Publication Date
2026
College
College of Natural Resources & Sciences
Department
Biological Sciences
Document Type
Poster
Description
Chronic stress is increasingly common and may have consequences across generations. Paternal chronic stress has been shown to alter sperm small RNAs and influence offspring neurodevelopment and psychiatric disease risk. However, how stress signals from the brain reach the germline and how offspring respond to stress remains unclear. This study examines epigenetic inheritance of paternal stress and its effects on offspring stress responses. We compared offspring of chronically stressed and non-stressed sires and measured corticosterone following an acute stressor. Offspring of stressed fathers exhibited reduced corticosterone responses, with evidence of sex-specific differences in stress regulation.