Publications [#219100] of Evan Charney

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Journal Articles

  1. E. Charney. "Behavioural genetics in the postgenomic era." eLS, John Wiley & Sons (Forthcoming).
    (last updated on 2013/10/07)

    Abstract:
    There is growing evidence that the complexity of higher organisms does not correlate with the “complexity” of the genome (the human genome contains fewer protein coding genes than corn, and many genes are preserved across species). Rather, complexity is associated with the complexity of the pathways and processes whereby the cell utilizes the DNA molecule, and much else, in the process of phenotype formation. These processes include the activity of the epigenome, non-coding RNAs, alternative splicing, and post-translational modifications. Not accidentally, all of these processes appear to be of particular importance for the human brain, the most complex organ in nature. Because these processes can be highly environmentally reactive, they are a key to understanding behavioural plasticity and highlight the importance of the developmental process in explaining behavioural outcomes.

Evan Charney