Determining the role of maternal epigenetic inheritance in offspring brain development and behaviour

Eggs and sperm carry genetic information that is inherited by offspring from their parents. Non-genetic (epigenetic) information is also passed from parents and can influence offspring health and development. Remarkably, this epigenetic information can be influenced by environmental agents, such as parental diet or drug intake, but the mechanisms involved are not well understood. This project explored how epigenetic changes in a mother’s egg impact brain development and behaviour in offspring and identified a new mechanism that affects inherited behavioural outcomes. The outcomes extend our understanding of inherited disease and rare human congenital abnormalities that have an epigenetic basis.