US/UK Joint Workshop on Social and Behavioral Epigenetics

表观遗传学（字面意思是“在基因之上”）是研究基因表达稳定变化的科学领域，这种变化是通过不改变DNA序列组成的修饰而发生的，但却会产生表型（基因组的物理表达）的稳定变化。越来越多的证据表明，这些表观遗传因素对包括人类在内的动物出生前和出生后的环境暴露都有反应；非常重要的是，这些影响基因表达的因素包括社会和行为环境的各个方面。例如，诸如婴幼儿养育环境的不同方面、社会经济环境、个人所经历的压力程度和形式以及药物滥用等因素，都涉及到可能由表观遗传机制介导的长期生物和行为影响，这些影响不仅可能持续到整个成年期，而且有些可能超越几代人。这种影响可以在受影响个体的后代和孙辈身上看到。由于这些社会、行为和心理环境对生物和行为功能的表观遗传程序的影响可以实质性地影响人类的福祉和恢复力，因此构成社会和行为表观遗传学领域的科学至关重要。该领域研究的社会效益可能会扩展到人类发展和老龄化等领域；记忆、认知、神经心理学、压力和学习；营养和营养问题，如肥胖；药物滥用;暴力;人类生物功能/变异及其适应/进化意义；适应/不适应快速的社会和环境变化；以及对人类健康的“下游”影响。科学的复杂性，包括需要将社会科学领域以及这些科学与生物科学的各个方面结合起来，支持了综合研究议程的需要，该议程可以最有效地推进该领域，包括短期和长期目标。本次研讨会是专门为制定这一议程而设计的，从而指导推进社会和行为表观遗传学研究所需的目标和资金广度。研讨会的国际范围-汇集了美国和英国研究社区中最活跃和最有影响力的成员，他们正在发展这门具有全球利益和重要性的科学-也将提供机会来比较可以利用的观点，方法和资源，以推动该领域的发展。

Epigenetics (literally, "above the gene") is a field of science which studies stable alterations in gene expression which occur through modifications which do not alter the sequence composition of DNA, yet which produce stable alterations in phenotypes (the physical expression of the genome). There is growing evidence that these epigenetic factors are responsive to environmental exposures both pre- and post-natally in animals, including humans; very importantly, these factors influencing gene expression include aspects of the social and behavioral environments. Factors such as varying aspects of the nurturing environment for infants and young children, socioeconomic circumstances, degrees and forms of stress experienced by individuals, and substance abuse, for example, are implicated in long-lasting biological and behavioral effects which may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms - and these effects may not only persist into and throughout adulthood, but some may transcend generations, the effects being seen in offspring and grand-offspring of impacted individuals. As these social, behavioral, and psychological environmental influences on the epigenetic programming of biological and behavioral functioning can substantially impact human well-being and resilience, the science constituting the field of social and behavioral epigenetics is critically important. The societal benefits of the research in the field potentially will extend to impacts in areas such as human development and aging; memory, cognition, neuropsychology, stress, and learning; nutrition and nutritional issues such as obesity; substance abuse; violence; human biological functioning/variation and its adaptive/evolutionary significance; adaptation/maladaptation to rapid social and environmental change; and 'downstream' impacts on human health.The complexity of the science, including the need to integrate fields of social science, as well as those sciences with aspects of the biological sciences, supports the need for synthesis of a research agenda that can most effectively advance the field, including both short- and long-term goals. This workshop is specifically designed to develop this agenda and thereby guide the targeting and the breadth of funding required to advance social and behavioral epigenetic research. The international scope of the workshop - bringing together the most active and influential members of the US and UK research communities developing this science of global interest and importance - also will provide opportunity to compare perspectives, approaches, and resources which can be leveraged to move the field forward.