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| CREDIT: Dreamstime |
Bullying may leave long-lasting scars on kids' DNA in
addition to their psyche, new research suggests.
A small study found that bullied kids are more likely to
have changes in the expression of a gene involved in mood regulation compared
with their identical twin siblings who were not bullied. "Since they were
identical twins living in the same conditions, changes in the chemical
structure surrounding the gene cannot be explained by genetics or family
environment," researcher Isabelle Ouellet-Morin said in a statement.
"Our results suggest that victimization experiences are the source of
these changes."
Ouellet-Morin, who is affiliated with King's College
London and the Université de Montréal, and her team looked at 28 pairs of
identical twins born between 1994 and 1995. Data had been collected on these
children through the British Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin
Study. In each of these 28 pairs, one twin had been a victim of bullying while
the other had not.
Part of the survey included an analysis of the kids' DNA
methylation of SERT, a gene that's responsible for transporting serotonin, a
neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation and depression. (DNA methylation
is a chemical process that affects whether or not a gene gets expressed in
response to social and physical cues.)
Bullied twins had higher SERT DNA methylation at age 10
compared with their non-bullied twins, the study found. What's more, the
children with higher SERT methylation levels had blunted cortisol responses to
stress. These alterations could make bullying victims more vulnerable to mental
health problems as they age, the researchers said. "Many people think that
our genes are immutable; however this study suggests that environment, even the
social environment, can affect their functioning," Ouellet-Morin said.
"This is particularly the case for victimization experiences in childhood,
which change not only our stress response but also the functioning of genes
involved in mood regulation."
The study was detailed online Dec. 10 in the journal
Psychological Medicine.
Source: Live Science
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