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We used a collection of 708 prospectively collected autopsied brains to assess the methylation state of the brain's DNA in relation to Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that the level of methylation at 71 of the 415,848 interrogated CpGs was significantly associated with the burden of AD pathology, including CpGs in the ABCA7 and BIN1 regions, which harbor known AD susceptibility variants. We validated 11 of the differentially methylated regions in an independent set of 117 subjects. Furthermore, we functionally validated these CpG associations and identified the nearby genes whose RNA expression was altered in AD: ANK1, CDH23, DIP2A, RHBDF2, RPL13, SERPINF1 and SERPINF2. Our analyses suggest that these DNA methylation changes may have a role in the onset of AD given that we observed them in presymptomatic subjects and that six of the validated genes connect to a known AD susceptibility gene network.

The article offers information on a study that investigates the fear conditioning of odor in mice in Quebec. Researchers trained mice to fear odor acetophenone by mild shocks in the foot. Moreover, they found that when mice are conditioned to fear odor and the next generation of their offspring as well.

The article focuses on gene-environment interaction. It states that a study conducted by researchers reveal that risk allele of FKBP5, which is a stress response regulator is demethylated in children who have been exposed to trauma. It mentions that DNA is marked by methyl groups during gestation in a process that is catalyzed by enzymes. It highlights that methyl groups may alter gene functions.