This workshop discusses the wide-ranging health and mental health ramifications of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) studies. The ACE studies highlight the interaction between early adversity and epigenetic effects expressed later in life that significantly impact mental health.  The rapidly evolving field of epigenetics reveals how the gene-environment interaction brings about the expression or suppression of the genes. Maternal neglect and growing up in poverty have been shown to suppress genes regulating the cortisol receptors on the hippocampus, making it more difficult to turn off the HPA axis later in life.  In the extreme, low cortisol receptors are associated with suicide.

 

Objectives

1. Explain the effects of adverse childhood experiences
2. Identify how the prefrontal cortex develops during adolescence
3. Explain how these neurodevelopmental changes present challenges for therapy