Lifetime stress and war exposure timing may predict methylation changes at NR3C1 based on a pilot study in a warrior cohort in a small-scale society in Kenya.
Bilinda StraightGeorgiana FisherBelinda L NeedhamAmy NaugleCharles OlungahPuntipa WanitjirattikalCecilia RootJen FarmanTodd BarkmanClaudia LalancettePublished in: American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council (2020)
This study supports the importance of NR3C1 methylation changes in response to challenging life circumstances, including in a global south cultural context that contrasts in notable ways from global north contexts and from the starkly tragic examples of the Rwandan genocide and war-associated rape explored in recent studies. Timing of traumatic exposure and culturally salient means to measure enduring symptoms of trauma remain important considerations for DNA methylation studies.