Project 2 (directed by Dr. Frances Champagne) will use a maternal deprivation mouse model to examine epigenetic effects on gene expression in the brain and the implications for depression, anxiety and regulation of emotional behaviors.

This project will also test the potential benefit of an enriched social environment as a potential way of reversing the adverse effects of prolonged maternal deprivation.

If effective, this could guide new prevention efforts in the future that can begin in childhood in children from high-risk families or homes.