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Genetics plays an important role in peoples' susceptibility to diseases. However, the environment we are exposed to also plays a huge role with some of us being more affected by experiences than others. Come join us for a night of talks where we will be discussing how genes and the environment can affect the development and mental health of people. During the event, there will be Pint of Science & Elsevier goodies to be won!
The Sensitive Gene
Dr Michael Pluess
(Chartered Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology)
People differ in how strongly they respond to the world around them with some being more affected by experiences they make than others. This observation suggests that people vary in their sensitivity to environmental influences. According to recent research, such differences in environmental sensitivity have a genetic basis: Some people are more or less affected by their environment due to genes that make them more or less sensitive. During my talk I will introduce the theoretical background and present new research findings on the genetics of environmental sensitivity.
Unraveling the nature and nurture of mental illnesses
Dr Robert Keers
(Lecturer in Psychology)
What causes mental illness? It’s not all in our genes, but it’s not all due to our environment either. Nature and nurture have to work together for a psychiatric disorder to develop. Could this explain why genes for mental illnesses have been so difficult to find? Could it also explain why some children exposed to adversity develop mental illnesses, while others are resilient? I will present work on gene-environment interaction in depression and anxiety and show how we might use these results to better prevent and treat these disorders.
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