Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation (DNAm) have been associated with stress
responses and increased vulnerability to depression. Abnormal DNAm is observed in …

Although most humans will experience some type of traumatic event in their lifetime only a
small set of individuals will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) …

Negative experiences with a caregiver during infancy can result in long-term changes in
brain function and behavior, but underlying mechanisms are not well understood. It is our …

Natural selection favors the evolution of mechanisms that optimize the allocation of
resources and time among competing traits. Hormones mediate developmental plasticity …

Animal personality, consistent individual differences in behaviour, is an important concept
for understanding how individuals vary in how they cope with environmental challenges. In …

DNA methylation (addition of methyl groups to cytosines) and changes in telomere length
(TTAGGG repeats on the ends of chromosomes) are two molecular modifications that result …

Early developmental conditions are known to have life-long effects on an individual's
behavior, physiology and fitness. In altricial birds, a majority of these conditions, such as the …

Organisms evolve adaptive strategies to adjust to rapidly changing environmental stressors.
Predation pressure is one of the strongest selective forces and organisms respond to …

Traumatic events that affect physiology and behavior in the current generation may also
impact future generations. We demonstrate that an ecologically realistic degree of predation …

The quality of parental care received during development profoundly influences an
individual's phenotype, including that of maternal behavior. We previously found that female …