In the history of abnormal psychology, until the 18th century, evil spirits and demons were believed to be the causes of mental disorders. But as the advancement of scientific knowledge and medical studies increased, scientific research and experiments started showing biological causes for different mental and behavioral disorders. The German physician, Wilhelm Griesinger (1817-1868) hypothesized that abnormal behavior is caused by a disease or physical damage to the brain. This approach led to the emergence of disciplines such as neuroscience and neuropathology, which provide observable characteristics that would define a specific disorder. Neuroscience is a prominent approach to understanding psychopathology and abnormal behavior. It emphasizes how the presence of a psychological or behavioral disorder in an individual affects the structure of the brain and nervous system. For this, neuroscientists analyze various aspects such as brain imaging, genetics, biochemical and electro-psychological processes, brain networks, behavior, and experience. (Ray, W. J., 2021). In addition to that, neuroscience researchers are able to describe cognitive, emotional, and motor processes and what underlies these processes. This paper discusses how neuroscience, in relation to other disciplines, such as genetics, addresses psychological disorders and abnormal behavior.
One of the responsible natural factors for our behavior is our genes. They form the blueprint that determines our structure and function depending on the manner in which they are turned on and turned off. Structurally, genes produce the long necks of giraffes as well as the short necks of turtles. Functionally, the learning of songs in animals like birds is influenced by the presence of certain genes. Certain genes are also associated with a variety of disorders. For instance, SERT is a gene in the human body that plays a role in the development of disorders such as depression, ADHD, and autism. (Ray, W. J., 2021). a discipline that studies how our genes can cause brain disorders and the association between genetics and psychopathology is called neurogenetics. Neurogenetic findings have advanced our understanding of how genetic variation results in individual differences, which in turn determine our behavior and risk for psychopathology ( Plomin, R., & McGuffin, P., 2003).
An important point to note here is that the existence of a certain gene by itself does not guarantee the presence of a disorder. However, a particular gene makeup can increase the risk of an individual developing a certain disorder. What causes a psychological or behavioral disorder is the complex interactivity between genetics and environmental factors. Recent research has also found that factors that turn the genes on and off are largely influenced by the environment, and the processes that determine which genes turn on and off could themselves be passed on to the next generation. Thus, while DNA itself could not be influenced by the environment, the environment could influence future generations through its changes to those processes that turn genes on and off. This is studied under the discipline of Epigenetics. (Ray, W. J., 2021).
Epigenetics ( 'on top of genetics '), is the study of how we can control gene activities without alteration of the actual base composition and sequence of the DNA. It is one of the focuses of modern medical studies and research because it studies the combined involvement of genes and the environment. At this point, different researchers have shown examples of epigenetic mechanisms at work. For instance, a research conducted by a group of researchers in 2006 showed that the diet of a mouse mother before conception can influence the hair color of her infants and even her infant's infants. It also suggests that a mother's diet can influence future generations, independent of later changes in diet (Ray, W. J., 2021). father's diet and physical condition can also influence the offspring's health and behavior. Generally, this type of research suggests that environmental experiences at critical periods could later influence the characteristics and behaviors of future generations. This similar concept can also be applied to human psychological and behavioral disorders. Although strong evidence exists for the inherited component of many psychological and psychiatric disorders, there are also DNA sequence-based environmental causes. For instance, both addiction and depression have been shown to have epigenetic components (Ray, W. J., 2021).In recent years, experimental research in psychopathology and neuroscience has shown that epigenetics represents a promising approach to better understand and diagnose disorders such as Alzheimer's's, autism, schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders.
In conclusion, neuroscience provides observable characteristics that would define a specific psychological and behavioral disorder by using different advanced technologies such as brain imaging. This increases the reliability of diagnosis in a way that mental health professionals in different locations would diagnose the same individual similarly. Neuroscience is also related to genetics in understanding heritable and environmental causes of disorders. Although there is a limited quantity of research, epigenetics is also a promising aspect of neurogenetics for diagnosing and even preventing psychological disorders.
References
Ray, W. J. (2021). Abnormal psychology. Third edition. Thousand Oaks, California, SAGE Publications, Inc.
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Plomin, R., & McGuffin, P. (2003). Psychopathology in the postgenomic era. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 205-228.
Bogdan, R., Hyde, L. & Hariri, A. A neurogenetics approach to understanding individual differences in brain, behavior, and risk for psychopathology. Mol Psychiatry 18, 288–299 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2012.35
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L.K, and S. K. "Epigenetics applied to psychiatry: Clinical opportunities and future challenges." psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, vol. 72, no. 4, 2018, pp. 195-211. wiley online library, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pcn.12634. Accessed 30 09 2022
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