Behavior genetics and postgenomics.

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Epigenetics
• Behavioral Genetics

Background:

• Traditional genetics dogmas state DNA is a fixed heredity template, identical in all cells, and the sole inheritance agent.
• Recent discoveries challenge these dogmas, revealing DNA's susceptibility to environmental changes.
• Somatic mosaicism and the epigenome's role in regulating DNA expressivity are key findings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the paradigm shift in genetics, particularly its implications for behavior genetics.
• To re-evaluate established principles like minimal maternal effects in light of new genetic and epigenetic insights.
• To explore the role of DNA variability, epigenetics, and mosaicism in human behavior and development.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent genetic and epigenetic discoveries.
• Analysis of the impact of these discoveries on established behavior genetics methodologies.
• Examination of the principle of minimal maternal effects in the context of maternal perinatal influences.

Main Results:

• DNA is not a static template but is subject to environmental modification.
• Somatic mosaicism is common, and the epigenome can be inherited, challenging genetic determinism.
• Epigenetic regulation, DNA variability, and mosaicism are prevalent in the brain, influencing behavior.

Conclusions:

• The understanding of genome, genotype-phenotype relationship, and inheritance is evolving.
• New findings necessitate a re-evaluation of heritability and gene association studies in behavior genetics.
• Maternal perinatal environment plays a crucial role in adaptive phenotypic plasticity, impacting developmental and evolutionary biology.