Abstract
The development of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system is shaped by interactions between genetics and the early environment. Such interactions are often mediated by epigenetic modification. This project will examine how the development of autonomic reactivity is underpinned by epigenetic changes in genes that regulate the autonomic nervous system. The student will examine the early development of peripheral indices of autonomic reactivity (heart rate variability and skin conductance) in a large and diverse group of young infants tested longitudinally, and relate these indices to epigenetic modification measured repeatedly over the first year of life.
References
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