| JAMES, VELOX & JAMES |
| A STUDY OF CULTURAL GENETICS AND ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOURS IN SPECIAL POPULATIONS. Principle Investigator: E. A. James, Ph.D. Co-Investigators Dr. Peter Igwacho Consultants A.B. James, J.D., Dr. P.H. A.J. James-Velox, Ph.D. James, Velox & James, Inc Anchorage, Alaska Abstract Health disparities, psychological issues, social injustice and economic inequality are all inextricably interwoven with the African American experience effecting quality of life to some degree for all African Americans. Recent studies suggest the reasons for the health, emotional, social and economic disparities are a combination of SES (social economic status), lifestyle, poor choices, a lack of parenting skills and poly-substance abuse. These symptoms are not definitive factors but are only elements or symptoms and not the real source or origin of the problems that African Americans have faced and will continue to face, in this country. Historical/Intergenerational Trauma and a chaotic environment that afforded no protection and to some extent possible genetic neotony (domestication/artificial change from natural evolutionary or cultural norm)change are major components in a multifactoral construct of complex interacting risk factors to include, biological, cultural, medical, psychological, social, legal, behavioral and genetic. These factors facilitated the development of health disparities and inequality suffered by both African Americans descended from Slavery. In order to properly address disparities appropriate assessment and evaluation tools must be employed to identify behavior, behavioral patterns, identification of factors contributing to disparities and the severity of those factors. These tools or metrics must be attuned to the population they are to asses. Currently culturally appropriate evaluation instruments to help identify behavioral patterns and the severity of disparity factors do not exist and the objective of this research will be to develop culturally competent evaluation tools and assessment instruments. Introduction Imagine for a moment that thoughts you have may be subtlety influenced by an experience not your own. That a process exists where a population evolves socially as well as physically and that this evolution of tested behaviors is transferred from generation to generation creating a cultural norm based on cues from the external environment. That this cultural norm provides through oral tradition and directed intuition patterns of behavior for hunting, building shelter, finding a mate and all manner of group and individual social interactions. And that this information is passed on from generation to generation insuring survivability by providing a stable behavioral platform from which the group or population depend, grow, multiply and continue. Now consider prolonged break in the flow of this generational information or cultural norm. What are the long and short term consequences? How might a group or population cope? Would they develop new coping mechanisms to deal directly with the change in environment? Could these new adaptive behaviors conflict with long established cultural norms and what forms could such conflicts take? New Science / New Methodology Epigenetic theory considers evolution as a process of environmentally-controlled transformation of ontogeny (Grodnitskii, 2001, 99-109) “Poverty is stress, one thing that always strikes me is that when you ask Americans why the poor are poor, they always say it’s because they don’t work hard enough, or don’t want to do better. They act like poverty is a character issue.” Gould’s work implies that the symptoms of poverty are not simply states of mind; they actually warp the mind. Because neurons are designed to reflect their circumstances, not to rise above them, the monotonous stress of living in a slum literally limits the brain. (Elizabeth Gould, Yale University, The Reinvention of the Self Brain & Behavior by Jonah Lehrer / February 23, 2006) Millions of people are removed from a great many communities, and placed in an alien environment. Removed from the origin of their established cultural norm and forcibly deterred from the practice of genetically inherited information. What are the long term effects on the removed population and what are effects on the population they were removed from? The new fields of study, Epigenetics, Neurogenesis, Population Genetics and emergent Cultural Genetic Theory are available to provide answers. Cultural Genetic Theory Cultural Genetic Theory is best described as the study of the impact of social, physical and emotional environment on successive generations of a population. Patterns of behavior passed from generation to generation or Trans-Genetic Adaptive Behaviors are developed in one generation to increase survivability. In a natural environment lessons learned in one generation could indeed prove useful in subsequent generations. The exception being artificial environments like those where natural order is superseded by laws, institutions and other external forces where the evolved cultural norm is challenged and presents the possibility for conflict between group behavior evolved over time like cultural traditions and the emergent adaptive behavior triggered by prolonged catastrophic (stressful) events. Trans-Genetic Adaptive behaviors are then by extension responsible for population end result events like health disparities, in vivo social inequalities and aberrant behavioral patterns within groups or populations. That not only challenge the group or population but are also responsible for adaptive behaviors in populations with which the identified group or population has had prolonged contact, creating an optimum environment for social injustice and systemic discrimination. Current research, papers, and studies in support of cultural genetics include Epigenetics, Neurogenesis and Population Genetics. In Epigenetics the genome dynamically responds to the environment. Stress, diet, behavior, toxins and other factors activate chemical switches that regulate gene expression. Neurogenesis is the process in which neurons are generated. Stress is primarily signaled by an increase in a class of steroid called glucocorticoids, which put the body on a heightened state of alert. Glucocorticoids can have an adverse side-effect: They are toxic for the brain. When stress becomes chronic, neurons stop investing in themselves, Neurogenesis ceases, and Dendrites disappear. The Genetics of populations studies the frequencies of genes, genotypes, and phenotypes, and the mating systems. It also studies the forces that may alter the genetic composition of a population in time, such as recurrent mutation, migration, and intermixture between groups, selection resulting from genotypic differential fertility, and the random changes incurred by the sampling process in reproduction from generation to generation. This study sample will be taken from the African American population descended from slaves residing in the United States, with a cohort group in Africa under the direction of Dr. Akoko at the University of Buea in Cameroon. This is the first step in our research study where we will develop Questionnaires and Surveys that will be specifically designed to identify patterns of behavior and to identify the environmental origin of the behavior pattern. Identification of adaptive behaviors in contrast to the populations’ cultural norm may lead to the development of new and more effective programs and treatments for brain diseases, social inequality and health disparities. Genetic Science Learning Center (2010, March 11) Epigenetics and the Human Brain. Learn.Genetics. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from http://learn.genetics.utah. edu/content/epigenetics/brain/ The Reinvention of the Self Brain & Behavior / by Jonah Lehrer / February 23, 2006 Trauma and Trans-Genetic Adaptive Behavior in Special Populations “Blood is Blood but experience is relative” (Ajayi, 2006) The first case studies on the impact of trauma on successive generations came in the late 1800’s from the emerging field of psychoanalysis. However, it was only after the post Holocaust era that consistent literature on the intergenerational effects of parent’s trauma on their children emerged. Studies on the Holocaust syndrome by Neiderland (1961), Rakoff, et al. (1966), reported on the transmission of the effects of the Holocaust on the second and third generations of the survivors. (Portney, 2003). In the United States African Americans and Native Americans/Alaska Natives suffer disproportionately from health disparities systemic discrimination and social-economic inequality. Statistics plainly illustrate that these inequalities lead to shorter life spans higher rates of Cancer, Suicide, Cardiovascular Disease, Substance Abuse, STD’s, HIV, Diabetes, and Homicide and have a substantionaly decreased quality of life. These health, social and economic problems are not exclusively the result of poor parenting, education or lifestyle issues, but are a logical progression of events caused by centuries of slavery, genocide and social isolation over a prolonged period of time. The populations this article is calling attention to are the populations directly related to the ) African Holocaust (Black Americans descended from slaves) and )Native American Holocaust, (Native Nations in the U.S. and Canada). These populations do not enjoy the same levels of social affluence and acceptance as others in the general population and are less likely to enjoy the benefits of higher education. They experience higher levels of social and personal stress and are more sensitive to health issues, than other groups in the general population. Adult African Americans are 2.4 times more likely as white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are 2.3 times as likely as white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes . African Americans are 50% more likely as white adults to have a stroke. Native Americans are 60% more likely as white adults to have a stroke. African Americans make up only 13% of the US population yet they accounted for more than 51% of the HIV/AIDS cases in 200 . Native Americans make up a smaller percentage of the total population but have a 40% higher AIDS rate than then white counter parts relative to population size. This information stems from national statistics collected by US Health and Human Services and from these statistics we can draw logically two solutions. First, the recent (last 300 years) socio-evolution of these groups caused a change in social function and bio-physiology. Second, it is evident that although African Americans and Native Americans today are two distinct groups, who by and large occupy different geographical and social areas, they have similar health disparities and experience similar systemic discrimination. Genetic mutation is triggered by external stimuli (Earl & Deem, 2004). Figure No. 1 illustrates a cultural genetic norm established through generations of social and biological evolution. This norm represents the best possible socio-biological genetic configuration for survival of a group in a specific environment. The traumatic period represents a change in the norm significant enough to trigger a genetic mutation over time, the result being a socio-biological change in the first generation after the primary traumatic period or First Generation Variance. This new configuration is a mutation due to environment and the intergenerational transfer of trauma, the effects of which are varied and usually detrimental. Physical and emotional trauma leave imprints on our psyche leading to PTSD and other physical and biological illnesses. Logic would indicate that long term trauma as illustrated in post Jewish Holocaust studies, could trigger genetic mutation or mythelation, leading to changes in learned behavior which has an adverse generational cascading effect. Traditional family roles, parenting skills and supportive relationships edified by tradition are still passed on but are suppressed by adaptive behaviors developed in response to environmental factors. Once genetic mutations are triggered and are expressed variances from the cultural genetic norm health, emotional and social challenges are a logical result. Culture is a combination of belief systems, government, community and practical knowledge unique to a people and their geographical environment. It insures the development of appropriate coping skills and social harmony needed for the survival of the population or group in which it is forged. Therefore it can be said that cultural traditions or traditional ways being evolved over time through a process of social evolution are passed from one generation to another, insuring continued survival in that region. The disruption of a people’s cultural tradition for extended periods initiates mythelation causing change. Evident in both identified populations, are issues regarding health disparities, systemic discrimination, social and economic inequality when compared to the general population. Slavery An estimated 65 million Africans transported and forcibly placed in an institution of slavery. Accurate records of the numbers on Native Americans enslaved do not exist. Scholar’s estimate tens of thousands of Native Americans may have been enslaved by the Europeans. The slave trade of Native Americans lasted only until around 1730, and it gave rise to a series of devastating wars among the tribes. The Indian wars of the early 18th century, combined with the increasing importation of African slaves, effectively ended the Native American slave trade by 1750 assuming they were not mixed with African blood.The institution of slavery, separation of families, genocide and forced relocation from traditional homelands caused a chronic stress response lasting many generations. The Aftermath Research studies must be initiated to collect empirical data in order to examine the disparity in epidemical and behavioral areas and draw logical conclusions as to possible origins based on that data, by recognizing that the underlying source of these issues is a direct result of intergenerational transmission of trauma following external stimuli, in this case the colonization and the institution of slavery in the United States. Health disparities and social inequality for these special populations cannot be adequately addressed until 1) the traumatic history of each population is properly examined using modern investigative science methodology in support of targeted research studies, 2) Failing to properly integrate targeted populations by recognizing the impact of that traumatic history and refusing to educate the general population to the same. Research dollars can be better spent, developing programs and services that not only address issues in which “traumatic lifestyle” is indicated by dominate causative factors, but identify the process by which the end result came to be. |
| Genetic Science Learning Center (2010, March 14) Learn.Genetics™. Learn. Genetics. Retrieved from http://learn. genetics.utah.edu/ |
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| Dr. Ellsworth James and Dr. Hugh Starks discuss Cultural Genetics and Historical Trauma. |