The increased glucocorticoid receptor expression found in this area of the brain was due to epigenetic dysregulation of the gene for glucocorticoid receptors. The hippocampus is essential for cognitive processes and plays an important role in the regulation of stress responses. According to the researchers, these changes are “accompanied by increased glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression and decreased DNA methylation of the GR promoter in the hippocampus” of the offspring of traumatized mice. These behavioral changes come about as a result of a traumatic event experienced by mice, in this case, being unpredictably separated from their mother several times. Lead author Katharina Gapp, along with a group of scientists, are thought to be the first to show that trauma-related behavioral alterations can be epigenetically reversed in male mice. This inherited molecular memory can be detected in the child’s epigenome. The detrimental effects of such an event can be seen in the children of those who were impacted by it, despite these children never having experienced it themselves. The likelihood of developing behavioral and psychiatric disorders later in life is thought to be increased by trauma. Specifically, this reversal and removal of traumatic symptoms were found to be linked to the epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene. A study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, was conducted by researchers at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich and showed that behavioral symptoms associated with trauma in male mice and their offspring can be undone with environmental enrichment. Although still controversial, new research takes this concept a step further and demonstrates that traumatic behavior could be reversed when it would otherwise be inherited. It’s possible that the impact of traumatic experiences may be epigenetically inherited via molecular memory that is passed down through generations.