on them for too long can lead to unnecessary stress. Epigenetics is how your behaviors or environment can cause changes in how your genes work. The process of epigenetics is also affected by traumatic memories, so in that way, our DNA reflects, records, or ‘remembers’ our lived experience.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly called DNA, works with RNA (ribonucleic acid) to create proteins. DNA is copied into a buddy strand of RNA. This is called transcription. Next, only the parts of RNA that actively code for a protein are joined together, while non-coding pieces of RNA are cut out of this chain. These messenger RNA are the instructions for proteins. In a nutshell, genes act as a “template” for making proteins, which are sent to cells throughout our bodies, with each protein having its own function. Genes comprise the two percent of all DNA that actively codes for a specific protein. The rest of the genome is made up of non-coding sequences.
How does the Process of Epigenetics work?
Epigenetics modify gene expression by turning specific genes “on” or “off.” While epigenetic changes can happen in three different ways, we will focus on how small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) regulates gene expression.
During transcription, a copy of RNA is made. SiRNA cuts a piece from this copy so that a specific protein is no longer made. This effectively turns that gene off. It is important to note that siRNA only messes with the RNA strand, and the original DNA remains the same.
Figure 1| This figure compares a messenger RNA (mRNA) strand to a construction paper chain. In this analogy, siRNA acts as scissors that sever a specific piece of mRNA. Once this piece is severed, it will no longer be a part of the mRNA, so it will not be used to create an amino acid or protein. Whatever ‘job’ this strand should have performed by making a protein won’t happen now, and because this job is not being done, that gene is considered ‘off.’
What Does This All Mean Anyway – Health Effects and Health Potential
Prolonged exposure to stress and trauma can lead to these epigenetic changes. Toxic stress, which occurs when a traumatic experience is not dealt with, results in the body being in a physical state of stress for too long. This state of stress leads to epigenetic changes and potential health risk behaviors. For example, epigenetics can cause changes to stress response genes, like NR3C1, to produce too much protein and reduce the ability of glucocorticoid receptors* to manage stress, leading people to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Additionally, this type of stress puts people at a higher risk of developing depression, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, diabetes, and substance use disorder, just to name a few. Folks with more traumatic experiences in childhood (or Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACES) end up being more likely to have adverse health outcomes, enough for experts to say that these people are at increased risk of “early death,” which can decrease someone’s lifespan by up to 20 years.
Many of these risk factors or illnesses often first appear in adolescence, so it also makes sense that adolescence is a good time for a trusted adult to be able to intervene in hopes of more favorable outcomes. Having a safe adult intervene is crucial because research shows that developing resilience, which is the ability to ‘bounce back‘ after something traumatic happens, has been shown to reduce the risk of poor health outcomes.
Figure 2| This figure shows the basic principle behind epigenetic changes due to ACES, with two paths one can take. However, even if someone goes down the “Unable to find a trusted adult” path initially, this does not mean they are doomed to poor health outcomes. Suppose someone finds a trusted adult or safe person at any point. In that case, this social intervention can help build resilience, encourage healthy coping mechanisms, and get them on track to live healthier, happier lives.
Finding a Safe Adult: A Talk with Expert Dr. Scott-Wellington
To learn more about how adults should build resilience and establish safety, I spoke with Dr. Felicia Scott-Wellington, an adolescent medicine physician who strongly advocates for her patients. Dr. Scott-Wellington acts as a safe adult for youth, and by doing so, she earns their trust and can better look out for them. While she does this through her medical practice – the ideas she applies to her work can be used as a model for any adult looking to become a safe adult for youth. During our conversation, she emphasized the need for adults to be inquisitive and non-judgmental while interacting with kids and youth. She also suggested that looking for folks’ underlying reasons for ‘health risk behaviors,’ like substance use disorder, will lead to better long-term outcomes than punishing them without understanding why they are occurring.
*Glucocorticoid receptors – A receptor that binds to hormones like cortisol, which is responsible for our body’s stress response.
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